Head of Product

Key information

Location: Manchester, Bristol, Newcastle, Nottingham, or London
Hours: 37.5 hours
Start date: November 2022 (we are happy to work with you and your notice period)
Duration: Permanent
Salary: £41,000 - £47,000 per annum if located in Bristol, Manchester, Nottingham or Newcastle. £44,000 - £50,000 if based in London. In addition, all staff receive a £312 yearly tax-free WFH allowance.
Application deadline: 5pm Friday 21st October

Early applications are encouraged, as we will assess applications and schedule interviews on an ongoing basis.

About upReach

Do you think that your socio-economic background should determine your career prospects?  

upReach’s vision is of a society in which everybody has an equal opportunity to realise their full career potential. Our work is important because right now a student from a less advantaged background who gains a first-class degree from a top university is less likely to secure an elite job than a more privileged student with a 2.2. 

We are an award-winning charity employer working to address this issue in partnership with employers and universities. We help young people from less advantaged backgrounds achieve their career potential by providing an intensive programme of support that addresses socio-economic barriers to graduate employment. 

To find out more about how we support our students, visit our website and read our Annual Report, and Impact Report. 

Role overview 

upReach is seeking to hire a Head of Product. This is an exciting opportunity to lead our Products & Technology Team with a strategic view of the organisation's products to develop our impact as a charity. This role would suit individuals with substantial experience in product management, developing a team, a passion for social mobility and experience operating in a fast paced environment. 

You will work closely with the Senior Technology and Data Manager to manage the workload and priorities of the team; delivering products and innovating income generation. The current suite of products include REALrating, Social Mobility Network, getEmployable and our Associate (what we call the undergraduates we support) CRM. You will manage the relationship with our technology development partner and their team of developers, ensuring that our project sprints and timelines are executed on and delivered to a high standard.   

Our values

upReach upholds the following values:

• Perseverance
• Integrity
• Advocacy
• Aspiration
• Proactivity 

Skills 

The ideal candidate for Head of Product will bring with them the following skills:  

• Problem solving and decision making
• Attention to detail
• Planning and organisation
• Collaboration
• Passion and motivation
• Communication skills
• Leadership

Experience 

To be successful, you will have substantial experience within product management and building a product culture while growing a team. You will be proactive, resilient and used to managing competing priorities within a varied workload, with a willingness to perform varying duties depending on the shifting needs of the charity.

• Experience in managing a product portfolio and delivering a coherent product strategy through collaboration with multiple teams, including awareness of software development and systems needs;
• Experience in coaching and developing Product Managers (direct reports) to help them increase their impact and develop in their careers ;
• Experience managing external supplier relationships as well as working with and influencing other varied stakeholders (internal and external);
• Experience in overseeing a varied product portfolio, and driving growth across several product areas at once, either as an individual contributor or through direct reports;
• Experience in setting KPIs for product portfolios and measuring progress against targets over time, course correcting where necessary;
• Experience working in a fast-paced environment and working independently to find solutions to problems;
• Experience in managing competing priorities whilst maintaining an exceptional eye for detail;
• University degree in any discipline, or equivalent experience.

Desirable experience:

• Experience working with multidisciplinary teams using Agile methodology
• Project management qualifications or comparable experience;
• Knowledge of GDPR legislation and regulations;
• Familiarity with Trello, G Suite and Zoom video conferencing software.

Responsibilities

Over the first six months, you will contribute to upReach's mission, by leading the Product Team and collaborating with the partnership and strategy teams to maximise income by identifying, ideating, validating, and delivering products & their enhancements and business development opportunities of the role.  Working in a team environment;  you will be an inquisitive challenger that takes the initiative, and has a fixing mindset.

Core responsibilities include: 

• Drive product development leading a high performing team of Product Managers, through the ideation, technical development, scaling and launching of innovative products and features. 
• Build, manage, coach and develop a high performing, diverse and inclusive team of Product Managers to help them increase their impact and develop in their careers by establishing clear and measurable goals.
• Creating and building a product culture in the organisation, designing the product development process and seeding this within the team 
• Work with the relevant members of the Senior Leadership Team to establish a shared vision for the organisation by building consensus on commercial product strategies, priorities and related KPIs, and establishing executable operating plans, identifying interdependencies & risks.
• Guide Product Managers to understand upReach’s strategic and competitive position to deliver products that are recognized as best in the industry; including the integration of usability studies, research and market analysis into product requirements to enhance user satisfaction.
• Define and analyse KPIs to measure impact and success of the products; and establish reporting processes to demonstrate progress against targets over time to facilitate decision making and course correct where required.
• Manage multiple products and priorities, while maximising team and organisation efficiency and effectiveness in a constantly evolving environment by adapting to change and offering creative solutions.
• Accountable for the day-to-day management and coordination of key technology supplier relationships (including our main technology development partner); includes coordination of multiple work streams, supplier governance, SLA and contract management and input into sourcing decisions.

• Supporting Head of Finance and Operations / Senior Technology and Data Manager with Data Protection and cyber security measures, ensuring compliance and implementing measures to reduce risk associated with data protection, including managing the process for an annual tech audit to assess the effectiveness of data protection policies and measures in place.

Team Culture & Benefits 

By joining the upReach team, you will be joining a team who are committed to supporting you in your career journey and fostering an inclusive culture. 

We offer: 

• Flexible and hybrid working.
• Statutory Holiday Entitlement of 25 days and bank holidays. This increases to 2 additional days after 2.5 years and then to 3 additional days after 5 years of working with us. 
• Birthday leave.
• 3% Pension Contribution.
• Cycle-to-work scheme.
• Monthly socials.
• Dedication to Staff Wellbeing through our Employee Assistance Programme and Mental Health First Aid Training. 
• Personal Development Budget, activated after 6 months in the role.
• The opportunity to participate in our fantastic staff networks: 
  • Disability and Inclusion Network
  • Ethnic Minorities Network 
  • Green Network 
  • LGBTQ+ Network
  • Mindfulness Network

Ready to apply?

CLICK HERE TO APPLY

We are committed to making our recruitment process inclusive. All applications will be blind screened, and our job packs are available in Braille, large text or another format upon request. We can provide reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment application process and on the job, and we'll always endeavour to be as accommodating as possible. If you have particular needs or requirements, please get in touch using recruitment@upReach.org.uk.

Applications close at 5pm 21st October. Early applications are encouraged as we will be scheduling interviews on an ongoing basis. 

If you have any questions regarding the role please email us at recruitment@upReach.org.uk.