Business Product Owner, Publishing Solutions

Oxford University Press; Oxford; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work policy

Pension up to 12%

Salary Finance schemes

Travel to work schemes

Discretionary annual bonus

Job summary

Oxford University Press in Oxford is seeking a Publishing Solutions Business Product Owner to steer strategy and development of our publishing systems, notably BiblioSuite and Swift journals management. You will align business priorities with technology roadmaps, manage backlogs, and drive value through effective change leadership.

You will collaborate with business owners, ensure UAT readiness, and support a broad user network including training.

Qualifications

• Expert knowledge of BiblioSuite software.
• Product ownership skills with an understanding of software development methods (technical coding skills not required).
• Excellent understanding of publishing processes, ideally including journals.
• Experience designing, implementing, embedding and supporting key business systems and processes.
• Facilitation and process mapping skills.
• Strong technical problem-solving skills.
• Disciplined approach to quality and delivery.
• Excellent influencing and communication skills, ability to network effectively at all levels, using suitable influencing skills, as well as experience of negotiation and relationship management.
• Broad experience of applying best practice in using systems and processes.

Responsibilities

• Owns the strategic direction and development of publishing systems (BiblioSuite and Swift) and manages roadmaps and backlogs.
• Collaborates with business owners to translate priorities into features and changes that deliver value.
• Ensures alignment of technology outcomes with business needs and drives UAT and user change management.
• Manages key user networks and supports business change, including training via Publishing Solutions Trainer.
• Operates a hybrid model with regular presence in the Oxford office and effective stakeholder communication across levels.

Skills

BiblioSuite expert

Product ownership

Publishing processes

Systems design & implementation

Facilitation & mapping

Problem solving

Quality & delivery

Stakeholder communication

Best practices in systems

Job description

About the Role

The Publishing Solutions Business Product Owner is accountable for the strategic direction and development of one or more of OUP’s publishing systems, the focus for this role being divided between our BiblioSuite publishing software and our Swift journals management software. This role is critical in ensuring that our technology is effectively owned and managed from a business point of view, and that technology change matches and anticipates business need. Alignment of business priorities and technology outcomes is a vital part of the role in managing the application roadmaps and backlogs as well as part of projects and programmes as required.

The role holder will work closely with business owners to understand the business priorities and direction, working with the Publishing Solutions team and Technology colleagues to ensure that requirements are translated into features and changes that will enable the most effective delivery of these priorities and add maximum value. The Biblio system is upgraded quarterly, and the role holder will work closely with the developers and the business to ensure that new features are understood and UAT is completed. The role holder must be an agent of change who is able to deliver in a pragmatic, personable way; an effective communicator who can work with stakeholders at all levels of the business to understand both technology and business perspectives and bridge the gap between the two.

This role is also responsible for managing and supporting the key user network, and managing business change for users, including ensuring training is provided through the Publishing Solutions Trainer.

We operate a hybrid working policy that requires a minimum of 2 days per week in the Oxford office.

About You

• Expert knowledge of BiblioSuite software.
• Product ownership skills with an understanding of software development methods and practises (technical coding skills not required).
• Excellent understanding of publishing processes, ideally including journals.
• Experience designing, implementing, embedding and supporting key business systems and processes.
• Facilitation and process mapping skills.
• Strong technical problem-solving skills.
• Disciplined approach to quality and delivery.
• Excellent influencing and communication skills, ability to network effectively at all levels, using suitable influencing skills, as well as experience of negotiation and relationship management.
• Broad experience of applying best practice in using systems and processes.

Benefits

We care about work/life balance here at OUP. With this in mind we offer 25 days’ holiday that rises with service, plus bank holidays and Christmas closure (3-days) and a 35-hour working week. We are open to discussing flexibility in respect to working patterns, dependent on role. We also have a great variety of active employee networks and societies.

We help make your money go further by contributing to your pension up to 12%, offering loans and savings schemes through our partnership with Salary Finance, in addition to travel to work schemes and access to a wide range of local discounts.

This role comes with the added benefit of a discretionary annual payment.

Please see our Rewards and Recognition page for more information.