Interoperability Product Owner / Product Manager in Nottingham

Interoperability Product Owner / Product Manager

Location: Independent / Remote, with frequent travel to Nottingham and customers across the South of England
Reporting to: Head of Portfolio
Clearance: SC Clearance - held or ability to obtain

Role Overview

We are seeking an experienced Interoperability Product Owner / Product Manager to lead and develop an interoperability portfolio within a specialist technology environment supporting customers across the Defence, Government and National Security sectors .
This is a hybrid Product Manager / Product Owner role combining strategic product management with hands-on backlog ownership and delivery. You will work closely with customers, Technical Architects, Delivery Managers and Engineering teams to translate high-level requirements into clear product goals, detailed requirements and deliverable outcomes.
The role will be responsible for refining the wider Interoperability Strategy , managing product roadmaps and backlogs, coordinating releases and developing compelling value propositions for software, services and managed services.
The successful candidate will need a strong blend of technical understanding, commercial awareness and stakeholder management , with the credibility to engage effectively from engineering and architecture teams through to senior customer and business stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

Product Management & Ownership

Act as the Product Owner / Product Manager for interoperability programmes and customer-facing delivery projects.
Work with the wider organisation to refine and develop the Interoperability Strategy .
Capture and analyse high-level customer requirements, understanding the what, why and when behind customer needs.
Translate high-level requirements into detailed requirements, goals, priorities and delivery outcomes.
Develop and clearly communicate Product Goals across relevant teams and stakeholders.
Create, communicate and manage Product Backlog items.
Order and prioritise the Product Backlog based on customer needs, strategic objectives and business value.
Agree Sprint Goals with delivery teams.
Work closely with Technical Architects and Delivery Managers across multiple programmes and product development initiatives.
Ensure Product Backlog progress is transparent and understood, including timescales, budgets and actual spend .
Support engineering and delivery teams with product-related queries and decisions.
Attend Sprint and Project Reviews and report on progress alongside the Technical Architect and Delivery Manager.

Customer Requirements & Stakeholder Management

Build strong relationships with customers and internal stakeholders.
Gather customer feedback and translate it into actionable product and backlog priorities.
Develop customer-specific backlogs where required.
Present products and services to customers, clearly articulating benefits, capabilities and use cases.
Engage confidently with technical architects, engineers, senior business stakeholders and customers.
Ensure customer requirements remain aligned with the wider interoperability roadmap and organisational strategy.
Manage competing requirements and priorities while maintaining focus on customer value and business objectives.

Product & Release Management

Own and coordinate the end-to-end product release process .
Define release requirements and plan all release activities within the Product Backlog.
Ensure associated release activities, including documentation, implementation and deployment, are appropriately planned and completed.
Review and accept completed releases.
Communicate product and release updates across the wider organisation.
Monitor third-party technical updates and assess their potential impact on the product portfolio.
Maintain relevant Bills of Materials (BOMs) for products across the portfolio.
Manage the lifecycle of products and services in line with agreed roadmap plans.
Ensure product development and managed services are appropriately aligned, with service requirements informing product updates and vice versa.

Interoperability Portfolio

Champion the Interoperability Portfolio internally and externally.
Develop clear and compelling product collateral covering product capabilities, developments, use cases and customer benefits.
Develop and maintain product information within relevant internal portfolio systems.
Develop clear value propositions covering software, services and managed services.
Gather product feedback from customers, prospects and customer-facing teams to inform prioritisation and investment decisions.
Ensure product development remains aligned with the Interoperability Roadmap and wider organisational roadmap.
Monitor market developments and apply relevant learning from customers, authorities, competitors, partners and suppliers.
Conduct competitor analysis covering products, services, technologies and alternative approaches.
Work closely with Marketing to develop appropriate campaigns, communications and supporting collateral.

Delivery & Estimation

Facilitate the product and delivery estimating process with Engineering.
Understand the impact of estimates, resource requirements and delivery constraints on backlog priorities.
Balance customer requirements, technical feasibility, commercial considerations and delivery capacity.
Support Delivery Managers and technical teams in maintaining realistic delivery expectations.

Essential Skills & Experience

Proven experience working as a Product Manager and/or Product Owner within the Defence, Government or National Security sectors .
Strong understanding of Product Ownership, Product Management and Agile delivery .
Experience managing product goals, roadmaps and prioritised backlogs.
Proven experience translating high-level customer requirements into detailed, actionable requirements.
Strong understanding of interoperability, integration and/or secure information exchange .
Ability to work effectively with technical architects, engineering teams and senior business stakeholders.
Strong commercial awareness combined with sufficient technical understanding to engage credibly with engineering and architecture teams.
Excellent stakeholder management and interpersonal skills.
Strong presentation and communication skills across technical, business, engineering and senior leadership audiences.
Experience managing product releases and coordinating multiple delivery activities.
Ability to gather and use customer feedback to influence product direction and prioritisation.
Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
Experience working across multiple programmes, products or customer-facing projects.
Ability to operate independently and build productive internal and external relationships.
SC Clearance , or the ability to obtain SC clearance.

Desirable Experience

Previous experience within National Security, Defence or Government technology environments .
Knowledge of secure information exchange and interoperability technologies.
Experience with complex system integration and technical product development.
Experience developing value propositions and product strategies .
Experience conducting competitor and market analysis.
Experience working with managed services alongside software products.
Experience working with Engineering teams on technical estimates and delivery planning.
Experience developing product collateral and working with Marketing teams.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate will be a commercially aware and technically credible Product Owner / Product Manager who can operate comfortably across strategy, customer engagement and hands-on Agile delivery.
You will be able to take an ambiguous or high-level customer requirement, understand the underlying need, and translate it into a clear product goal, prioritised backlog and achievable delivery plan.
You will also need the confidence and credibility to work across a diverse stakeholder landscape - from engineers and Technical Architects through to senior business leaders and customers .
The role will suit someone who enjoys working in complex environments where interoperability, integration, security and customer outcomes are central to successful product delivery.

Measures of Success

Success in the role will be measured through:
Successful delivery of the Interoperability Portfolio .
Successful delivery of customer-facing programmes and product releases.
Effective management and prioritisation of product backlogs.
Strong customer engagement and satisfaction.
Alignment between customer requirements, product strategy and delivery priorities.
Effective communication across technical, commercial and business stakeholders.
Delivery of compelling product value propositions and market-facing propositions.
Effective coordination of releases, documentation and service/product lifecycle activities.

Working Arrangements

The role is primarily independent, with frequent travel expected , potentially including weekly attendance in Nottingham and travel to customer locations across the South of England .
Candidates should therefore be comfortable with regular customer-facing travel as part of the role.
Security: SC clearance required or ability to obtain
Location: Independent / flexible, with frequent Nottingham and customer travel
Reporting to: Head of Portfolio
Reasonable Adjustments:
Respect and equality are core values to us. We are proud of the diverse and inclusive community we have built, and we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and perspectives. Our success is driven by our people, united by the spirit of partnership to deliver the best resourcing solutions for our clients.
If you need any help or adjustments during the recruitment process for any reason , please let us know when you apply or talk to the recruiters directly so we can support you.