Head of Product

Winners of the National Postcode Lottery and Friends Lottery can include residents on the same street as well as individuals, and ticket proceeds support charities that help make the world fairer, greener and better. These lotteries are also well-known familiar concept in Germany, Sweden, Norway, and England. The new Head of Product will help shape their transformation into a digital-first organization.

About the Nationale Postcode Loterij

The concept of a lottery with a social spending mission is centuries-old in the Netherlands. The idea was also often put into practice shortly after World War II, when various organizations would raise money through lotteries for reconstruction efforts. In 1961, these initiatives were consolidated into a formal “charity lottery” and  in 1989,  the National Postcode Lottery was created under the direction of former employees of Novib.

From advertising spots to the familiar envelopes sent by mail and a game show like Miljoenenjacht, and it can change the life of an individual or entire street. But it also helps make the world a better place because the proceeds are donated to charities with a focus on people and nature. In 2024 the National Postcode Lottery used a commercial approach to inspire many Dutch households to contribute financially to charities. Since its establishment, the lottery has used this approach to donate over eight billion euros to charities and the organization itself ranks among the world’s top three donors.

On Course Towards Digital-First
The Postcode Lottery Group is also active in different countries. Germany and the UK are still growing markets, while the markets in Norway and Sweden are as populare as in the Netherlands. To enable further growth in the digital age, the time has come to make the National Postcode Lottery an international digital-first organization. One of the strategic pillars of the Postcode Lottery Group is therefore the establishment of Group Product – and the corresponding organizational transformation into a matrix structure with a central, all-encompassing, and interdisciplinary tech and product department. This enables the organization to continue growing and ultimately raise more money for charity.

It is also a logical strategy as next step because, first of all, the Product has always been virtual and second, the organization is no stranger to innovation. Concepts like a subscription model and omnichannel approach were already pioneered by the National Postcode Lottery. In all five countries, Postcode Lottery Group is  creating a scalable and best-in-class customer experience based on the vision that a digital-first organization is best positioned to reach in order to serve them as effectively as possible. The Head of Product for the Dutch market plays an important role in this, together with their peers in the other countries.

Vacancy: Head of Product

The Head of Product is in charge of digital product development for the National Postcode Lottery and Friends Lottery. This professional also helps develop the overall tech organization on the Group level. Within the international product management team, the Head of Product represents the Dutch division and is also part of the local leadership team. The Head of Product has HR responsibility for a local team of fourteen FTEs (including Product Owners, Product Managers, Product Designers, and an Agile Coach) and reports to both the local Managing Director and Group Product Director.

The Head of Product also helps develop a strategic vision on international product lines and function disciplines, such as Product Management, Design, Team Performance, and Research. This is work with the international Product Management leadership team. A specific example of an international product that is currently being developed is the mobile app for all lotteries. The Head of Product also develops a vision in relation to the backend and implementation of central systems and stimulates local company performance (ticket sales, player retention, ticket value per player) with local and international digital product improvements and with other departmental heads.

The Head of Product is also responsible for contributing to and, on the national level, translating the international product portfolio and corresponding roadmap, standards, and working practices.

“The Head of Product plays a key role in our transformation into a digital, best-in-class product organization. This ambitious bridge builder knows what quality looks like and is always looking for ways to do things even better.” – Mike Bouckaert, Group Product Director

The right candidate has experience working with multifunctional product teams in which collaboration with marketing plays an important role – considering the strategy used by the National Postcode Lottery to foster consumer loyalty and retention. Possessing considerable knowledge of product life cycle management, the Head of Product is able to work effectively in an international matrix organization, demonstrating strong stakeholder management skills. Finally, this professional promotes a data-driven innovation culture within the organization through coaching and inspiring leadership. This is a unique and relevant challenge for an experienced product and tech leader who enjoys a technological challenge and wants to make a social impact.

Interested?

De Nationale Postcode Loterij has partnered up with Top of Minds to fill this vacancy. If you are interested in this opportunity, contact Jessica Lim at via jessicalim@topofminds.com om te laten weten dat je interesse hebt in deze vacature.