Product Owner

We are currently looking for Software Delivery Product Owner to work with one of our financial services clients. The role will be responsible for defining and prioritising the product backlog, collaborating with stakeholders to gather requirements, and ensuring the successful delivery of software solutions that meet the needs of clients and business objectives Applicants will have a proven track record of success in delivering software in a fast-paced, agile environment. The ideal candidate will possess an understanding of Cybersecurity and financial services processes and regulations, along with strong leadership and communication skills to drive innovation and excellence in software delivery.

Responsibilities

• Define and prioritise the product backlog based on business value, stakeholder feedback, and strategic objectives, ensuring alignment with the overall product vision and roadmap.
• Collaborate with stakeholders from across the organization, including business users, IT teams, and senior management, to gather requirements, elicit feedback, and validate solutions.
• Manage stakeholders with conflicting requirements and priorities to ensure the team delivers to meet team goals.
• Act as the primary liaison between the business and development teams, providing clear direction, guidance, and support throughout the software delivery lifecycle.
• Partner with business analysts, architects, and developers to translate business requirements into actionable user stories, acceptance criteria, and technical specifications.
• Ensure the delivery teamwork is managed across the development lifecycle and that management of incident, problems and technical debt is prioritised alongside new development work.
• Facilitate sprint planning, backlog refinement, and review sessions, ensuring that development efforts are focused on delivering maximum value and meeting quality standards.
• Monitor and track the progress of software delivery initiatives, identifying and mitigating risks, issues, and dependencies to ensure timely and successful delivery.
• Champion a customer-centric mindset, advocating for the needs of end-users and stakeholders throughout the development process, and incorporating feedback into product iterations.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define and implement governance processes, compliance requirements, and security standards applicable to financial services software solutions.
• Drive continuous improvement and innovation in software delivery practices, leveraging Agile frameworks, best practices, and tools to optimize productivity, quality, and efficiency.

Requirements

• Proven experience as a Product Owner or similar role in software delivery, preferably within Cybersecurity or the financial services / banking industry.
• Strong understanding of Agile frameworks, with experience in Scrum, Kanban, or similar frameworks, and the ability to apply Agile principles to software delivery.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively engage and influence stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
• Experience in defining and prioritizing product backlogs, creating user stories, acceptance criteria, and technical specifications.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional distributed teams, facilitate collaboration, and drive consensus on product requirements and priorities.
• Proficiency in Agile collaboration tools such as Jira, Confluence, or similar platforms.
• Good knowledge of ITIL methodologies or can demonstrate use of such – mostly in the area of SLM, Service Continuity, Information Security Management, Change, Incident & Problem management.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to assess complex business problems and drive innovative solutions.
• Able to manage multiple stakeholders with conflicting requirements and priorities in a fast-paced changing environment.

Applicants must be able to attend client office in Sheffield at least 2 days per week. Contract will be inside IR35.