Head of Product - Decision Engine

Halton Housing; Leeds, Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Halton Housing is seeking a Head of Product for Data Solutions to lead the strategy for Cox Automotive's data products based in Manchester or Leeds. This pivotal role bridges technical innovation with business impact, ensuring the central data platform drives automotive commerce across Europe. The successful candidate will have proven experience in product leadership and a strong commercial mindset, alongside technical expertise in data platforms and Salesforce integrations.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in Product Leadership, 5+ years in data products.
• Experience with Salesforce ecosystems and AI/ML.
• Fluency in German, French, or Spanish is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Own the end-to-end strategy for data products.
• Lead a team of Product Managers and collaborate cross-functionally.
• Engage clients and secure buy-in for data-driven initiatives.

Skills

Product Leadership

Data Products

Salesforce Ecosystems

AI/ML Platforms

Commercial Mindset

Cloud-native Architectures

CRM Integrations

Collaboration

Education

MBA or Advanced Degree in Data Science

Computer Science or Related Field

Tools

Snowflake

Databricks

Kafka

AWS Kinesis

Job description

This is a Permanent , Full Time vacancy that will close in a month at 23:59 BST .

The Role

Location: Manchester or Leeds - Hybrid

Scope of Role:

As Head of Product for Data Solutions, you’ll own the end-to-end strategy for Cox Automotive’s data products, Salesforce integrations, and the Decision Engine. You’ll bridge technical innovation with business impact, ensuring our platform becomes the central nervous system for automotive commerce – ingesting, analysing, and acting on data to deliver right vehicle, right price, right channel, right buyer. This role demands equal parts technical depth, commercial acumen, and leadership excellence to scale solutions across Europe.

Key Responsibilities:

• Define and evangelise the product vision for Data Solutions, including:
• Decision Engine: AI/ML-driven automation for pricing, stock, and channel optimisation. - Salesforce Ecosystem: Unified CRM, billing, and compliance workflows.
• Data Products: Monetisable APIs, analytics suites, and third-party data partnerships.
• Align roadmaps with Cox Automotive’s pan-European growth goals and client needs.
• Data Platform: Oversee the architecture of our data lakehouse (Snowflake, Databricks) and real-time pipelines (Kafka, AWS Kinesis).
• Salesforce Integrations: Ensure seamless workflows across Financial Services Cloud, Marketing Cloud, and CPQ.
• Decision Engine: Prioritise AI/ML use cases (e.g., dynamic pricing, desirability scoring) and ensure ethical, bias-free automation.

3. Cross-Functional Leadership

• Lead a team of Product Managers (Data, Salesforce, Decision Engine) and collaborate with:
• Data Science & Engineering: Scale MLOps, model governance, and data quality.
• Commercial Teams: Develop pricing models for data-as-a-service (DaaS) offerings.
• Legal & Compliance: Embed GDPR, PSD2, and AI ethics into product design.
• Drive revenue through data monetisation (e.g., API access for OEMs, residual value forecasts for dealers).
• Identify partnerships with third-party data providers (e.g., economic indicators, weather APIs).
• Champion R&D into emerging tech (GenAI, graph analytics, federated learning).

5. Stakeholder Alignment

• Partner with C-suite to secure buy-in for data-driven initiatives.
• Engage clients (OEMs, dealers) in co-creation workshops to validate priorities.
• Represent Cox Automotive at industry events as a thought leader in automotive data innovation.

Skills, Knowledge, and Experience:

• 10+ years in Product Leadership, with 5+ years focused on data products, Salesforce ecosystems, or AI/ML platforms (B2B, automotive, fintech, or marketplaces).
• Proven track record scaling data solutions from MVP to enterprise-grade adoption.
• Deep technical expertise:
• Data Platforms: Cloud-native architectures (AWS/Asure), data mesh/fabric.
• Salesforce: Financial Services Cloud, CRM integrations, CPQ.
• Strong commercial mindset: Experience monetising data or SaaS products.
• MBA or advanced degree in Data Science, Computer Science, or related field.
• Experience in automotive supply chain, wholesale auctions, or residual value management.
• Fluency in German, French, or Spanish.

STRICTLY NO AGENCIES PLEASE

We work with a carefully selected set of recruitment agencies and we're not looking to add to our PSL.

We do not accept unsolicited agency CV's sent to the recruitment team or directly to the hiring manager. We will not be responsible for any fees related to unsolicited CV's.

#INDOR

Aneliese Platts
Senior Designer

“The people that work here are what sets Cox Automotive apart. We genuinely work as a team, and I feel the same level of support everywhere in the business. Working here is like a family away from home, but most importantly we have fun whilst doing it!”

Ann Fairbanks
Executive PA & Business Support

Ann Fairbanks
Executive PA & Business Support

“I wouldn’t be where I am today without Cox Automotive. The company has real culture of learning, pushing the boundaries and making YOU better. It’s all built on strong values that are more than just words, they’re acted on every single day.”

Gemma Hepple
National Operations Manager

Gemma Hepple
National Operations Manager

“In my nine years here, Cox Automotive has allowed me to learn, grow and hone my skills. There’s a real commitment to inclusion and diversity and today I am proud to be in what was historically perceived to be a ‘man’s’ role.”