Senior Product Owner - ISO in Leeds

Location: Leeds

We currently have a number of opportunities across our Product team - if this role isn't the right fit for you, we'd encourage you to explore what else is available:

• Product Manager - Payments
• Senior Product Owner - Payments
• Policy Adviser - Product Team (Payments)
• Product Owner - Payments

Directorate

The Payments Directorate sits at the heart of the UK’s financial system, playing a critical role in delivering the Bank’s mission. We design and operate the Real‑Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) service and CHAPS, the UK’s high‑value payment system. RTGS ultimately lies at the heart of every electronic payment in the UK and settles over £800 billion on an average working day. The directorate leads on policy and innovation for our Payments services and helps shape the broader payments landscape, both domestically and internationally. Drawing on our expertise in innovation and delivery, we are now enhancing the new RTGS 2 platform, enabling the UK financial sector to innovate while ensuring safe and efficient settlement in central bank money. Our work connects us closely with many other areas of the Bank. As one of the most outward‑facing and fast‑paced directorates, we offer a dynamic and impactful environment to work in.

Role Overview

As a Product Owner for ISO 20022 Messaging, you’ll be part of the Initiative team under the Product Portfolio. You will shape and coordinate the annual ISO 20022 message upgrade for CHAPS and RTGS (the RTGS Standards Release), ensuring strong alignment between business needs, industry standards and technical solutions. You’ll work across policy, delivery and engagement teams to ensure that ISO messaging changes are clearly defined, implementable, and aligned with the Bank’s strategic direction. You will not own a dedicated delivery team; instead, you will influence and collaborate with product and technology teams who own their respective designs.

Day‑to‑Day Responsibilities

• Planning & Prioritisation
  • Define and prioritise the scope for the annual ISO 20022 standards release.
  • Shape the roadmap for ISO messaging changes, ensuring alignment with business needs and global standards (including CBPR+ and HVPS+).
  • Collaborate with the project manager to manage scope, dependencies and risks throughout the release lifecycle.
  • Support the ISO policy function in publishing annual updates to message schemas and technical guidance.
• User & Stakeholder Engagement
  • Work closely with ISO policy experts to interpret emerging industry trends and standards developments.
  • Engage directly with Swift to ensure alignment on standards interpretation and timelines.
  • Present upcoming ISO message changes to RTGS participants, Account holders and scheme operators, explaining rationale, impacts and implementation approaches.
  • Act as a key point of contact for participant queries related to ISO messaging, providing clear and authoritative responses.
  • Support the ISO policy team in shaping the Bank’s broader ISO strategy where appropriate.
• Delivery & Documentation
  • Work with product and delivery teams who own RTGS designs to ensure they understand ISO messaging changes and can update their designs accordingly.
  • Review and challenge proposed functional design updates to ensure they are robust, high‑quality and aligned with policy intent.
  • Support effective communication with industry alongside the external engagement lead.
  • Maintain documentation and contribute to release planning and implementation activities.

Minimum Experience

• Experience working as a Product Owner, Business Analyst or in a closely related change role.
• Experience working with business and technical stakeholders to analyse and deliver change.
• Demonstrable experience with cross‑functional business improvement initiatives.
• Familiarity with agile and change methodologies.
• Working‑level understanding of ISO 20022 payment messages.

Essential Skills

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills:
• Ability to explain complex technical information to non‑technical audiences.
• Skilled in delivering impactful communication to senior audiences.
• Confident in facilitating discussions to understand requirements and solutions.
• Strong problem‑solving and analytical abilities.
• Strong influencing skills – able to lead without direct authority.
• Experience working within and contributing to high‑performing teams.
• Good understanding of ISO 20022 payment messages and how changes to the standard influence system design and processing.

Desirable Criteria

• Understanding of CHAPS and CBPR+ ISO 20022 payment message flows.
• Experience using JIRA and Confluence.
• Experience using Swift MyStandards.
• Experience in a product or change function in the public sector or financial services.
• Familiarity with data‑driven environments.
• Ability to read, interpret and work with ISO 20022 XML message schemas (XSDs), including understanding how schema changes affect system design and processing.

Our Approach to Inclusion

The Bank values diversity, equity and inclusion. We play a key role in maintaining monetary and financial stability, and to do that effectively, we believe we need a workforce that reflects the society we serve. At the Bank of England, we want all colleagues to feel valued and respected, so we're working hard to build an inclusive culture which supports people from all backgrounds and communities to be at their best at work. We celebrate all forms of diversity, including (but not limited to) age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, race, religion, sexual orientation and socioeconomic status. We believe that it’s by drawing on different perspectives and experiences that we’ll continue to make the best decisions for the public.

We welcome applications from individuals who work flexibly, including job shares and part time working patterns. We've also partnered with external organisations to support us in making adjustments for candidates and employees in the recruitment process where they're needed.

For most roles where work can be carried out at home, we aim for colleagues to spend half of their time in the office, with a minimum of 40% per month. Subject to that minimum requirement, individuals and managers should work together to find what works best for them, their team and stakeholders.

Finally, we're proud to be a member of the Disability Confident Scheme. If you wish to apply under this scheme, you should check the box in the ‘Candidate Personal Information’ under the ‘Disability Confident Scheme’ section of the application.

Salary and Benefits Information

We encourage flexible working, part time working and job share arrangements. Part time salary and benefits will be on a pro-rated basis as appropriate.

In addition, we also offer a comprehensive benefits package as detailed below:

• Currently a non-contributory, career average pension giving you a guaranteed retirement benefit of 1/80th of your annual salary for every year worked. There is the option to increase your pension (to 1/65th) or decrease (to 1/105th) in exchange for salary through our flexible benefits programme each year.
• The Bank has the discretion to vary standard accrual rates and dial up and dial down rates at any time and to withdraw dial up and dial down options at any time.
• A discretionary performance award based on a current award pool.
• An 8% benefits allowance with the option to take as salary or purchase a wide range of flexible benefits.
• 26 days’ annual leave with option to buy up to 12 additional days through flexible benefits.
• Private medical insurance and income protection.

National Security Vetting Process

Employment in this role will be subject to the National Security Vetting clearance process (and typically can take between 6 to 12 weeks post offer) and the passing of additional Bank security checks in accordance with the Bank policy. Further information regarding the vetting and security clearance requirements for the role will be provided to the successful applicant, and information about how the Bank processes personal data for these purposes, is set out in the Bank's Privacy Notice.

The Bank of England welcomes applications from all candidates, but as a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) approved sponsor, we have a responsibility to comply with the Immigration Rules and guidance. As such, our ability to employ individuals who require sponsorship for immigration purposes is limited. The Bank cannot guarantee that you and / or the role you are applying for will be eligible for sponsorship and that any application made to UKVI will be successful. Eligibility will therefore be considered on a case by case basis.

The Application Process

Important: Please ensure that you complete the ‘work history’ section and answer ALL the application questions fully. All candidate applications are anonymised to ensure that our hiring managers will not be able to see your personal information, including your CV, when reviewing your application details at the screening stage. It’s therefore really important that you fill out the work history and application form questions, as your answers will form a critical part of the initial selection process.

The assessment process will comprise of two interview stages. This role closes on 4th June. Please apply online, ensuring that you complete your work history and answer ALL the application questions fully and in detail as your application will not be considered if all mandatory questions are not fully completed.