Product & Operations Leader

Hello, I’m Liam Day

A dynamic and results-oriented product and operations leader with over 12 years of combined British Army and consumer software sector experience. Expertise in driving product delivery, quality assurance, and cross-functional collaboration to enhance operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. Proven track record in leading complex projects, optimising processes, and managing stakeholder relationships across diverse teams. Skilled in Agile methodologies, data analytics, and team development, with a strong commitment to continuous improvement and innovation. Currently pursuing an MBA in Technology Management to deepen strategic leadership capabilities.

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Experience

12 years

Leadership roles across defence and consumer software.

Current focus

Product operations

Strengthening release quality and customer feedback loops.

Studies

MBA candidate

Technology Management · Open University (2026 expected).

Based in

Winchester, UK

UK citizen with full right to work.

Experience

A career spanning operational command and digital delivery. Highlights below reflect roles where I led teams through change, scaled new practices, and kept complex products moving.

Technical Product Specialist

Outdooractive · Remote (Cambridge, UK and Immenstadt, Germany)

Sep 2023 – Present

Lead cross-platform quality assurance for iOS, Android, and web release candidates, reducing post-release defects by 19% through rigorous testing and coordination with engineering teams.
Translate customer and partner feedback into actionable insights, collaborating with UX and product managers to prioritise feature development and improve user satisfaction.
Prepare and deliver regular performance and roadmap updates to senior leadership, highlighting delivery risks and opportunities to inform strategic decision-making.
Own second-line technical support queue, managing escalations efficiently and reducing average resolution time by 15%, while maintaining up-to-date knowledge base resources in partnership with community teams.

Product Manager & Operations Manager (SO3 Dismounted Close Combat, Combat CIS School)

British Army · Dorset, UK

Jul 2020 – Sep 2023

Spearheaded Project HERMES, streamlining the training pathway by consolidating nine courses into five through syllabus and qualification refactoring, saving 960 instructor training hours annually and increasing qualified student outputs by 30%.
Led professional development for 32 Subject Matter Experts, resulting in the qualification and promotion of 12 team members and improved retention by implementing strategic role rotation.
Introduced Agile frameworks to coordinate intra-organisational planning and execution under strict timelines, enhancing collaboration and project delivery efficiency.
Optimised operational processes, reducing administrative overhead and improving resource allocation to support training and qualification goals.

Senior Project Manager & Technical Coordinator (Regimental Signals Officer, 1LANCS)

British Army · Chester, UK

Jul 2018 – Jul 2020

Delivered gold-standard operational coordination during key organisational assessment activities in Kenya, ensuring seamless, secure communications across all operational areas.
Increased trained communication specialists from 2 in 30 to 8 in 30 across departments, significantly elevating operational capability and readiness.
Maintained 100% compliance with cryptographic material security protocols through organisation-wide training and strict adherence to policy.
Developed and implemented data-driven reporting tools to monitor operational performance and inform leadership decisions.

Project Manager & Operations Manager (Company Second in Command, 1LANCS)

British Army · Cyprus

Jul 2016 – Jul 2018

Ensured training readiness of 130 soldiers for consecutive deployments to the USA, Kenya, and Jordan by managing critical risk-to-life certifications, including weapons handling and combat first aid.
Managed and accounted for £3M of serialised equipment across complex international deployments, maintaining 100% accountability and operational readiness.
Led process improvements that enhanced deployment preparation efficiency and reduced equipment discrepancies.

Team Leader (Infantry Platoon Commander, 1LANCS)

British Army · Cyprus

Jul 2014 – Jul 2016

Directed the transition of operational roles and reintegration back to the UK from Cyprus, coordinating necessary training and certification updates to meet new operational requirements.
Led professional development across four seniority levels, ensuring education and training requirements were met on time to support mission readiness and career progression.
Fostered a culture of continuous improvement and team cohesion through targeted coaching and mentoring.

Core capabilities

A blend of operational discipline and modern product practice to move complex teams forward with clarity.

Product Management & Delivery

Demonstrated ability to define product vision, prioritise backlogs, and deliver impactful features through close collaboration with UX, engineering, and business teams, ensuring alignment with customer needs and strategic goals.

