Product Director

  • Full-time
  • Business Areas: Business Development
  • Location: Manchester
  • Department: Business Development - Investcentre

Job Description

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.

Key Accountabilities include:

Product Strategy & Roadmap Management

  • 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

End-to-End Product Lifecycle Ownership

  • 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

Product Governance & Risk Management

  • 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

Delivery of Product-Related Change

  • 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

Internal Stakeholder Leadership

  • 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

People & Budget Management

  • 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

What We’re Looking For:

  • 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

About AJ Bell

AJ Bell is one of the UK’s fastest-growing investment platform businesses, providing award-winning solutions for everyone, from professional financial advisers to first-time investors.

Today, over 644,000 customers trust us to manage more than £103.3 billion of assets. By continually striving to make investing simpler and more accessible, we’re helping more people take control of their financial futures.

We’re proud to be recognised as one of the UK’s Best 100 Companies to Work For for six consecutive years, and a Great Place to Work® in 2025 and 2026 a reflection of our supportive and collaborative culture.

What we offer

  • 29 days holiday, increasing with service + buy/sell scheme + bank holidays
  • 8% Pension with matched contributions
  • Discretionary bonus scheme
  • Share schemes (including free shares and BAYE)
  • Health Cash Plan and discounted private healthcare
  • Free onsite gym
  • Enhanced family leave (subject to qualifying criteria)
  • Travel and bike loan schemes
  • Employee Assistance Programme

Life at AJ Bell

  • Regular social events including summer and Christmas parties
  • Learning and development opportunities tailored to you
  • Casual dress code
  • Friendly, supportive team environment

Our ways of working

We offer hybrid working, with a minimum of 50% of your working time per month spent in the office.

For new starters, there’s an initial period of full-time office working to help you settle in and build relationships.

Inclusion & diversity

We’re committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels respected and able to be themselves at work.

We welcome applications from all backgrounds and make hiring decisions based on skills, experience and potential.

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