Product Director

AJ Bell is a FTSE 250 investment platform and asset management business with strong momentum across its advised proposition. As we continue to scale and evolve, we are seeking a Product Director to take full ownership of our advised product portfolio.

This is a senior leadership role with end-to-end accountability for product strategy execution, governance and delivery. You will act as the internal authority for advised products, ensuring strategic intent is translated into a clear, prioritised roadmap and delivered through disciplined execution, robust controls and high-quality outcomes.

You will own the short to medium term product roadmap, aligning it to business strategy, regulatory requirements and risk appetite. With oversight of product governance and product-related change, you will coordinate cross-functional stakeholders to ensure delivery remains on plan, within budget and focused on delivering the right outcomes for advisers, clients and the business.

• Own and maintain the advised product roadmap, with a clear focus on delivery priorities across a 1 to 3 year planning horizon
• Translate agreed business strategy into executable product plans, initiatives and milestones
• Lead short and medium term planning in collaboration with development, change and operations teams
• Prioritise the product development backlog to ensure delivery against agreed business plans and commitments
• Ensure product capabilities, structures and dependencies support roadmap delivery

• Ensure all advised products are managed effectively across their full lifecycle
• Maintain oversight of product performance, risks and outcomes, taking timely corrective action where required
• Ensure products remain appropriate for their intended target market throughout their lifecycle

• Take overall accountability for product governance arrangements across all advised products
• Chair the Advised Customer Outcomes Group, ensuring products are designed, managed and changed in a way that avoids or mitigates consumer harm
• Ensure all product activity complies with relevant legislation, FCA rules, regulatory guidance and internal governance frameworks
• Ensure alignment with the AJ Bell Product Governance Framework, Risk Management Framework and Guiding Principles
• Maintain oversight of product-related risks and actively manage the advised risk register

• Provide leadership and direction to product and change teams delivering advised product initiatives
• Ensure change activity is delivered efficiently and in line with agreed scope, timelines and budgets
• Resolve prioritisation conflicts and manage trade-offs across competing initiatives
• Ensure clear ownership, accountability and decision-making across product change activity

• Act as the primary senior interface for advised products across internal stakeholders
• Drive effective collaboration across product, technology, operations, risk, compliance and change
• Provide clear direction and escalation to manage delivery risk
• Ensure senior stakeholders have appropriate visibility of product plans, progress, risks and issues

• Lead and manage individuals across product and change teams, including organisational design, objective setting and performance management
• Align team objectives to product strategy, roadmap delivery and governance expectations
• Manage product budgets and ensure spend remains within agreed forecasts
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement, strong controls and disciplined execution

• In-depth knowledge of the UK advised market and regulated savings and investments products
• Strong understanding of product governance, FCA rules and regulatory expectations
• Proven experience managing complex product portfolios and multi-year roadmaps
• Strong leadership and stakeholder management capability across multidisciplinary teams
• The ability to prioritise effectively, manage competing demands and make clear, evidence-based decisions
• Commercial and strategic awareness aligned to delivery and governance objectives

AJ…