Agile Delivery & Process Optimisation

Experienced in implementing Agile frameworks to streamline workflows, reduce cycle times, and improve team productivity, including successful application within military and software development environments.

Risk, Issue & Budget Management

Skilled at proactively identifying and mitigating risks, quantifying business impact, managing budgets, forecasting resources, and ensuring successful outcomes through disciplined governance and decision-making.

Data & Analytics Driven Decision-Making

Adept at leveraging data insights and performance metrics to inform strategic decisions, optimise product features, and enhance operational effectiveness.

Onboarding & Training Development

Proven expertise in designing and delivering training programmes that accelerate team member development, improve retention, and build organisational capability.

Stakeholder Engagement & Communication

Exceptional ability to engage, influence, and negotiate with internal and external stakeholders, delivering compelling presentations and concise reporting that align diverse perspectives to reach consensus.

Collaboration & Facilitation

Strong record of fostering inclusive, innovative, and collaborative team environments, facilitating effective meetings, driving consensus, and improving project efficiency.

Technical & Domain Expertise

In-depth knowledge of software product development lifecycles, enabling effective collaboration with engineering and product teams to translate technical concepts into clear, actionable strategies. Application developer (Swift).

Education & Certifications

Continuous learning underpins how I introduce new practices. Formal study and targeted certifications keep my leadership grounded in current technology and governance standards.

Education

MBA (Technology Management) Candidate

Open University

2022 – 2026 (expected)
BSc International Relations (2:1)

University of Southampton

2010 – 2013

Certifications

Level 7 Award in Leadership and Management, City & Guilds (2022)
AgilePM Foundation, APMG (2022)
Level 5 Certificate in Management and Leadership (QCF), CMI (2014)

Product app projects

Two flagship iOS products currently in active development, focused on practical utility for athletes, hikers, and mountain communities.

iOS · Active development

Training

Athletes, coaches, and habit-focused users who want stronger training consistency.

Training is a planning-and-accountability app that turns weekly intentions into measurable progress by comparing planned sessions with real workouts recorded in Apple Health.

Core technologies

SwiftUI
SwiftData
HealthKit
EventKit
UserNotifications
AppIntents
Foundation Models (iOS 26+)

Key features

Unified timeline for planned workouts, completed sessions, period goals, and rest days.
Goal system for daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly targets, including nutrition and body metrics.
Smart creation flow with natural-language workout parsing on supported devices.
Calendar sync and notifications that keep plans visible and actionable.

iOS · Active development

Peaking

Hikers and mountaineers who track summits, routes, and collection progress.

Peaking is a mountain companion app for discovering peaks, verifying summits from route data, and tracking progress across iconic hiking lists even with patchy connectivity.

Core technologies

SwiftUI
SwiftData
CloudKit
MapKit
Overpass API (OpenStreetMap)
HealthKit
Strava API
PhotosUI
Charts

Key features

Interactive peak discovery map with clustering, filtering, and rich metadata.
Route imports from HealthKit, Strava, and GPX with automated summit matching.
Published and user-created collections (for example Munros and Wainwrights) with completion tracking.
Offline-first cache layers for map tiles and peak data with cloud-synced personal progress.

Projects & case studies

Explore detailed write-ups of organisational change initiatives alongside living product build journals for personal apps.

Case studies

2023 – Present

Outdooractive Mobile Release Operations

Strengthening quality loops across Outdooractive’s iOS, Android, and web apps to deliver more reliable experiences for outdoor enthusiasts.

View case study

2020 – 2023

Project HERMES Training Suite

Refactoring the British Army’s dismounted close combat training to increase throughput while maintaining operational readiness.

View case study

2018 – 2020

Secure Communications Readiness Toolkit

Elevating communications capability and compliance for the 1LANCS battle group across multinational deployments.

View case study

App build journals

2024 – Present

RidgeRunner Companion

Building an offline-first hiking companion to test product release rituals and resilient mobile tooling.

Read build notes

2024

After Action Journal

Drafting a reflective operations journal that transforms field notes into structured learning loops.

Read build notes

Let’s build momentum together

Whether you need to stabilise release operations, evolve complex training programmes, or unite teams behind a shared roadmap, Liam can help you deliver with confidence.

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