Principal Product Manager | Circa £72,700 + company car + excellent benefits | Permanent | Hybrid

Are you a visionary product leader ready to shape the future of international risk solutions? Thatcham Research is seeking an experienced Principal Product Manager to drive innovation, strategy, and commercial success across our international product portfolio.

As a key figure in our Product & Data team, you’ll define and deliver a compelling product vision that aligns with our business goals and Member needs. You’ll lead the full product lifecycle - from ideation to execution - ensuring our solutions remain competitive, relevant, and impactful in a rapidly evolving market.

As the Principal Product Manager, you will play a critical role in ensuring our products deliver positive value to our Members, Customers, and Thatcham Research. You'll be responsible for defining the strategy, maintaining the backlog, and developing the roadmap International Risk product delivery.

As the Principal Product Manager, you will:

• Define and deliver a compelling product vision aligned with business and product objectives.
• Lead market research and stakeholder collaboration to identify strategic opportunities and solutions.
• Consult with senior leadership, Heads of Verticals, and prospective clients to shape product requirements and direction.
• Ensure products meet customer needs and expectations across international markets.
• Drive innovation by developing performance insights and methodologies that respond to emerging channels, trends, and market dynamics.
• Champion growth through strategic planning and execution of product initiatives

Skills & experience that will set you up for success in this role:

• Proven experience managing the full product lifecycle in a B2B or insurance-related environment.
• Strong background in Agile methodologies and roadmap ownership.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and communication skills.
• Ability to translate market insights into actionable product strategies.
• Proven ability to facilitate focus groups and present product portfolios to customers.
• Metric-minded with the ability to define and measure commercial product success criteria.
• Results and process-oriented mindset, with demonstrable experience coordinating disparate stakeholders to deliver results
• Ability to run Product Go To Market and drive critical mass adoption.
• Experience withing the Insurance industry would be an advantage, but not essential.

Why Thatcham Research?

Join a purpose-driven organisation at the forefront of automotive and insurance innovation. You’ll work with passionate experts, contribute to industry-shaping initiatives, and help deliver real value to our Members and Customers.

Did you know...

Research tells us that men are more likely to apply to jobs if they meet only 60% of the criteria, whereas women often hesitate or don't apply unless they meet all of the criteria. This difference in application behaviour can contribute to the gender gap in career advancement and opportunities.

We know the perfect candidate doesn't exist! If you think you have what it takes but don't tick every box, we'd still encourage you to apply - it could be a perfect fit!

Perks & Benefits

Salary - Circa £72,700 negotiable dependent on skills & experience + company car.

• 10% non-contributory pension
• 29 days holiday (inclusive of Christmas shutdown) + public holidays
• Group Life Assurance (equal to 4 x basic salary)
• Group Income Protection (after 6 months’ service)
• Salary Sacrifice schemes (cycle to work, home & tech scheme)
• Moneyhealth’s Financial Coaching & Wellbeing Platform
• Health Cash Plan (cash back on eligible medical treatments)
• Benenden Health Care (opt-in benefit)
• Reward & Recognition Programme
• Discounted gym membership
• Sports & Social club
• Payroll charitable giving
• Subsidised on-site restaurant
• Free on-site parking

When we work

Our standard working hours are 8:30 - 16:30 Monday - Thursday, early finish on Friday - 8:30 - 15:45 (Talk to us about flexible working if this doesn’t quite suit you – we take work-life balance seriously!)

How we work

We understand the benefits of remote and in-person collaboration and therefore have a hybrid working model – you’ll be expected to work from our office in Thatcham at least two days per week. Some international travel may be required to support on-site customer activity.

What we do

At the cutting edge of automotive research in the UK, Thatcham Research has a unique role in shaping the design of new vehicles and influencing ever higher standards of safety, security and repair. With an on-site Crash Laboratory, Repair Technology Centre and Training Academy, our research expertise is driving some of the very latest automotive developments in technology, materials and standards in this fast moving and highly technical industry.

Our Gamston facility is one of the UK’s leading sites for active safety, trialling and assessing the latest crash avoidance and driver assistance technologies.

Our Values

As an organisation that believes a strong set of Values are key to our organisational success and a sense of belonging for all colleagues, we ask that you understand, represent and apply our Values of Fearless, Inquisitive, Resourceful, Supportive and Trusted and demonstrate these Values throughout the recruitment process.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging

We are dedicated to fostering an inclusive workplace which values diversity and embraces each individual's authentic self. We are proud to champion a culture where colleagues freely share their diverse perspectives, recognising that these contribute to our innovative spirit. Our journey of growth and understanding is continuous as we actively invest in diversity training, workshops, and partnerships to ensure positive change.

Beyond our partnerships with the Automotive 30% Club and Women in Data (WiD), we collaborate with various organisations to advance equity not only in gender but also across ethnicity, age, disability, social mobility, LGBTQ+ identities, experiences, and thinking. Our aspiration is to create an environment where everyone thrives, achieves, and experiences a genuine sense of belonging.

Recruitment process

We’re proud to manage our recruitment in-house and believe this direct approach enables us to give you the best possible Employee Experience we can – which starts right here, your application! We’re continuously striving to improve the candidate journey, and transparency (or communication) is a key area of focus – yes, even with salary & benefits.

What can you expect from our recruitment process?

• Regular updates on the progress / outcome of your application
• An initial telephone screening call with our Recruitment Business Partner
• First interview with the hiring manager, usually via Teams
• Second/Final interview, in-person at our office (we may give you a role specific task to present on!)
• Personalised feedback following your interview – because everyone deserves that!
• An opportunity to give us your honest feedback in a short survey on all of the above

We’re committed to removing invisible barriers. If there are any adjustments we can make to better support you, please let us know when you apply.

All applicants must have Right to Work in the UK.

If you're experiencing any issues with our career site or application from, please let us know here: careers@thatcham.org ⁠