Group Product Manager - Payment Platforms (Initial 3-Month Contract)

Contract: Initial 3-Month Contract

Location: London (4 days per week in-office)

We are exclusively representing our client, a high-growth leader in the FinTech sector, in their search for a strategic and experienced Group Product Manager. This is a crucial interim leadership role, offered on an initial 3-month contract, designed to provide stability and direction while the business conducts a search for a permanent hire.

Our client is a mission-driven company that builds the tools and technology to help hundreds of thousands of businesses thrive. This is a unique opportunity for a seasoned product leader to step into a pivotal role, shaping the foundation of their entire payments experience across hardware, software, and partner ecosystems.

Our client is looking to move quickly and requires a candidate who can start as soon as possible.

The Opportunity

As the interim Group Product Manager for Payment Platforms, you will define the strategy across all physical and emerging payment touchpoints. You will lead a talented group of Product Managers responsible for payment devices, on-device software, and integrations, while also acting as a hands-on "player-coach" for their emerging SoftPOS solution until a dedicated PM is hired.

This is a critical leadership position connecting hardware strategy, software delivery, and partner ecosystems into a single, winning roadmap. You will manage the lifecycle of physical devices, evolve the company's APIs/SDKs, and shape new experiences like Tap to Pay on iPhone.

What You'll Do

• Set Strategy and Vision: Define and communicate a 12–24 month product plan across Device Management, On-Device Payments, SoftPOS, and the Integration Platform.
• Lead as a Player-Coach: Manage, coach, and develop a team of three Product Managers, while taking direct ownership of the SoftPOS product stream until a new hire is in place.
• Own Vendor and Platform Strategy: Manage relationships with key device suppliers and evaluate new hardware partners to enhance speed, security, or differentiation.
• Oversee Device Lifecycle: Guide the end-to-end process for the device fleet, including provisioning, telemetry, remote updates, repairs, and end-of-life.
• Advance APIs and SDKs: Drive improvements to the developer experience, reduce breaking changes, and shorten onboarding times for integration partners.
• Ensure Release Quality: Implement and manage unified release cadences across OS, firmware, and apps, with clear quality gates and rollback paths.
• Align Stakeholders: Drive clear communication and manage trade-offs effectively with Engineering, Design, Compliance, Operations, and Commercial teams.

What Our Client is Looking For

• Extensive Product Experience: 5+ years in product management, with specific experience shipping physical products such as hardware, embedded devices, and the software that powers them.
• Domain Expertise: A background in payments or other highly regulated, mission-critical domains. Familiarity with EMV, PCI, vendor management, and Android-class devices is essential.
• Proven People Leadership: Demonstrable experience coaching and mentoring Senior PMs and PMs, setting high standards, and elevating team performance.
• Strong Execution Discipline: Expertise in running release trains, staged rollouts, and using telemetry. You must be able to communicate crisply and maintain composure under pressure.
• Strategic Thinker: The ability to make difficult trade-offs visible, build consensus, and gain trust across the organisation.

What Success in This Role Looks Like

• A clear hardware strategy and vision is established, balancing speed, cost, and differentiation.
• The team of Product Managers feels coached, supported, and is delivering significant impact.
• The adoption and satisfaction of the company's devices and integrations increases, with merchants actively recommending the products.

What Our Client Offers

Our client's comprehensive benefits package reflects their commitment to their people and is available to contractors:

• Health & Wellness: Private medical and dental insurance, dedicated mental health support, and fitness programmes.
• Community: An inclusive and vibrant culture with regular social events and dog-friendly offices.

To be considered for this urgent and impactful leadership contract, please submit your CV.