Head of Digital Products and Software Delivery

Company Description

LGC is a leading, global life science tools company, providing mission-critical components and solutions into high-growth application areas across the human healthcare and applied market segments. Its high-quality product portfolio is comprised of mission-critical tools for genomic analysis and for quality assurance applications, which are typically embedded and recurring within our customers’ products and workflows and are valued for their performance, quality, and range. 

LGC’s purpose-built portfolio of tools for genomic analysis and quality assurance / quality control applications ("QA/QC") is valued by customers because of its embedded position within customer workflows, breadth and reliability in ‘high cost of failure’ applications. LGC combines 175 years of scientific heritage with a track record of innovation and has built a reputation for portfolio quality and expertise alongside deep relationships with customers, industry partners and the global scientific community.

Job Description

We are seeking an experienced Head of Digital Products & Software Delivery to drive excellence across our digital portfolio within our Diagnostics & Genomics (D&G) business unit. This senior leadership position will be accountable for the strategic direction and successful delivery of our customer facing applications. Managing cross-functional product teams and technology resources to ensure software development, delivery and effective support. 

Initial focus for the role will be on our Quality Control (QC) software portfolio of products that are used by our customers globally to manage QC data within laboratories. These products aid in managing system performance by conducting rule-based evaluations, peer comparison, and advanced reporting functions, enabling laboratories to align with quality standards like ISO15189. These products represent a strategic growth area for LGC, and we see the evolution of our service offerings as key to our business objectives. 

The ideal candidate will bridge technical expertise with product strategy, implementing best-practice software delivery frameworks, while encouraging a culture of innovation and improvement. This role will work closely with product owners to craft vision, while providing technical direction on our technology stack, and own the software service management function ensuring operational excellence. The role will be part of the Innovation Hub within D&G but will work closely with Group IT teams as necessary such as Infrastructure, Security, and Quality. 

Key Responsibilities 

Strategic Leadership 

• Collaborate with product owners to develop and implement product roadmaps aligned with organizational objectives 
• Set up performance metrics, measurement tools, and governance structures to guarantee consistent high-quality results 
• Lead portfolio planning and prioritization across multiple product teams 
• Drive digital transformation initiatives and find opportunities for innovation 

Delivery Management 

• Implement and optimize agile/hybrid delivery methodologies at scale 
• Manage multi-functional product teams and ensure efficient prioritisation 
• Create and maintain delivery frameworks, standards, and processes 
• Establish risk management strategies and mitigation plans 

Technical Direction 

• Provide mentorship on technology stack decisions, architecture patterns, and technical debt strategy 
• Collaborate with engineering leads to ensure scalable, secure, and maintainable solutions 
• Ensure compliance with technical standards and security requirements 
• Facilitate technology selection and modernization efforts 

Service Management 

• Own the service management function and ITIL implementation and collaborate with service manager on prioritization and operational planning 
• Establish and maintain SLAs, OLAs, and KPIs for application services 
• Coordinate incident, problem, and change management processes 
• Drive continuous service improvement initiatives 

Team Leadership 

• Build, develop, and mentor high-performing delivery and technical teams 
• Foster a culture of innovation, quality, and continuous improvement 
• Manage performance, career development, and succession planning 
• Recruit and retain top talent across product and engineering functions 

Qualifications

Technical Expertise 

• Ideally previous experience of running a software delivery function focused on customer facing, revenue critical applications/digital products 
• Extensive software development background with deep understanding of modern technology stacks 
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS/Azure), microservices architecture, and DevOps practices 
• Strong u