Head of Product Technology

at  Hanson Wade Group

Hanson Wade Group is a business information company creating niche information products to service the Life Sciences, HR, and Construction industries. We accelerate the performance of businesses across the world through industry-leading conferences and digital products. Internally, we are a tech-enabled business that leverages systems and solutions to augment the capabilities of our company.

Experience and Skills Required :

• Experience in creating and leading teams, with strong people management and mentoring skills.
• Extensive experience in implementing change using agile development methodologies.
• Experience of leading multiple projects within a matrix environment.
• Excellent communication and great people skills, the ability to communicating with technical and non-technical staff, as well as interacting with customers and external development partners.
• A passion for data, along with analytical skills to comprehensively evaluate information to deliver stakeholder and customer focussed solutions.
• The ability to translate complex problems and interdependencies into solutions that align business requirements with technical specifications.
• Creative approach to problem-solving with the ability to focus on the detail while maintaining the bigger picture

ABOUT THE ROLE:

Reporting to the Group Director of Technology, the Head of Product Technology will lead our Product Technology team, responsible for the technical delivery of our clinical trials database, Beacon. The role itself will be responsible for building and managing this team of cross-functional Technical Product Owners, Quality Assurance engineers and Scrum Masters. They will work with our in-house software developers, data engineers and development partners, and alongside the wider Beacon Product Management, Sales, Marketing and Research Operations teams, to deliver value through change on Beacon and related platforms.
The objective of the role is to ensure the Beacon software development processes and output are aligned with the business requirements, are optimised and delivering the quality expected by stakeholders and customers. You will help our product and engineering teams work cross-functionally and collaboratively as we continue to build our platform.
The role requires that balance between player & coach, facilitating positive outcomes, driving change, and leading with empathy are important, but rolling up your sleeves and getting directly involved right across the product and software development lifecycle is equally critical.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Build, mentor and manage a high-performing team of Product Owners, Quality Assurance engineers and Scrum Masters.
• Design a team structure and processes to optimise flow and deliver the objectives of the role.
• Developing solutions and scalable strategies in close co-operation with development, product, and commercial stakeholders across the business.
• Oversee product delivery and change from technical specification through to shipping features.
• Ensure the quality of any changes meets the expectations of the business and our customers.
• Responsible for managing relevant vendor partnerships and leading necessary contract negotiations.
• Definition and monitoring of relevant KPIs and controls to ensure objectives are effectively measured and achieved.
• Support the creation of business cases and strategic proposals.
• Identify new opportunities to enhance our platform technologies.
• Champion and train colleagues to advocate and foster a culture of agile product development.
• Input into the technology budget and related spend.
• Stay abreast of emerging technologies and industry trends to drive continuous improvement and innovation.
• Part of the Technology department management team, helping to set the direction and culture of the technology team.

Experience and Skills Required :

• Experience in creating and leading teams, with strong people management and mentoring skills.
• Extensive experience in implementing change using agile development methodologies.
• Experience of leading multiple projects within a matrix environment.
• Excellent communication and great people skills, the ability to communicating with technical and non-technical staff, as well as interacting with customers and external development partners.
• A passion for data, along with analytical skills to comprehensively evaluate information to deliver stakeholder and customer focussed solutions.
• The ability to translate complex problems and interdependencies into solutions that align business requirements with technical specifications.
• Creative approach to problem-solving with the ability to focus on the detail while maintaining the bigger picture.