Product Owner

iO Associates; Royal Tunbridge Wells; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Active SC clearance

Hybrid work model

Job summary

iO Associates is seeking an experienced Product Owner for our Government & Defence capability. You will own the product backlog, prioritise value, and guide delivery teams across cross-functional squads in a hybrid UK-based role.

You’ll collaborate with Engineers, Designers and Researchers, translating requirements into actionable user stories and acceptance criteria, while maintaining progress with stakeholders and driving live operation delivery.

Qualifications

• Active SC clearance required to start.
• Experience as a Product Owner or similar digital product role.
• Proven ability to own and prioritise product backlogs in agile teams.

Responsibilities

• Own, manage and prioritise product backlogs, keeping teams focused on the highest-value work.
• Translate requirements and user needs into clear, deliverable outcomes.
• Write and refine user stories and acceptance criteria.
• Make day-to-day prioritisation decisions and resolve competing requirements.
• Lead or support sprint planning, backlog refinement, reviews and other agile delivery activities.
• Work closely with Engineers, Designers, User Researchers, Architects and Delivery colleagues throughout delivery.
• Engage stakeholders to gather requirements, manage expectations and keep them informed of progress.
• Support products through development, testing, launch and continuous improvement.
• Identify dependencies, risks and blockers and work with the team to resolve them.
• Champion agile, user-centred and iterative approaches to digital delivery.
• Contribute to the development of Product capability and good practice.

Skills

Active SC clearance

Product Owner experience

Backlog prioritisation

User stories & criteria

Engineering collaboration

Prioritisation in complex environments

User-centred product development

Stakeholder management

Delivery to live operation

Public sector delivery experience

GOV.UK standards familiarity

Job description

Location: Hybrid, 1-3 days a month in London or Manchester

Clearance: Active SC clearance required to start

We are looking for an experienced Product Owner to join our Product capability as a Senior Consultant, supporting the delivery of complex digital products and services across Government and Defence.

You will work within multidisciplinary agile teams, owning the product backlog and making sure delivery teams stay focused on the highest-value outcomes for users and the business.

What You'll Be Doing

• Own, manage and prioritise product backlogs, keeping teams focused on the highest-value work.
• Translate requirements and user needs into clear, deliverable outcomes.
• Write and refine user stories and acceptance criteria.
• Make day-to-day prioritisation decisions and resolve competing requirements.
• Lead or support sprint planning, backlog refinement, reviews and other agile delivery activities.
• Work closely with Engineers, Designers, User Researchers, Architects and Delivery colleagues throughout delivery.
• Engage stakeholders to gather requirements, manage expectations and keep them informed of progress.
• Support products through development, testing, launch and continuous improvement.
• Identify dependencies, risks and blockers and work with the team to resolve them.
• Champion agile, user-centred and iterative approaches to digital delivery.
• Contribute to the development of Product capability and good practice.

What We're Looking For

• Active SC clearance (essential).
• Strong experience as a Product Owner or similar digital product role.
• Proven experience owning and prioritising product backlogs in agile teams.
• Skilled at creating clear user stories and acceptance criteria.
• Experience working hands-on with engineering and design teams throughout delivery.
• Ability to make pragmatic prioritisation decisions and manage competing priorities in complex environments.
• Strong understanding of user-centred product development.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Experience delivering digital products or services through to live operation.
• Government, Defence or wider public-sector digital delivery experience is highly desirable.
• Familiarity with the GOV.UK Service Standard and Government Digital and Data approaches would be beneficial.