Product Director (London)

About us

Avencia Consulting is partnered with a leading Specialty Insurer based in the City, seeking a Product Director .

The role

The Product Director will lead the vision, strategy, and execution of the product development roadmap for the insurance and reinsurance-portfolio analytics software product, FireAnt. This role involves strategic thinking, leadership, and hands-on execution to drive innovation, market success, and customer satisfaction. The candidate will collaborate with the analytics team and key stakeholders across IT, Finance, Data, Underwriting, and more to deliver top-tier software products and data services. The role includes marketing FireAnt to insurance partners in emerging markets like the Middle East, managing partnerships from market analysis to ongoing client relations, ensuring project delivery within time and budget, and acting as a liaison across various environments and stakeholders.

Key accountabilities

1. Product Strategy & Vision: Develop and communicate a compelling product vision aligned with business goals and market opportunities, including bids and partnership pitches.
2. Client Relationship Management: Oversee client onboarding, training, support, and travel to partner offices, initially focusing on the Middle East.
3. Roadmap Development: Define and communicate the product roadmap, ensuring alignment with customer needs and technological trends.
4. Cross-Functional Leadership: Collaborate with teams on requirements, design, support, and launch of product initiatives.
5. Customer & Market Insights: Conduct research, gather feedback, and analyze data for product improvements.
6. Stakeholder Management: Engage with executives, customers, and partners to ensure alignment and adoption.
7. Performance Measurement: Track KPIs and iterate based on insights.
8. Team Leadership & Development: Build and mentor a high-performing team across multiple locations.
9. Collaboration: Work with technology and business teams to refine requirements and coordinate projects.
10. Risk & Progress Management: Manage risks, issues, deadlines, dependencies, and reporting.
11. Business Understanding: Leverage knowledge of the company's business model and products to deliver value-added services.
12. Stakeholder Updates: Keep stakeholders informed and act as a point of contact.
13. Cost & Headcount Estimation: Plan project resources and costs.
14. Quality Assurance: Ensure third-party deliverables meet requirements.
15. Customer Advocacy: Represent the voice of the customer.

Skills & experience

1. Bachelor's or higher in Engineering, Physics, Data Science, or related fields.
2. At least 10 years in a technical product management or director role within large enterprises.
3. Experience managing project and program budgets.
4. Strong stakeholder relationship skills and customer service orientation.
5. Excellent leadership, communication, organization, and time-management skills.
6. Ability to influence change and deliver objectives with urgency.
7. Innovative mindset with pragmatic application.
8. Deep industry knowledge of software development, SaaS, and data analytics trends.
9. Strategic thinking and execution capabilities.
10. Technical understanding of software architecture, APIs, and modern development practices.
11. Leadership and collaboration skills to motivate teams.
12. Customer-centric approach balancing business and user needs.
13. Proficiency in data analytics and data-driven decision making.
14. Fluency in Agile, Scrum, and Lean methodologies.
15. Interest and experience in applying AI to data analysis, automation, and data handling.