Head of Product & Engineering - AI Lab

The Economist; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension

Private health insurance

Wellbeing & EAP

Work From Anywhere program

Extra leave & parental leave

Free Economist content

Job summary

The Economist Group is seeking a Head of Product & Engineering to lead the AI Lab’s product and technical work, accountable for the full 0-1 journey - from deciding what to work on in the first place, to developing and validating working products: setting direction, shaping the roadmap, guiding discovery, making architectural decisions and ensuring that what we ship is useful, reliable and worthy of The Economist ’s heritage and mission.

Qualifications

• Experience leading the development of B2C digital products with accountability for product outcomes and engineering delivery.
• Experience building and operating AI-powered products including practical knowledge of LLM patterns.
• Strong engineering background and technical judgement to guide architecture and decisions.

Responsibilities

• Set the AI Lab's direction and roadmap aligned with editorial mission and company objectives.
• Lead and grow a multidisciplinary team across product, design and engineering.
• Own the 0-1 process from ideation to beta and production using evidence to decide what to scale or stop.
• Collaborate with editorial colleagues to imagine products that amplify journalism while safeguarding quality and independence.
• Define engineering practices for high-quality, novel AI product development.

Skills

B2C digital products

AI-powered products

Engineering leadership

Team building

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication to technical/editorial

Job description

Who we are

Since 1843, The Economist Group has championed independence, excellence and openness, helping people understand and tackle the critical challenges shaping the world. Today, we are building on that legacy as a global media and information-services company powered by digital innovation, analytical rigour and evidence-based insight.

Across our three businesses - The Economist, Economist Enterprise and Economist Education - we deliver trusted analysis and insights to individuals and organisations in more than 170 countries. United by a shared purpose to drive progress, we empower decision-makers to make sense of change and chart a course through an increasingly complex world.

As a colleague, you will be part of a culture that values ideas, encourages ownership and holds itself to high standards. We invest in people who are curious, thoughtful and adaptable, whether they are launching new products, reporting on global events or harnessing emerging technologies such as AI to improve how we work. Here, fresh thinking is taken seriously, ambition is matched by integrity, and great work is recognised. Working across disciplines, geographies and perspectives, we are united by a commitment to innovation, excellence and creating meaningful impact.

Want to discover more about life at The Economist Group? Follow @EconomistCareers on Instagram to discover the people, stories and opportunities that make TEG unique.

Technology, Product & Data

Our team of 450 colleagues across Technology, Product and Data is at the heart of The Economist Group’s digital-first agenda. Together, we design, build and optimise the digital products, platforms and data capabilities that power our business and reach millions of people around the world. Whether you’re an engineer, product manager, designer, data scientist or analyst, you’ll work on products that have real-world impact. From enhancing economist.com and developing new products for Economist Intelligence to creating personalised experiences and applying AI to solve complex challenges, you’ll help shape how consumers, businesses and government leaders access trusted insights. Working in cross-functional teams, we combine engineering excellence, product thinking and data expertise to solve meaningful problems, experiment with new technologies and continuously improve the experiences we create. It’s an opportunity to do challenging, purposeful work alongside curious, collaborative colleagues, while helping drive sustainable growth for one of the world’s most trusted brands.

The role

We are seeking a Head of Product & Engineering to lead The Economist AI Lab’s product and technical work. You will be accountable for the full 0-1 journey - from deciding what to work on in the first place, to developing and validating working products: setting direction, shaping the roadmap, guiding discovery, making architectural decisions and ensuring that what we ship is useful, reliable and worthy of The Economist ’s heritage and mission. This is a hands‑on leadership role for a small, multidisciplinary team spanning product, engineering and design, working alongside editorial colleagues embedded in the Lab.

Responsibilities

• Set the direction for the AI Lab - translating our broader editorial mission, company objectives and the evolving AI technology frontier into a focused roadmap of innovation directions and prospective products
• Lead and grow a team of multidisciplinary specialists across product, design and engineering; create the conditions for rapid innovation and exploration and a culture of quality that is worthy of our brand
• Be the voice of the future customer, ensuring our work is focused on ambitious, high‑potential, customer‑centred opportunities that will create real value
• Own the 0-1 process: generate ideas, coordinate research, prioritise prototype development and user testing and orchestrate from beta launch to production, using evidence - and a good amount of taste - to decide what to improve, scale or stop along the way
• Work closely with editorial colleagues (both inside the AI Lab and more broadly) to imagine and create products that amplify our journalism while protecting its quality, provenance and independence.
• Shape the technical direction: lead on architecture and build‑versus‑buy decisions, stay close to the code, and establish the engineering practices for high‑quality, novel AI product development
• Connect the Lab's work to platforms, data and priorities across The Economist Group; define how success is measured and move concepts that work into the right long‑term home

Who you are

• Experience leading the development of B2C digital products, with accountability for both product outcomes and engineering delivery. Consumer subscription, media, e-commerce or marketplace background is strongly preferred.
• A track record of taking products from 0-1: finding valuable problems, testing assumptions, shipping quickly and learning from real users.
• Experience building and operating AI‑powered products including practical knowledge of LLM application patterns, evaluation approaches and how the frontier of capabilities is moving.
• A strong engineering background and the technical judgement to guide architecture, challenge decisions and earn the confidence of senior engineers.
• Team building: A strong record of hiring senior engineering talent in a competitive market and of raising the technical bar of an existing team.
• The ability to make progress in ambiguous, fast‑changing environments without adding unnecessary process.
• Clear communication with technical, editorial and commercial audiences, including the ability to explain assumptions and trade‑offs directly.
• A deep appreciation of The Economist 's journalistic values: intellectual rigour, a global outlook and editorial independence.

#LI-Hybrid

Working Arrangements

The majority of our roles operate on a hybrid working pattern, with 3+ days office attendance required.

AI usage for your application

We are an innovative organisation that encourages the use of technology. We recognise that candidates may utilise AI tools to support with their job application process. However, it is essential that all information you provide truthfully and accurately reflects your own experience, skills, and qualifications.

What we offer

Our benefits package is designed to support your wellbeing, growth, and work-life balance. It includes a highly competitive pension or 401(k) plan, private health insurance, and 24/7 access to counselling and wellbeing resources through our Employee Assistance Program.

We also offer a range of lifestyle benefits, including our Work From Anywhere program, which allows you to work from any location where you have the legal right to do so for up to 25 days per year. In addition, we provide generous annual and parental leave, as well as dedicated days off for volunteering and even for moving home.

You will also be given free access to all The Economist content, including an online subscription, our range of apps, podcasts and more.