Head of Product, Data Platform

Head of Product, Data Platform - Media - 6 Month FTC - £150,000

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Head of Product, Data Platform to play a pivotal role in driving the growth of digital products and fostering a best-in-class product culture at a leading media organisation.

The Role

We are seeking a dynamic and experienced leader to shape the strategy, roadmap, and development of core data and insights platforms. This role involves leading a team of Product Managers, collaborating with cross-functional leadership teams, and working closely with editorial, marketing, and product colleagues to align with strategic objectives.

Key Responsibilities

Vision, Strategy & Collaboration

• Define and communicate a ‘platform-first’ vision and strategy, focusing on scalability, reliability, and extensibility.

• Build and maintain a platform development roadmap that balances technical innovation, business priorities, and operational excellence.

• Ensure collaboration across engineering, data, product, and other key stakeholders to drive alignment and progress.

• Work closely with engineering teams to maintain a robust platform architecture that supports organisational objectives.

Team Leadership

• Lead and mentor a large team of Product Managers, fostering a high-performance and inclusive culture.

• Manage performance, resource planning, recruitment, and talent development within the product team.

• Contribute to leadership initiatives to enhance ways of working and product excellence.

• Drive a data-informed, outcome-focused, and experimentation-driven approach to product development.

Platform & Technical Development

• Oversee the development of a data platform to support analytics, personalisation, and AI/ML capabilities.

• Partner with Data Science and Analytics teams to enhance tools for behavioural analysis, A/B testing, and real-time insights.

• Stay ahead of industry trends in cloud computing, AI/ML, and data infrastructure to future-proof the organisation.

• Ensure security and compliance standards are met, in collaboration with legal and compliance teams.

The Ideal Candidate

We are looking for a seasoned product leader with:

• Extensive experience in Product Management, particularly in platforms, infrastructure, or technical products.

• Strong expertise in data ingestion and analytics platforms.

• Proven ability to define product strategy, roadmap, and execute across all stages of the product lifecycle.

• Experience in balancing user needs, technical feasibility, and business priorities.

• Success in leading large teams (20-60 people) and managing multi-disciplinary teams in an agile environment.

• Knowledge of cloud platforms, APIs, and data infrastructure.

• Experience working in matrixed or cross-functional organisations and influencing stakeholders at all levels.

• Strong analytical mindset with the ability to track and optimise platform performance.

• Familiarity with GenAI solutions and emerging AI/ML technologies.

• Budget planning and forecasting expertise.

Key Attributes

The successful candidate will be:

• A systems thinker, adept at optimising complex systems.

• User-focused, with a passion for data-driven decision-making.

• A strong collaborator, skilled at influencing and engaging with key stakeholders.

• Detail-oriented, ensuring robust, scalable, and secure solutions.

• A visionary, anticipating future needs and shaping long-term strategy.