VP Product

Taylor and Francis; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A global academic publishing company is seeking a VP Product to transform the business into a modern Knowledge Marketplace. The successful candidate will design a platform that connects researchers, learners, and institutions while incorporating AI for enhanced discovery. Responsibilities include leading product teams, implementing a scalable platform strategy, and ensuring high-quality delivery. This role offers a flexible working model, requiring a minimum of three in-person days per week in the UK.

Benefits

Excellent work/life balance

25 days annual leave plus a birthday day off

3 discretionary days off during holidays

4 paid volunteering days

Company funded medical insurance

Employee assistance programme

Share Match plan

Pension scheme

Life assurance and medical care

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading global product teams in a matrixed organisation.
• Deep understanding of multi-sided platforms and the dynamics of supply and demand.
• A track record of modernising legacy products into scalable, digital solutions.
• Ability to engage with engineering teams on APIs, data models, and AI integration.
• Strong analytical skills to define and track KPIs and deliver measurable outcomes.
• Business-savvy with a knack for identifying opportunities and driving ROI.
• Exceptional communication and collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

• Build a scalable, modular platform that reduces friction in content submission.
• Leverage AI to predict user needs and enhance discovery.
• Transition from monolithic applications to an API-first platform strategy.
• Champion agile methodologies for timely delivery of the product roadmap.
• Lead and mentor a global product team, fostering innovation and collaboration.
• Communicate the Knowledge Marketplace strategy to align business objectives.

Skills

Product Leadership

Marketplace Expertise

Transformational Success

Technical Fluency

Data-Driven Decision-Making

Commercial Acumen

Visionary Leadership

Job description

Job Description

Are you ready to play a key role in shaping the future of academic publishing? Taylor & Francis is looking for a skilled VP Product to guide the evolution of our business from a traditional academic publisher to a modern Knowledge Marketplace.

This role offers the opportunity to design a platform that connects researchers, learners, and institutions, creating value for both content creators and knowledge consumers. As a strategic leader, you will help define and implement a product vision that incorporates AI-driven discovery, supports network effects, and prioritises trust-by-design in academic research dissemination.

What you’ll be doing

• Architect the Marketplace: Build a scalable, modular platform that reduces friction in content submission, verification, and consumption.
• Drive Innovation: Leverage AI to predict user needs, automate content verification, and enhance discovery.
• Lead Transformation: Transition from monolithic applications to an API-first, modular platform strategy.
• Deliver Excellence: Champion agile methodologies to ensure timely, high-quality delivery of the product roadmap.
• Inspire Teams: Lead and mentor a global product team, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and customer obsession.
• Champion the Vision: Communicate the Knowledge Marketplace strategy to internal and external stakeholders, aligning business objectives with customer needs.

Qualifications

• Product Leadership: Proven experience leading global product teams in a matrixed organisation.
• Marketplace Expertise: Deep understanding of multi-sided platforms and the dynamics of supply and demand.
• Transformational Success: A track record of modernising legacy products into scalable, digital solutions.
• Technical Fluency: Ability to engage with engineering teams on APIs, data models, and AI integration while maintaining a customer-first focus.
• Data-Driven Decision-Making: Strong analytical skills to define and track KPIs, optimise marketplace health, and deliver measurable outcomes.
• Commercial Acumen: Business-savvy with a knack for identifying opportunities, performing cost/benefit analyses, and driving ROI.
• Visionary Leadership: Exceptional communication and collaboration skills to inspire teams and align stakeholders.

Location

We believe that great things happen when people connect face-to-face. That’s why we work in-person with each other, or with customers and partners, three days a week or more. When you’re not spending time together in one of our offices or other workplaces – like at conference – you get the flexibility and support to work from home or remotely.

The successful candidate will be able to utilise our balanced working model. We ask that candidates live within a commutable distance of our UK office locations, either Blackfriars, London or Milton Park, Oxfordshire to ensure that as a balanced worker they can make it to our office location to collaborate as required. There is an expectation for a minimum of three days per week in-person time.

What we offer in return

• An excellent work/life balance with a fantastic, flexible working culture
• 25 days annual leave per year plus a day off for your birthday
• 3 additional discretionary days off during the holiday season at the end of the year
• 4 paid volunteering days each year
• Company funded single cover private medical insurance
• Employee assistance programme – offering 24/7 well-being support
• Share Match – Plan that matches every share purchased with two free shares.
• Pension scheme
• Life assurance, plus optical and medical care

Closing Date: 19th December 2025

You must have the right to work and live in the UK.

Interview process

Once you have submitted your application, we may get in touch with you for an initial screening conversation or ask you to complete a short video interview to enable us to better understand your skills, experience, and motivation. Following this, you will be invited to attend a competency-based interview, either virtually or in person. Typically, we’d then finish the interview process with a final, 2nd stage interview before extending an offer to the successful applicant.

We want all our candidates to shine in our recruitment process. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to ensure you are able to show us your best self. This could include having the application form in a different format, more time for questions, or anything else – please ask us, we are happy to be flexible! Please contact [e-mail]

Being Yourself at Taylor & Francis

If you’re excited about working with Taylor & Francis to foster human progress through knowledge, we invite you to apply even if your existing skills and experience don’t fit every item listed above. At Taylor & Francis, we are at our best and most successful when colleagues can be themselves and make a contribution regardless of their identity or background. As a colleague, you will have the opportunity to further innovate and develop in areas that you are passionate about. Our goal is to empower you with the resources, incentives, and flexibility you need to enjoy success at work and to live a healthy, balanced life.

Taylor & Francis is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We believe in and value diversity of people and thought, fostering a supportive and inclusive environment where all colleagues can learn and succeed as their true selves. Taylor & Francis recruits, develops, and retains colleagues without regard to any protected personal characteristics or other non-merit based factor.

We genuinely care about our colleagues, promoting work-life balance, well-being, and flexible working. We believe that the skills and experience you bring to Taylor & Francis are invaluable. We want you to have the opportunity to develop your abilities, and to innovate and develop in areas which you are passionate about. To find out more about our business and the great career opportunities please go to our Careers Site: https://www.taylorandfrancisgroup.com/careers

Or better yet check out our LinkedIn ‘Life’ Page, highlighting our accomplishments, employees, and company culture. It’s also a good way of meeting our recruitment team, who will be happy to advise you on your journey here at T&F.

https://www.linkedin.com/company/taylor-&francis-group/life/79e0c27c-afdf-4bbb-84e6-5f8ed5e10bb8/