Product Development Manager
Franchise Brands
Location – Remote with travel to Macclesfield
Full time permanent
Salary £70,000 - £95,000 DOE + benefits
Franchise Brands is an international, multi-brand franchisor focused on building market-leading businesses primarily via a franchise model. The Group currently has a combined network of over 625 franchisees across seven brands in the UK, North America and Europe.
We own several market-leading brands with established trading histories: Metro Rod, Metro Plumb, Willow Pumps, Filta, and more recently, Pirtek in Europe - all of which benefit from the Group’s central support services, in particular; Franchise Support, National Sales / Account Management, Information Technology, Marketing, Finance, Recruitment and HR.
What does it entail?
We are seeking an experienced and driven Product Development Manager to lead the evolution of our enterprise-scale work management platform, used by multiple clients across a range of industries.
This is a pivotal leadership role that combines people management, product ownership, and delivery governance. You will be responsible for developing high-performing teams, shaping product strategy, and ensuring the successful delivery of scalable, commercially valuable solutions.
Working closely with Product, Engineering, and Business stakeholders, you'll balance customer requirements with long-term platform sustainability while driving innovation and continuous improvement.
Key responsibilities and accountabilities:
People Leadership
- Lead, develop, and inspire a team of Software Developers, Product Managers, and Business Analysts.
- Provide coaching, mentoring, and ongoing performance management.
- Set clear objectives and conduct regular one-to-one meetings and performance reviews.
- Foster a collaborative, high-performing culture focused on continuous learning and improvement.
- Build capability, establish best practices, and support career development across the team.
Product Strategy & Roadmap Ownership
- Own and drive the strategic roadmap for a multi-client enterprise work management platform.
- Ensure product investments deliver measurable business value and return on investment.
- Balance client-specific requirements with the long-term vision and sustainability of the core platform.
- Lead prioritisation decisions using customer, commercial, and technical considerations.
- Collaborate with stakeholders to define product direction and future opportunities.
Delivery & Governance
- Ensure the creation and maintenance of high-quality product artefacts, requirements, and backlogs.
- Partner with Engineering leaders to deliver predictable, high-quality outcomes.
- Act as the escalation point for delivery risks, stakeholder issues, and priority conflicts.
- Oversee the delivery of core platform functionality and support automated regression testing practices.
- Drive continuous improvement across product development processes and governance.
About You
Essential Skills & Experience
- Proven experience managing and developing teams within Product Management, Business Analysis, or related disciplines.
- Strong track record of delivering enterprise-scale B2B software products.
- Excellent understanding of Agile product development and delivery methodologies.
- Experience working with work management, workflow, or process-driven software platforms.
- Strong stakeholder management, communication, and decision-making skills.
- Ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on delivery leadership.
Desirable Skills & Experience
- Experience working within a multi-tenant SaaS environment.
- Familiarity with Azure DevOps or similar product and delivery management tools.
- Experience managing products serving multiple clients or customer groups.
- Understanding of automated testing and quality assurance practices.
What You'll Bring
- A passion for developing people and building high-performing teams.
- Strong commercial awareness and customer focus.
- A strategic mindset combined with a pragmatic approach to delivery.
- The ability to influence and collaborate effectively across technical and non-technical stakeholders.
- A commitment to delivering products that create meaningful value for customers and the business.
Benefits
- 25 days annual leave – plus bank holidays;
- Royal London, Company Pension;
- Group Life Assurance;
- Additional Paid Leave / Special Leave;
- Cycle to Work Scheme;
- Company Events;
- Laptop / Company Mobile;
- Free Eye Tests / Subsidy for Glasses;
- Employee Assistance Programme;
- Occupational Health Support;
- Employee Discounts Platform;
- Commitment to Career Progression, Training, Learning and Development.
We are an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified individuals regardless of age, disability, gender identity, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.
