Head of Product
The Head of Product defines the organisation’s product development vision and strategy, and ensures alignment of the product roadmap with the strategy and vision. He/She anticipates the impacts of internal and external business challenges and market conditions on the organisation's product development roadmap. He oversees the organisation’s product development process, and enhancements to product portfolios to improve their commercial performance. He guides development teams on issues related to the product design, development and deployment for the product portfolio, and development of differentiated strategies across the lines of business. He distils insights and competitive intelligence with various market analyses to grow the organisation’s business. He works with various teams across the organisation. He is knowledgeable of product development and management practices and tools, as well as product branding and pricing methodologies. He is also knowledgeable of new and emerging consumer and industry trends. The Head of Product adopts a global mindsets and integrates trends and knowledge from varying sources to chart a compelling vision for the future of product portfolios. He is a charismatic leader who inspires others toward common goals.
What Does a Head of Product Do?
Key Responsibilities & Tasks
Formulate and implement product development strategy and plans
- Define product development vision and strategy
- Create strategies to leverage on or adapt technology to meet market needs and drive buy/build decisions
- Oversee the development and alignment of the product roadmap with the adopted strategy and vision
- Anticipate the impacts of internal and external business challenges and market conditions on the organisation's product development roadmap
- Develop the organisation’s go-to-market strategy for the products
Drive product development
- Oversee the organisation’s product development process
- Spearhead research and analyses on products and product markets
- Oversee enhancements to product portfolios to improve their commercial performance
- Guide development teams on issues related to the product design, development and deployment for the product portfolio
- Champion the organisation’s products and act as a subject matter expert in product markets
- Articulate the business value of the product to the product team
Develop and grow business
- Distil insights and competitive intelligence with various market analyses to grow the organisation’s business
- Establish guidelines for marketing tactics and pricing strategies
- Foster relationships with key clients, business partners and industry stakeholders to drive business growth
- Guide the team to develop a differentiated strategies across the lines of business
- Sign off business proposals for new opportunities
Manage people and organisation
- Review operational strategies, policies and targets across teams and projects
- Develop strategies for resource planning and utilisation
- Review the utilisation of resources
- Oversee the development of learning roadmaps for teams and functions
- Establish performance indicators to benchmark effectiveness of learning and development programmes against best practices
- Implement succession planning initiatives for key management positions
Do You Have the Skills for This Role?
A Head of Product needs 3 core competencies. Here's what's required and at what level.
Supporting Skills
Communication
BasicInteracting with Others
Customer Orientation
IntermediateInteracting with Others
Creative Thinking
IntermediateThinking Critically
SkillsFuture Skill Levels
3 levelsBasic
Recognise and understand fundamental concepts. Apply skills in routine situations with guidance.
Intermediate
Apply skills in varied situations independently. Analyse problems and adapt approaches as needed.
Advanced
Lead and innovate in complex situations. Evaluate strategies, guide teams, and drive improvements.
Technical Skills & Competencies (TSC) Levels
6 levelsFollow
Carry out routine tasks under close supervision. Follow established procedures and guidelines.
Assist
Perform tasks with some independence. Assist in non-routine situations and apply established techniques.
Apply
Apply skills and knowledge independently in varied situations. Analyse problems and adapt approaches.
Analyse
Analyse complex situations and develop solutions. Guide and mentor junior colleagues.
Strategise
Set strategic direction and drive innovation. Evaluate trade-offs and make high-impact decisions.
Transform
Lead industry transformation. Establish standards, shape policy, and provide expert advisory.
Technical Skills & Competencies
A Head of Product requires 29 technical skills at specific proficiency levels.
