Product Development Manager

Brand

Baines Simmons

Department

Products & Services

Reports to

Head of Portfolio

Location

Bracknell, UK (hybrid, 2 days per week in office)

Type

Full-time

Salary

£38,000 - £44,000

Join Baines Simmons

Baines Simmons builds the competence behind aerospace and defence safety. For 25 years we have delivered expert, approachable training and consulting to civil and military aviation organisations worldwide: more than 750 organisations served, over 200,000 professionals trained, and 40 or more regulatory authorities advised.

We work as one with our clients, sharing serious know-how, rigour and expertise. Across every sector, and alongside global regulators, we help organisations continuously improve safety, airworthiness and compliance. We go beyond helping them comply with regulations; we empower them to excel in operational and safety performance.

We look for curiosity, passion, leadership and impact. Our people do not just advise on safety. They change how clients manage it. If you want your work to make a measurable difference to aviation safety, we would like to hear from you.

One organisation, four brands

Baines Simmons is one of four TrustFlight brands. TrustFlight is the Aerospace Safety Intelligence Platform, building the technology that helps aviation operate safely and stay compliant. Redline Assured Security delivers government-standard aviation security, and Kenyon International delivers crisis management and response. Each brand keeps its own name, heritage and team. Together we share one platform, one set of values and one purpose: closing the gaps between disconnected tools and providers, because those gaps are where risk accumulates. Working at Baines Simmons means your expertise connects to all four.

Why people stay

We believe people do their best work when they have the freedom to do their job without too many rules and barriers getting in the way. Our culture is built on empowerment and trust: we hire good people and expect them to make the right calls for the customer, company, and themselves. Transforming an industry means our people have to keep learning. We earn our clients' confidence by being honest and dependable with each other, and that includes caring about the important things in life outside of work.

Our offices in the UK, Canada, the US and Jersey are where teams meet to collaborate and plan. People who deliver earn more say in how their career develops, from the path they take to the flexibility they need.

If you want to make a real difference to safety, this is the place to be.

Why this role matters

You will own the end-to-end lifecycle for a defined portion of the Baines Simmons training and consulting portfolio, acting as the central coordination point between our subject matter experts and the wider business. Because you are here, our products are designed, developed, assured and maintained to a consistently high professional standard, aligned with commercial objectives, market needs and our ISO-accredited processes. You will also make our portfolio more scalable and less reliant on SME-led development.

Requirements

What you will do

· Own and deliver the end-to-end lifecycle of assigned products, including design, development, assurance, release and ongoing maintenance, to time, budget, quality and commercial objectives.

· Lead product design activities with SMEs: define detailed specifications, facilitate structured storyboard sessions, and produce robust design documentation (e.g. TDDs, storyboards, lesson plans) aligned to learning design principles and business outcomes.

· Develop and author high-quality product materials using approved templates and tools, including presentations, workbooks, facilitator guides and digital content, ensuring outputs are durable, engaging and true to the agreed design intent.

· Manage product development delivery: plan and schedule activities, coordinate the roadmap, collaborate with SMEs and stakeholders, and meet milestones through effective prioritisation and project discipline.

· Assure product quality and release readiness by applying QA processes, proof-reading and refining materials for accuracy, consistency and compliance with brand, IP and publication standards, with a strong emphasis on professional written English.

· Maintain and optimise portfolio performance by managing documentation, version control and maintenance cycles, monitoring product KPIs, and identifying ways to improve scalability, consistency and learner experience.

· Act as the central coordination point between SMEs, Sales, Business Development, Marketing and delivery teams, providing clear product information and supporting internal briefings.

· Leverage AI tools and digital technologies to improve development efficiency, reduce reliance on SME-led drafting, and raise the quality and consistency of product outputs.

· Drive continuous improvement in product design, usability and scalability across physical, virtual and blended delivery formats.

What success looks like

· At least 90% of product development milestones in your portfolio delivered on time.

· 100% compliance with QA, brand and IP standards at point of release.

· At least a 40% reduction in SME development input for repeatable tasks.

· Greater product consistency and scalability, shown by fewer maintenance requests and releases per year.

· Effective use of AI tools to improve development efficiency while maintaining quality standards.

· Consistently positive internal and external stakeholder feedback on product usability and quality.

What you will bring

· 5+ years' experience in product, proposition or training development.

· Experience designing and developing professional training materials.

· Strong project management and coordination capability.

· Advanced proficiency in Microsoft PowerPoint, Word and Excel, and Adobe Acrobat.

· Demonstrable experience working with cross-functional stakeholders and SMEs.

· Excellent written English with a high degree of grammatical accuracy, clarity and professional presentation, suitable for publication-quality materials.

Nice to have

· Experience within aviation or another safety-critical industry.

· Knowledge of instructional design principles (e.g. ADDIE).

· Experience in e-learning or blended learning development.

· Understanding of intellectual property and contractual frameworks.

· Experience using AI tools in content development workflows.

How we work with AI

TrustFlight is an AI-first organisation, and we provide AI training where it is appropriate for your role. In this role that means using AI tools (such as ChatGPT, Copilot and Gamma) to draft and structure content, accelerate documentation and reports, and support knowledge management, while critically reviewing and refining every AI-generated output for accuracy, clarity and professional quality. You will design and apply AI-enabled workflows that make product development faster and more consistent, look for new places to integrate AI into our processes, and share what works with the team. You will complete our AI fluency onboarding within your first 30 days and spend four hours a month experimenting with AI tools and building your skills.

Where and how you will work

· Working hours: 37.5 hours per week, core hours 09:00-17:00

· Work pattern: Hybrid, 2 days per week in our Bracknell office

· Travel: Occasional travel as required

· On-call or shift work: None

· Screening or clearance: Criminal record check required

What we offer

· Competitive salary of £38,000 to £44,000

· Generous holiday allowance

· Company pension contribution

· Healthcare cover for everyone, including dental and optical

· Support for personal career development

· Flexible working arranged with your manager