Wickes
Head of Product
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Head of Product
We're seeking a strategic Head of Product to lead and oversee the Digital, Customer & Marketing function within Wickes technology. In this role, you will define the product vision and overarching roadmap, own cross-functional delivery, drive strategic milestones, and align with key executive stakeholders.
You will champion modern product management practices across the technology organisation, ensuring that Digital, Customer & Marketing products directly drive customer engagement and support broader business growth.
Additionally you will be responsible for the transformation of the eCommerce platform. Working across the Business and Technology teams to prioritise and lead this transformation, building and sustaining a team to deliver this significant change and ensuring suitable governance is in place through the journey.
What you’ll be doing:
Product and Technical Roadmap
- Jointly accountable with the Senior Business Owner for the building of the Product roadmap
- Work with the Senior Business Owner, Product Owner and Product Delivery Manager to review and approve the Product Roadmap, ensuring it is realistic and achievable.
- Ensure both business and technology needs are considered in combination when roadmaps and delivery plans are produced for the Product Family.
- Develop a clear understanding of, and contribute to, the overarching technology strategy in order to drive the tech roadmap, ensuring alignment with the overall Wickes business need.
Stakeholder Management and Communication
- Set up and drive governance across the Product Family, according to specific needs of each product area, ensuring product performance, monitoring, decision-making, and product direction is accommodated.
- Ensure decision-making is clear and timely in order to drive progress against the Product Roadmap.
- Work with the Product Delivery Manager and Product Owner to put in place clear communication plans to provide clear updates on progress and issues across the Product Family.
- Represent technical requirements within the broader business strategy, influencing business plans to accommodate the business's technology needs.
Team Management
- Line management of technology-focused roles within the fusion team
- Build and develop the fusion team to provide a cohesive blend of skills meeting the needs of the product family through strategic hiring and professional development.
- Display strong leadership and influencing skills to focus the team on the required output/KPIs and maximise the effectiveness of the product family.
- Manage resource allocation and capacity planning alongside strategic vendors to ensure the needs of the Product Family are met within budget and time constraints.
Measuring & Responsible For Performance
- Work with the Senior Business Owner to set the key performance indicators (KPI) for the Product Family.
- Provide clear direction to the Product Owner and Product Delivery Manager to produce KPIs across Product, Engineering and Delivery.
- Monitor and use KPIs through regular governance checkpoints to assess and manage Product Family performance, and influence daily operations and strategic product decisions in conjunction with the Head of Service Management.
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Operations
- Protect the day-to-day operations of the product family and act as a point of escalation, as needed, in coordination with the Heads of Service Management.
- Drive the setup of processes to ensure smooth, timely operation of the Product Family, covering ongoing requirement generation, governance mechanics, decision-making, engineering practices, etc.
- Set up and manage a strategic approach to tech debt, including acceptance of new technical debt and ongoing backlog resolution.
Vendor Management
- Establish clear relationships with Wickes preferred strategic vendors. Build strategic partnerships to influence vendor roadmaps to meet Wickes’ priorities.
- Work with vendors to assess and manage performance.
- Familiarise yourself with and be aware of key contractual constraints with vendors working within the Product Family.
- Work with Procurement to specify and set up contractual agreements to meet the needs of the Product Family, including performance matters with commercial impact.
What we’re looking for:
You’ll have proven experience as Head of Engineering, Head of Product, or a similar leadership role in product engineering, with demonstrated experience leading software development teams. We’re looking for a strong technical background with extensive experience managing programme delivery of software products/solutions, leading cross-functional teams across the full product lifecycle. As well as this we’re looking for:
- Product Strategy & Roadmap Ownership: Proven track record of defining product vision and building, approving, and executing strategic product and technology roadmaps aligned with business strategy.
- Executive Stakeholder Management & Governance: Extensive experience driving governance across product families, communicating progress, and representing technical requirements within broader business strategy.
- Fusion Team & Resource Leadership: Experience line-managing technical roles and matrix/fusion teams, driving strategic hiring, professional development, resource allocation, and capacity planning.
- Budget & Strategic Vendor Management: Experience collaborating on budget management, business case investment proposals, and building strategic partnerships and contractual agreements with third-party vendors.
- Operations & Technical Debt Management: Proven experience managing day-to-day product family operations, serving as escalation contact, and establishing processes for technical debt backlog resolution.
- Strategic Vision & Commercial Acumen: Ability to align product strategy and technical roadmaps with Wickes' broader business goals and financial targets.
- Leadership & Influencing: Proven ability to lead, motivate, and focus multi-disciplinary fusion teams, while effectively influencing executive stakeholders and strategic partners.
- Adaptability & Resilience: High resilience and adaptability when navigating complex technical transformations and evolving business priorities.
- Stakeholder Communication: Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, capable of translating complex technology needs into clear business outcomes.
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What can we offer you?
You’ll be supported with fantastic learning and development and have the opportunity to grow and develop your career with us. We also have an early careers network to support you if you’re in your first few years of your career.
We’ll also equip you with a benefits package that includes:
- Competitive bonus
- Save-as-you-earn scheme
- Private Medical and Life Assurance
- Enhanced contributory pension scheme
- Colleague discount
- Discount platform including savings and cash back at numerous retailers, savings on gym membership, cycle to work scheme
Our widely recognised wellbeing strategy is something we’re proud of at Wickes. As part of this, we offer a range of health and wellbeing benefits and support, including an Employee Assistance Programme, financial education & loans, and access to parental, menopause and fertility support.
By giving you the support you need to do well at work, and the flexibility to make life work for you. We are giving you a career that doesn’t put your life on hold. Where you can be yourself, do your best work, and make a positive difference every day.
About Us:
Wickes is a multi-channel retailer operating in the home improvement market. With 50 years in industry, Wickes now generates revenue in excess of £1.6bn across 230 stores delivered by 8,000+ colleagues. But it is our culture that is considered our best kept secret; it’s a collaborative, down to earth, fun and inclusive environment where people feel part of a winning team. All our colleagues come from different backgrounds, but what we all have in common is a determination to succeed and a passion for being the best we can be. If that sounds like you, we’ll make you feel right at home.
"We aim to create an inclusive workplace with colleagues’ wellbeing at the heart of everything we do.
We’re a Disability Confident Employer and committed to building a diverse workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We welcome applications from disabled people and are committed to providing an accessible recruitment process and workplace for everyone. If you require any support or reasonable adjustments, please let us know here."
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