Purpose
The Head of Product Management & Engineering is responsible for leading the company’s product management and development activities in line with business strategy, customer requirements, commercial priorities, and operational capability.
The role owns and leads the company’s product development governance framework, ensuring all product and technology initiatives progress through a structured, evidence-based stage-gate process from Idea Generation through to Launch.
In addition, the role owns the core product engineering management processes across the active product portfolio, including Engineering Change Request / Engineering Change Note (ECR / ECN), Sales Enquiry / project support, technical support and VAVE serial development.
The role is accountable for strengthening organisational maturity, decision discipline and cross-functional ownership, while ensuring Operations remains a co-owner of readiness rather than a downstream execution function.
Experience & Qualifications
- Degree in Engineering, Product Development, Business or related discipline; equivalent practical experience may be considered.
- Experience in product management, product development, engineering project management, NPI or R&D coordination within an industrial / manufacturing environment.
- Experience working within a structured product development or stage-gate process.
- Experience in engineering change control, product lifecycle management, and serial product improvement activity.
- Experience supporting commercial teams with technical product or application enquiries.
- Experience working cross-functionally with Sales, Marketing, Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain and Finance.
- Understanding customer needs, commercial priorities, operational feasibility, margin management, and launch readiness.
- International or group-linked environment experience is advantageous.
Core Competencies
- Strong organisational and governance discipline.
- Commercially aware and analytically capable.
- Able to coordinate cross-functional activity and hold to agreed standards.
- Strong communication, stakeholder management, and influencing skills.
- Practical, structured, and disciplined approach.
- Balances innovation, cost, timing, customer needs and operational feasibility.
- Constructively challenges and escalates where required.
- Continuous improvement mindset with clear ownership behaviour.
- Growth mindset with potential to develop into broader strategic leadership.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
- Stage-Gate Compliance
- OTIF to Project Milestones
- Target Cost Attainment
- Project Cost Attainment
- Gross Margin Attainment at launch and post-launch
- Business Case Quality and Gate Review Readiness
- Engineering Change Cycle Time, Ageing and Implementation Effectiveness
- Sales Enquiry / Project Support Responsiveness and Quotation Quality Improvement
- Technical Support Closure Effectiveness and Recurrence Reduction
- VAVE Pipeline Value and Realised Benefits
- Launch Readiness and reduction in downstream operational disruption
- Evidence of stronger cross-functional accountability and process discipline
Non-Negotiable Operating Principles
- No gate progression without evidence.
- No launch without operational readiness.
- No engineering changes without impact assessment and control.
- No product commitment without technical and commercial validation.
- No unmanaged risk passed into Operations.
- No bypassing defined functional ownership.
- No continuation of activity without strategic and commercial rationale.
Why choose Filtermist?
Officially certified as a Great Place to Work©, we foster a culture that supports both career development and a positive work-life balance.
- Early Friday Finish: Condensed hours mean we finish at 12:45 PM on Fridays.
- Continuous Learning: Tailored Personal Development Plans & peer-led Internal Masterclasses.
- Financial & Future Wellbeing: Enhanced pension support (when you pay above the minimum) and an additional holiday purchase scheme.
- Purpose-Driven Culture: Join a team dedicated to internal workplace culture and meaningful community initiatives.
Pay: £60,000.00-£75,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Health & wellbeing programme
Work Location: In person