Learning and Development
Level 6People Development
Mentor successors, support organisational learning and develop and engage employees to develop a strong organisational base
Portfolio Management
Level 6Business and Project Management
Establish a strategy and future roadmap for managing IT portfolio and investments and make critical IT investment decisions for the business
Budgeting
Level 5Business Finance
Develop long-term financial plans and budget requirements
Business Agility
Level 5Business and Project Management
Adapt overall processes and create a working environment of business agility
Business Development
Level 5Sales and Marketing
Develop a business development strategy for specific markets and engage key decision makers to generate viable leads or increase scope of business with existing clients
Business Environment Analysis
Level 5Business and Project Management
Monitor business environment to assess internal and external influencing factors that may impact strategy planning and operational plans and recommend response approaches to environmental changes
Business Innovation
Level 5Business and Project Management
Prioritise business innovation opportunities and design digital architectures and processes to facilitate the creation of an innovative business environment
Business Needs Analysis
Level 5Business and Project Management
Lead comprehensive analysis to understand underlying drivers and present a compelling business case for proposed IT solutions
Business Performance Management
Level 5General Management
Formulate organisational performance systems and key performance indicators in alignment with organisation’s vision, mission and values
Customer Experience Management
Level 5Sales and Marketing
Establish a cohesive customer journey in line with evolving customer demands, and integrate the customer experience with the organisation's strategy and brand
Data Analytics
Level 5Business Development
Manage and enhance organisational data science capability by refining financial and other business performance criteria and design data studies.
Demand Analysis
Level 5Business and Project Management
Evaluate market dynamics based on market trends, formulate demand analysis framework and establish key priorities to analyse target customers in identifying opportunities to influence the market
Design Concepts Generation
Level 5Sales and Marketing
Lead teams through the idea generation processes to develop preliminary concepts as well as inspire, produce and manage the generation of creative concepts and ideas
Design Thinking Practice
Level 5Design and Architecture
Establish effective design thinking processes, methodologies and frameworks to proliferate design thinking across the organisation
Emerging Technology Synthesis
Level 5Business and Project Management
Establish internal structures and processes to guide the exploration, integration and evaluation of new technologies
Manpower Planning
Level 5Business and Project Management
Formulate organisational manpower plans to bridge gaps between manpower demand and supply based on current and projected needs of the organisation
Market Research
Level 5Sales and Marketing
Define critical business questions, establish new ways to optimise digital data and present insights from marketing and digital research to senior management
Networking
Level 5Business Development
Implementing strategies to capitalise on new business opportunities
Partnership Management
Level 5Stakeholder and Contract Management
Evaluate and drive inter-organisational initiatives, and negotiate strategic information exchange with key partners
People and Performance Management
Level 5People Development
Establish organisation-wide performance management strategies
Performance Management
Level 5Operations and User Support
Evaluate and integrate new mechanisms and technology, and leverage analytics to optimise performance data, and determine implications of performance levels reported
Pricing Strategy
Level 5Sales and Marketing
Determine an appropriate pricing strategy for different products, services and customer segments, and establish mechanisms to allow for pricing agility
Product Management
Level 5Business and Project Management
Anticipate future industry trends, and define the product incubation strategy and business model
Project Management
Level 5Business and Project Management
Lead end-to-end management of large programmes or multiple projects concurrently, coordinating project interdependencies
Stakeholder Management
Level 5Stakeholder and Contract Management
Define a strategic stakeholder management roadmap, and lead critical discussions and negotiations, addressing escalated issues or problems encountered
Strategy Planning
Level 5Business and Project Management
Formulate the strategies and policies that are forward- looking and focuses on bottom line results
User Experience Design
Level 5Design and Architecture
Anticipate future user requirements and define the guiding principles and philosophy for the intended user experience, while ensuring its business viability
User Interface Design
Level 5Design and Architecture
Direct the development of prototypes and user interfaces, and customise complex graphical user interfaces
User Testing and Usability Testing
Level 5Development and Implementation
Establish user needs analysis frameworks to anticipate users’ future needs and establish test metrics and goals for usability testing
European Skills Framework
ESCOSkills and knowledge areas required for this occupation based on European classification.
Essential
Optional
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