AVP Product Development

Gallagher Bassett; Rolling Meadows (IL); On-site; USD 180,000 - 300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/dental/vision plans

Life and accident insurance

401(K) and Roth options

Tax-advantaged accounts (HSA, FSA)

Educational expense reimbursement

Job summary

Gallagher Bassett is seeking a VP of Product Development – Client Facing Systems to shape the future of award-winning systems and lead global product innovations that differentiate Gallagher Bassett for years to come. You’ll translate vision into a roadmap, partner with IT, analytics, and vendors, and drive client-focused outcomes.

The role requires 8+ years in product/tech leadership, 5+ years with client-facing systems, and strong BI/analytics fluency, with a focus on market-leading usability,

Qualifications

• 8+ years of professional/technical experience including leadership of product or technology initiatives.
• 5+ years of experience with client-facing systems.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, communication, and critical-thinking skills.
• Solid understanding of product development and product management principles.
• Experience developing and maintaining product roadmaps.
• Proven experience managing projects and working in an agile manner.
• Technical fluency with regard to client-facing systems and/or business intelligence platforms.
• Bachelor’s degree; 6 years professional experience with quantitative analysis.
• Less than 20% travel; highly polished presentation skills.

Responsibilities

• Proposes and gains leadership buy-in on a clear vision for core product innovation globally ensuring continual improvement in system usability, functionality, flexibility, security, and distinctiveness.
• Ensures the voice of business stakeholders is heard and represented in the vision.
• Deconstructs product vision into an achievable roadmap and feature blueprints, aligning with IT delivery teams on feasibility.
• Establishes product roadmaps (internal and external) and keeps these up to date.
• Acts as a business owner to ensure decisions support the product vision.
• Oversees implementation of core product vision with GB IT, Analytics, Data Science, and partners.
• Aligns with GB IT on technical platforms to meet core product needs.
• Influences vendor and partner product direction to fulfill the roadmap.
• Sets direction for product marketing materials highlighting key differentiators.
• Responds to RFP/RFIs regarding the product vision and roadmap.
• Manages the product day-to-day including release management and prioritization of work.
• Acts as a SME for sales, marketing, and user support.
• Owns and manages the product budget, including forecasting and spend tracking.
• Manages vendor contracts and relationships.

Skills

Product leadership

Client-facing systems

Analytics

Product management

Roadmaps

Agile

Technical fluency

BI platforms

Presentation skills

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

At Gallagher Bassett, we're there when it matters most because helping people through challenging moments is more than just our job, it’s our purpose. Every day, we help clients navigate complexity, support recovery, and deliver outcomes that make a real difference in people’s lives. It takes empathy, precision, and a strong sense of partnership—and that’s exactly what you’ll find here. We’re a team of fast‑paced fixers, empathetic experts, and outcomes drivers—people who care deeply about doing the right thing and doing it well. Whether you’re managing claims, supporting clients, or improving processes, you’ll play a vital role in helping businesses and individuals move forward with confidence. Here, you’ll be supported by a culture that values teamwork, encourages curiosity, and celebrates the impact of your work. Because when you’re here, you’re part of something bigger. You’re part of a team that shows up, stands together, and leads with purpose.

How You’ll Make An Impact

Gallagher Bassett’s client-facing systems are industry‑leading, consistently recognized by independent reviewers. As VP of Product Development – Client Facing Systems, you will have the chance to shape the future of these award‑winning systems, including innovations great and small that will make them differentiating offerings for Gallagher Bassett for years to come.

Responsibilities

• Proposes and gains leadership buy‑in on a clear vision for core product innovation globally ensuring continual improvement in terms of system usability, functionality, flexibility, security, and distinctiveness—ultimately driving system usage and client satisfaction.
• Ensures the voice of business stakeholders (e.g., clients and GB Client Services) are heard and that their needs are represented in the vision.
• Deconstructs product vision into an achievable product roadmap and feature blueprints, aligning with delivery (IT) teams on technical feasibility.
• Establishes product roadmaps (internal and external) and keeps these up to date.
• Acts as a business owner throughout the development process to ensure that decisions (both major and detailed) are made in furtherance of the product vision.
• Oversees implementation of core product vision in partnership with execution functions (e.g., GB IT, Analytics, Data Science; and technology/vendor partners).
• Aligns with GB IT on technical platform(s) to meet core product needs where an existing platform is insufficient.
• Influences vendor and partner product direction, both formally and informally, to the benefit of GB and to fulfill the product roadmap.
• Sets direction for product marketing materials, providing sales and marketing personnel key points of differentiation that should be highlighted.
• Responds to RFP/RFIs regarding the product vision and roadmap.
• Manages the product on a day‑to‑day basis, including:
  • Performing release management, including communications with users and stakeholders about core product changes and improvements.
  • Providing direction on prioritization of product‑related work.
  • Acting as a business owner during outages or technical issues (prioritize the need based on criticality/impact to end users and cost to resolve).
  • Acting as a subject matter expert for sales, marketing, and user support.
• Owns and manages the product budget, including forecasting, tracking spend, and ensuring investments align with the product vision and business priorities.
• Manages vendor contracts and relationships, including negotiating terms, overseeing service levels, and holding vendors accountable to their commitments.

