Principal Product Manager - AI

Principal Product Manager - AI

Job number: COO01469

Faculties: Chief Operating Officer (COO) Team

Departments: Information & Communication Technologies

Salary or Salary range: £71,793- £82,031 per annum

Location/campus: White City Campus - Hybrid

Contract type work pattern: Full time - Open ended

Posting End Date: 25 Nov 2026

About the role

Are you an experienced product leader who wants to shape how artificial intelligence is used across a world-leading university?

Imperial College London is seeking a Principal Product Manager to lead the strategic direction and roadmap for our central AI capability. This is a unique opportunity to turn emerging technology into safe, useful and measurable outcomes for students, researchers and colleagues across Education, Research and Professional Services.

As a senior individual contributor, you will work closely with the ICT leadership AI lead to set product vision, prioritise demand, shape investment choices and bring together teams across ICT and the wider university. You will lead through influence, expertise and example to turn the university’s AI strategy into a coherent portfolio of products and services.

What you would be doing

As the Principal Product Manager - AI, you will provide strategic product leadership for Imperial's central AI capability. You will:

• Own and communicate the product vision, multi-year strategy and roadmap for Imperial's central AI capability.
• Work closely with the ICT leadership AI lead to translate Imperial’s AI strategy into clear product priorities, investment choices and delivery outcomes.
• Shape central AI tooling, including dAIsy, Microsoft Copilot, GitHub Copilot and emerging model providers, balancing innovation, value, feasibility and safety.
• Lead discovery, user research and option evaluation, working with Architecture, Platform Engineering, delivery teams and specialist roles to move the right solutions into production safely.
• Prioritise incoming demand through a transparent intake route, identifying when Imperial should reuse an existing product or licence, build something new, or seek governance review.
• Own the value, cost and return-on-investment picture for central AI tooling, using adoption, usage, outcomes and service data to guide decisions and improvement.
• Represent ICT as a senior AI product expert in governance and investment forums, presenting evidence-based recommendations and influencing priorities.
• Coordinate dependencies across product lines and ICT functions, resolving blockers and keeping work aligned to institutional outcomes.
• Mentor product colleagues and help establish practical, reusable patterns for AI applications and agentic workflows.

This is a highly visible role where your decisions will influence Imperial's AI direction, investment choices and the value delivered by central AI services.

What we are looking for

We're looking for a credible and pragmatic product leader who can connect user needs, institutional priorities and technical delivery in a complex environment.

Essential experience & knowledge:

• Experience leading AI product strategy and delivery as a shared capability across a large or complex organisation.
• A strong track record as a senior product practitioner, setting vision, strategy and roadmaps and leading cross-functional work through influence.
• Experience delivering AI products, tooling or services at enterprise scale.
• Evidence of influencing senior stakeholders and governance bodies to set direction and support investment decisions.
• Strong knowledge of AI tooling, model providers, platform integrations and data flows in complex digital environments.
• Deep understanding of user research, service design and agile product delivery, with the judgement to apply them proportionately.
• Experience managing strategic vendors and delivery partners, with a strong understanding of accessibility, data privacy, information security and responsible AI.

Skills & abilities that will make you stand out:

• Can translate a fast-moving technology landscape into clear choices, priorities and outcomes.
• Communicate complex ideas clearly and credibly with delivery teams, academic and professional services colleagues, suppliers and senior leaders.
• Build trusted relationships and influence stakeholders at all levels.
• Challenge constructively, make trade-offs and create momentum without relying on formal authority.
• Use evidence, metrics and feedback to judge product health, value and impact.
• Work confidently across near-term delivery and longer-term strategic planning.
• Remain effective in ambiguous, fast-moving or politically sensitive situations.
• Develop the product practice around you through mentoring, reusable methods and shared learning.

What we can offer you

• The opportunity to shape the responsible adoption of AI at a world-leading institution and support our mission to use science for humanity.
• Benefit from a sector-leading salary and remuneration package (including 43 days' annual leave and generous pension schemes).
• Access to a range of workplace benefits including a flexible working policy from day one, generous family leave packages, on-site leisure facilities and cycle-to-work scheme.
• Interest-free season ticket loan schemes for travel.
• Be part of a diverse, inclusive and collaborative work culture with staff networks and resources to support your personal and professional wellbeing. staff networks wellbeing

Further information

This is a permanent, full-time post.

If you require any further details about the role, please contact j.toner@ic.ac.uk

Please note that job descriptions are not exhaustive, and you may be asked to take on additional duties that align with the key responsibilities mentioned above.

We reserve the right to close the advert before the stated closing date, should we receive a high volume of applications. Please submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

If you have any general queries about this vacancy, please contact the hiring manager listed in the ‘Further Information’ section. Alternatively, you can contact the Recruitment Hub at recruitmenthub@imperial.ac.uk, and we will be happy to assist you.

If you experience any technical issues that prevent you from submitting an application, please contact our Technical Support team at support.jobs@imperial.ac.uk, who will be able to help resolve the issue.

About Imperial

Welcome to Imperial, a global top-ten university where scientific imagination leads to world-changing impact.

Join us and be part of something bigger. From global health to climate change, AI to business leadership, here at Imperial we navigate some of the world’s toughest challenges. Whatever your role, your contribution will have a lasting impact.

As a member of our vibrant community of 22,000 students and 8,000 staff, you’ll collaborate with passionate minds across nine London campuses and a global network.

This is your chance to help shape the future. We hope you’ll join us at Imperial College London.

Our Culture

We work towards equality of opportunity, eliminating discrimination, and creating an inclusive working environment for all. We encourage applications from all backgrounds, communities and industries, and are committed to employing a team that has diverse skills, experiences and abilities. You can read more about our commitment on our web pages.

Proud signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant. We welcome applications from the Armed Forces community.

Our values are at the root of everything we do, and everyone in our community is expected to demonstrate respect, collaboration, excellence, integrity, and innovation.