Principal Product Officer, Utilities expert, Smart Metering Solutions

My client provides business critical software to a blue chip customer base in the Utilities sector, delivering scalable and reliable transactional, data handling and analytics solutions.

As a company we are committed to meeting and exceeding our customers’ expectations such that we are the first choice for continuing to provide services to them in the long term. 

Seeking a Principle Product Officer to join the team, you'll bring extensive Utilities industry knowledge alongside a motivational leadership style, consolidating their product suite in the short term, and then fostering your strategic vision to build new products that will shape their future success.

With an overall product team of 20, you'll have 6 direct reports and be a central part of the R&D leadership team.

Role Overview:

Principal Product Officer, Reporting to the Head of R&D and a member of the R&D leadership team, you will lead our whole software and data solution portfolio to the next level of success – developing compelling propositions that ensure wide adoption across the sector.

You will be responsible for the success of their product offerings, from the largest market participants to the new entrants. You will be responsible for the product vision and roadmap and will execute on this vision, working closely with all teams and customers to bring high-quality solutions to market in a commercially ambitious way.

You will manage the products throughout their lifecycle, accountable for gathering and prioritising product and customer requirements, defining the product vision, and working closely with your colleagues to deliver these requirements, creating innovative & winning products. You will work with sales, marketing and support to ensure revenue and customer satisfaction goals are met. You will do this by leading the whole product pillar within R&D, including innovation and industry change team members.

You will obtain deep product knowledge of their portfolio, have extensive industry knowledge and a creative continuous improvement mindset. You will be a leader and role model for our teams and people. Being a solid team player is a critical element to success in this role.

Role Responsibilities:

Responsibilities will include:

• Defining the vision, purpose, positioning, key elements and differentiators for the software products in the portfolio

• Actively managing the detailed product/product line roadmap, standards and controls, their evolution and implementation to make them the best they can be 

• Working to lead and mentor Product Owners, other business functions and external stakeholders, including other senior divisional staff on product best practice and strategy

• Ensuring that authorisation and control processes are in place for all product management related non-compliances and exceptions and that the risks and issues are exposed, documented, managed and maintained in conjunction with the Head of R&D

• Ultimately you will be responsible for all product/product line roadmap related communication within the Business Unit

• Developing the data vision for our products to ensure they continue to deliver future value for clients

• Ensuring that the Business Unit monitors, assesses and implements plans to improve (as necessary) product management and design compliance on a regular basis, based on monthly reporting

• Provide technical input into the future direction of the products through the use of new technologies and best practice software development practices

• Lead research and development into new technologies to evaluate their suitability and, where appropriate, create the business case for implementing into the product set

• Lead the innovation function to develop proof of concepts of new product ideas and innovation to demonstrate the value they bring to the products

• Acting as the escalation point and assessor for all product/product line roadmap design issues in line with Business Unit requirements and processes

• Constantly seeking to improve policies, standards and controls around strategic product management within the business to ensure that use is maximised and business benefit optimised

• Utilises domain/product knowledge to develop/validate solutions to complex technical challenges whilst considering up to date technologies with support from the architecture team.

• Own and deliver the holistic Product Roadmap delivery

• Engage in senior management discussions and present the solutions from both a technical and business perspective

• Mentor, guide and grow team members by passing on personal experience and product/industry knowledge

Role Qualifications

Skills and Experience

• Extensive knowledge of the UK utilities industry, to include smart metering solutions

• Extensive experience in a relevant commercial or technical background with knowledge of software development and web technologies

• Significant Product Management experience, from within the utilities industry

• Hands-on experience managing all stages of the product and development life cycle

• Experience with Agile and Iterative Development approaches

• Experience of creating and working to project plans and leading small teams together with handling change controls

• Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to suggest technical solutions to problems where required

Personal Characteristics

• Results driven and self-motivated with a “can-do” attitude and determination to get software deployed

• Ability to support/coach/mentor others in terms of both domain knowledge and product knowledge

• Business awareness - able to appreciate the business context and drivers behind the technical solution

• Ability to understand the overarching application landscape

• Keen to stay ahead of up-to-date technologies

• Self-motivated independent individual who works well under pressure

• Strong Communication skills. Fluent English

• Strong Presentation skills: presenting to groups and an ability to host and drive customer workshops

• Strong technical, quantitative and analytical skills

• Good team player yet willing to take personal responsibility for resolution of issues

• Be energetic, motivated and enthusiastic

• Able to demonstrate strong interpersonal skills to provide examples of dealing with people and building relationships at all levels

• The ability to take ownership and deliver results

This role offers scope and autonomy, working with good people and a group that will invest and support growth.