Product Strategy and Development Director

Job Description

At Aberdeen, our ambition is to be the UK’s leading Wealth & Investments group.

Strengthening talent and culture is one of our strategic priorities. We strive to make Aberdeen a great place to work so that we can attract and retain the industry’s best talent.

Our people put our stakeholders at the heart of everything they do by helping us to make a positive difference to the lives of our clients, customers, colleagues, shareholders, and society.

We are focused on growing our direct and advised wealth platforms and repositioning our specialist asset management business to meet client demand. We are committed to providing excellent client service, supported by leading technology and talent.

Aberdeen comprises three businesses, interactive investor (ii), Investments, and Adviser, each of which focuses on meeting and adapting to our clients’ evolving needs:

• interactive investor, the UK’s second largest direct-to-consumer investment platform, enables individuals in the UK to plan, save, and invest in the way that works for them.
• Our Adviser business provides financial planning solutions and technology for UK financial advisers, enabling them to create value for their customers.
• Our Investments business is a specialist asset manager that focuses on areas where we have both strength and scale to capitalise on the key themes shaping the market, through either public markets or alternative asset classes.

About the Role

The Product Strategy and Development Director (Alternatives) is responsible for leading product strategy and development across the Alternatives product range. The role holder will be part of a specialist cross functional process, responsible for ensuring a clear asset class product strategy is in place and new products are designed to meet client needs. The individual and team will work closely with the Client Group and Investment teams to bring insightful and strategic client input into product activity. The role will have a particular focus on Real Estate.

Key Responsibilities:

• Responsible for driving forward asset class product strategy and reviewing the opportunities to develop products to grow market share in new segment and client channels
• Foster an innovative and collegiate environment that drives a strong innovative product pipeline across alternatives. Ensure appropriate client testing has been undertaken for new concepts.
• Responsible for the alternative’s product range with specific focus on one of core asset classes; Real Estate, Private Credit, Infrastructure and Private Market Solutions.
• Assess and recommend the appropriate fund structures for new products
• Engage on our Digital Asset ambitions and how this can improve how clients access our capabilities and enhance our investment propositions.
• Champion commercial objectivity and prioritisation of opportunities in the alternatives business as it evolves and grows.
• Drive the delivery of the ‘next generation’ of pooled product and solutions across alternatives
• Responsible for understanding the asset class capabilities and engaging on range management opportunities
• Ensure all products and segregated/club deals are taken through the appropriate governance channels
• Opportunities to sit on Fund Boards e.g. General Partners
• Ensure co-investment requirements and expectations are effectively managed with the asset class

About the Candidate:

• Strong leaderships skills with significant experience in Product
• Proven track record in leading and delivering projects across a range of products
• Strong stakeholder management, including at senior levels
• Strong relationship building skills, both internally and externally
• Deep knowledge and understanding of alternatives, preferably including Real Estate experience
• Strong understanding of client channels and routes to market
• Ability to present complex ideas clearly and succinctly, in person, in writing, and when presenting
• Commercial mindset and understanding

We are proud to be a Disability Confident Committed employer. If you have a disability and would like to apply to one of our UK roles under the Disability Confident Scheme, please notify us by completing the relevant section in our candidate questionnaire. One of our team will reach out to support you through your application process.

Our benefits

There's more to working life than coming home with a good salary. We have an environment where you can learn, get involved and be supported.

When you join us, your reward will be one of the best around. This includes 40 days’ annual leave, a 16% employer pension contribution, a discretionary performance-based bonus (where applicable), private healthcare and a range of flexible benefits – including gym discounts, season ticket loans and access to an employee discount portal. You can read more about our benefits here.

Our business

Enabling our clients to be better investors drives everything we do. Our business is structured around three distinct areas – our vectors of growth – focused on our clients’ changing needs. You can find out more about what we do here.

An inclusive way of working

Whatever way you like to work, if you have the talent and commitment to join our team, we’d like to hear from you.

At Aberdeen we’ve adopted a ‘blended working’ approach. This approach combines the benefits of face-to-face collaboration, coaching and connecting in our offices with the flexibility of working from home. It enables colleagues to find a balance that works for their roles, their teams, our clients and our business.

An inclusive culture, where diverse perspectives drive our actions, is at the core of who we are and what we do. If you need assistance with your application, or a reasonable adjustment to your interview arrangements – for example, because you are neurodivergent, or have a physical, sensory, cognitive, mental, visible or invisible disability – please let us know and we’ll be happy to help.

We’re committed to providing an inclusive workplace where all forms of difference are valued and which is free from any form of unfair or unlawful treatment.  We define diversity in its broadest sense – this includes but is not limited to our diversity of educational and professional backgrounds, experience, cognitive and neurodiversity, age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, religion or belief and ethnicity and geographical provenance.  We support a culture that values meritocracy, fairness and transparency and welcomes enquiries from everyone.

If you need assistance or an adjustment due to a disability please let us know as part of your application and we will assist.