Product Owner

Role Title: Product Owner

Location: Knutsford, UK

Job Type: Contract

Work Mode: Hybrid

Role Description:

You will drive strategic change, leveraging technologies like IBM Sterling File Gateway, Global Payments infrastructure, and Channel Gateway solutions to deliver secure, scalable, and innovative capabilities. This role combines product ownership, business analysis, and change leadership to shape the future of digital payments and data exchange across the bank.

Key Responsibilities:

Product Ownership & Strategy

• Define and prioritize product backlogs for file transfer and payments capabilities.

• Own the roadmap for IBM Sterling File Gateway and related gateway technologies.

• Drive innovation in microservices and API-led architecture for payments and data exchange.

Business Analysis & Change Leadership

• Identify and analyze business problems and opportunities requiring change.

• Develop and document business requirements and functional specifications.

• Conduct feasibility studies and support business case development.

• Lead operational and process design to ensure successful implementation.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Collaborate with stakeholders across Payments, Operations, Compliance, and Technology.

• Facilitate workshops, demos, and UAT sessions.

• Communicate complex and sensitive information effectively to diverse audiences.

Technical Oversight

• Provide subject matter expertise on IBM Sterling, Global Payments (SWIFT, SEPA, CHAPS, FPS), and Channel Gateway technologies (MQ, Kafka, API Gateways).

• Support onboarding of new partners and protocols.

• Monitor performance, troubleshoot issues, and recommend optimizations.

Agile Delivery & Governance

• Lead Agile ceremonies including sprint planning, reviews, and retrospectives.

• Ensure delivery of features on time and within budget.

• Maintain traceability matrices and support change management activities.

• Take ownership of risk management and control strengthening initiatives.

Required Skills & Experience

• Proven experience as a Product Owner or Senior Business Analyst in financial services.

• Strong understanding of IBM Sterling File Gateway / Navigator.

• Deep knowledge of corporate and global payments systems.

• Experience with microservices architecture and Kafka.

• Skilled in Agile methodologies and tools (e.g., JIRA, Confluence).

• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and stakeholder management skills.

• Strong business acumen and strategic thinking.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with containerized deployments and cloud-native file transfer solutions.

• Knowledge of ISO 20022 messaging standards.

• Familiarity with data security, encryption, and compliance frameworks (e.g., GDPR, PCI-DSS).

• Certifications in Agile (e.g., CSPO, SAFe PO/PM) or Business Analysis (e.g., CBAP).

Leadership Expectations

• Advise and influence decision-making across business and technology functions.

• Lead collaborative assignments and guide cross-functional teams.

• Demonstrate LEAD behaviours: Listen, Energise, Align, Develop.

• Take ownership of risk mitigation, control enhancement, and policy development.