About You

Required

• Minimum 8 years of relevant professional and/or technical experience, including experience leading product and/or technology initiatives.
• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience with client‑facing systems.
• Strong analytical, problem‑solving, communication, and critical‑thinking skills.
• Strong understanding of product development and product management principles.
• Strong experience developing and maintaining product roadmaps.
• Proven experience managing projects and working in an agile manner.
• Technical fluency with regard to client‑facing systems and/or business intelligence technology platforms.
• Knowledge of emerging business intelligence/analytics topics and trends, including their potential application to insurance.
• Bachelor’s degree; 6 years professional experience with quantitative analysis.
• Less than 20% travel. Highly polished presentation skills.

Preferred

• Degree in a related field.
• Background in claims, insurance, or financial services.
• Experience working in an agile product development environment.

Work traits

• Adroitly pivots from visionary thinking (creative, high‑level thinking; unconstrained by the today’s technical reality) to technical implementation (practical, detail‑oriented) depending on the situation.
• Combines empathy (“putting yourself in the users’ shoes”) with creativity to deliver a better product and higher client satisfaction.
• Communicates in a clear, structured manner.
• Breaks down large problems or challenges into bite‑sized chunks that can be more easily solved; able to communicate such problem‑solving frameworks to others.
• Delegates to others as appropriate (e.g., to support team for user questions).
• Sets clear expectations with delivery functions to ensure their work deliverables meet product goals.

Compensation and Benefits

We offer a competitive and comprehensive compensation package. The base salary range represents the anticipated low end and high end of the range for this position. The actual compensation will be influenced by a wide range of factors including, but not limited to previous experience, education, pay market/geography, complexity or scope, specialized skill set, lines of business/practice area, supply/demand, and scheduled hours. On top of a competitive salary, great teams and exciting career opportunities, we also offer a wide range of benefits.

Minimum core benefits

• Medical/dental/vision plans, which start from day one!
• Life and accident insurance
• 401(K) and Roth options
• Tax‑advantaged accounts (HSA, FSA)
• Educational expense reimbursement
• Paid parental leave

Other benefits include

• Digital mental health services (Talkspace)
• Flexible work hours (availability varies by office and job function)
• Training programs
• Gallagher Thrive program – elevating your health through challenges, workshops and digital fitness programs for your overall wellbeing
• Charitable matching gift program
• And more...

The benefits summary above applies to fulltime positions. If you are not applying for a fulltime position, details about benefits will be provided during the selection process.

We value inclusion and diversity. Click Here to review our U.S. Eligibility Requirements. Inclusion and diversity (I&D) is a core part of our business, and it’s embedded into the fabric of our organization. For more than 95 years, Gallagher has led with a commitment to sustainability and to support the communities where we live and work. Gallagher embraces our employees’ diverse identities, experiences and talents, allowing us to better serve our clients and communities. We see inclusion as a conscious commitment and diversity as a vital strength. By embracing diversity in all its forms, we live out The Gallagher Way to its fullest. Gallagher believes that all persons are entitled to equal employment opportunity and prohibits any form of discrimination by its managers, employees, vendors or customers based on race, color, religion, creed, gender (including pregnancy status), sexual orientation, gender identity (which includes transgender and other gender non-conforming individuals), gender expression, hair expression, marital status, parental status, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, medical condition, genetic information, veteran or military status, citizenship status, or any other characteristic protected (herein referred to as “protected characteristics”) by applicable federal, state, or local laws. Equal employment opportunity will be extended in all aspects of the employer-employee relationship, including, but not limited to, recruitment, hiring, training, promotion, transfer, demotion, compensation, benefits, layoff, and termination. In addition, Gallagher will make reasonable accommodations to known physical or mental limitations of an otherwise qualified person with a disability, unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the operation of our business.