Lead Product Owner

St. James's Place; Cirencester; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Private Medical Insurance

Generous Pension Scheme

Enhanced Parental Leave

Life assurance

EV salary sacrifice

Job summary

St. James's Place in Cirencester is seeking a Lead Product Owner to influence product strategy and oversee delivery for high‑profile initiatives. You will drive the end‑to‑end lifecycle, collaborating with engineering, design, data and business stakeholders to deliver measurable value.

You will translate strategic goals into roadmaps, balance commercial and regulatory considerations, and guide other product owners to elevate practices across the organisation.

Qualifications

• Experience in product ownership/management.
• Proven experience with complex digital products.
• Strong product judgement and decision‑making skills.
• Excellent collaborator management, including Director and C‑Suite levels.
• Technical understanding to engage with engineering and architecture teams.

Responsibilities

• Take charge of product ownership for major development projects.
• Translate product strategy into clear outcomes and roadmaps.
• Collaborate with engineering, build, architecture, and data teams.
• Make informed product decisions and manage trade-offs.
• Mentor and support other product owners, improving product practices.

Skills

Product ownership

Product management

Stakeholder management

Decision making

Technical understanding

Job description

Are you ready to chart your own career path? With our refreshed strategy, we’re building on our rich heritage and transforming our business to be more scalable and efficient, unlocking the capabilities needed for future success. This includes significantly investing in technology, streamlining the way we work and creating an environment where colleagues feel engaged, empowered and accountable; where they can show up, speak up and perform - because we believe in the difference our work makes.

At a glance:

Location: Cirencester Office

Workplace Type: Hybrid

Employment Type: 12 month Fixed-Term Contract

Seniority: Mid-Senior Level

About the role

As a Lead Product Owner you will influence the product strategy and delivery for high-profile, business-critical initiatives, leading the development of innovative digital solutions and applications that enhance both customer and colleague experiences. You will play a pivotal role in driving strategic transformation programmes, ensuring products are aligned to organisational objectives while delivering measurable value to users.

Acting as the voice of the customer and business, you will translate strategic goals into clear product visions, roadmaps, and actionable priorities, working closely with engineering, design, architecture, data, and business stakeholders. You will lead the end-to-end product lifecycle, from discovery and definition through to delivery, adoption, and continuous optimisation, ensuring products meet evolving customer needs and market demands.

You will influence and guide complex product decisions, balancing commercial objectives, technical constraints, regulatory requirements, and user experience considerations. You will foster strong relationships across the organisation, engaging confidently with senior leaders and executive stakeholders to secure alignment, manage competing priorities, and drive successful outcomes.

What you’ll be doing

• Take charge of product ownership for major development projects.
• Translate product strategy into clear outcomes and roadmaps.
• Collaborate with engineering, build, architecture, and data teams.
• Make informed product decisions and manage trade-offs.
• Mentor and support other product owners, improving product practices.

About you

You’re a seasoned product professional with a proven track record of defining, delivering, and scaling high-quality products that create meaningful business and customer value. You thrive in complex, fast-paced, and multidisciplinary environments, bringing together cross‑functional teams to align on strategy, priorities, and outcomes.

With exceptional stakeholder management and communication skills, you build strong relationships across all levels of an organisation, effectively balancing customer needs, commercial objectives, and technical considerations. You are confident influencing senior leaders, challenging constructively, and driving consensus to ensure successful delivery.

You combine strategic thinking with a hands‑on approach, taking ownership from product vision and roadmap development through to execution and continuous improvement. Highly self‑motivated and autonomous, you can navigate ambiguity, make informed decisions, and maintain momentum without the need for close direction.

Essential Criteria

• Experience in product ownership/management.
• Proven experience with complex digital products.
• Strong product judgement and decision‑making skills.
• Excellent collaborator management, including Director and C‑Suite levels.
• Technical understanding to engage with engineering and architecture teams.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience in fintech, financial services, or wealth management.
• Background in mobile app development and replatforming.
• Familiarity with user‑centered build techniques and complex customer journeys.
• Experience in incident management and problem resolution.

What’s in it for you?

Whatever stage of life you’re in, our benefits are designed to provide the support, flexibility, and peace of mind you need to thrive both at work and beyond.

In addition to our discretionary annual bonus scheme, which reflects both individual and company performance, you’ll benefit from a market‑leading benefits package tailored to support your wellbeing, financial security, and family life.

• 28 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays, with the option to purchase up to 5 additional days.
• Private Medical Insurance – company‑funded cover for you and your immediate family
• Generous Pension Scheme – a non‑contributory employer contribution of 10%, increasing with length of service up to 15%, plus the opportunity to increase this through salary sacrifice
• Enhanced Parental Leave – up to 26 weeks’ full pay to support growing families.
• Protection Benefits – company‑funded critical illness cover, income protection, and life assurance
• EV salary sacrifice scheme through Tusker

Reasonable Adjustments

We’re an equal opportunities employer and want to ensure our recruitment process is accessible and inclusive for all, if you require reasonable adjustment(s) at any stage please let us know by emailing us at [e-mail]

Research tells us that applicants (especially those from underrepresented groups) can be put off from applying for a role if they do not meet all the criteria or have been on an extended career‑break. If you think you would be a good match for this role and can demonstrate some transferable experience please apply, regardless of whether you tick every box.

As a business regulated by the FCA we would advise you to familiarise yourself with the conduct regulations and in particular consumer duty obligations prior to an interview with SJP.