AVP Product Development

Gallagher•Rolling Meadows, IL

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Gallagher Bassett’s client-facing systems are industry-leading, consistently recognized by independent reviewers. As VP of Product Development – Client Facing Systems, you will have the chance to shape the future of these award-winning systems, including innovations great and small that will make them differentiating offerings for Gallagher Bassett for years to come.

Requirements

Minimum 8 years of relevant professional and/or technical experience, including experience leading product and/or technology initiatives.
Minimum 5 years of relevant experience with client-facing systems.
Strong analytical, problem solving, communication, and critical thinking skills.
Strong understanding of product development and product management principles.
Strong experience developing and maintaining product roadmaps.
Proven experience managing projects and working in an agile manner.
Technical fluency with regard to client-facing systems and/or business intelligence technology platforms.
Knowledge of emerging business intelligence / analytics topics and trends, including their potential application to insurance.
Bachelor's degree; 6 years professional experience with quantitative analysis.
Less than 20% travel.
Highly polished presentation skills.

Nice To Haves

Degree in a related field.
Background in claims, insurance, or financial services.
Experience working in an agile product development environment.
Adroitly pivots from visionary thinking (creative, high-level thinking; unconstrained by the today’s technical reality) to technical implementation (practical, detail-oriented) depending on the situation.
Combines empathy (“putting yourself in the users’ shoes”) with creativity to deliver a better product and higher client satisfaction.
Communicates in a clear, structured manner.
Breaks down large problems or challenges into bite-sized chunks that can be more easily solved; able to communicate such problem-solving frameworks to others.
Delegates to others as appropriate (e.g., to support team for user questions).
Sets clear expectations with delivery functions to ensure their work deliverables meet product goals.

Responsibilities

Proposes and gains leadership buy-in on a clear vision for core product innovation globally ensuring continual improvement in terms of system usability, functionality, flexibility, security, and distinctiveness — ultimately driving system usage and client satisfaction.
Ensures the voice of business stakeholders (e.g., clients and GB Client Services) are heard and that their needs are represented in the vision
Deconstructs product vision into achievable product roadmap and feature blueprints, aligning with delivery (IT) teams on technical feasibility
Establishes product roadmaps (internal and external) and keeps these up to date
Acts as business owners throughout the development process to ensure that decisions (both major and detailed) are made in furtherance of the product vision
Oversees implementation of core product vision in partnership with execution functions (e.g., Gallagher Bassett (GB) IT, Analytics, Data Science; and technology/vendor partners)
Aligns with GB IT on technical platform(s) to meet core product needs where an existing platform is insufficient
Influences vendor and partner product direction, both formally and informally, to the benefit of GB and to fulfill the product roadmap
Sets direction for product marketing materials, providing sales and marketing personnel key points of differentiation that should be highlighted
Respond to RFP/RFIs regarding the product vision and roadmap
Manages the product on a day to day basis, including: Performing release management, including communications with users and stakeholders about core product changes and improvements
Providing direction on prioritization of product-related work
Acting as business owner during outages or technical issues (prioritize the need based on criticality / impact to end users and cost to resolve)
Acting as subject matter expert for sales, marketing, and user support
Owns and manages the product budget, including forecasting, tracking spend, and ensuring investments align with the product vision and business priorities
Manages vendor contracts and relationships, including negotiating terms, overseeing service levels, and holding vendors accountable to their commitments

Benefits

Medical/dental/vision plans, which start from day one!
Life and accident insurance
401(K) and Roth options
Tax-advantaged accounts (HSA, FSA)
Educational expense reimbursement
Paid parental leave
Digital mental health services (Talkspace)
Flexible work hours (availability varies by office and job function)
Training programs
Gallagher Thrive program – elevating your health through challenges, workshops and digital fitness programs for your overall wellbeing
Charitable matching gift program