Senior Product Owner - Payments 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.

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 embarking on a programme to enhance 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.

As a Payments Product Owner, you’ll be part of the Product Management Team, which looks after a suite of user-focused products and services supporting key operational and business processes. The team uses agile methodologies to ensure continuous improvement and alignment with user needs. You’ll represent user needs in the design, development, and delivery of the Participant Management product, which enables the E2E management of an organisations Participant lifecycle. Your work will directly influence how financial institutions interact with the UK’s core payments infrastructure. The tool looks after on and offboarding our participants and Payment Scheme Operators and provides the tool for external communication, assurance, engagement, billing, incident management and Access/ identity management.

Day-to-Day Responsibilities

• Planning & Prioritisation: Lead product planning sessions, including during Quarterly Planning. Define user stories and be responsible for the business backlog, including driving the changes required in each sprint. Define the roadmap for your product – ensuring you align it with customer requirements. Attend and contribute to backlog refinement sessions.
• User Engagement: Liaise with internal and external stakeholders to ensure alignment between functionality and business processes. Train users on changes. Present product roadmaps and updates to senior audiences.
• Delivery & Documentation: Produce release notes and support implementation planning for each release. Maintain regular reporting and documentation. Support defect triage and resolution.

Minimum Experience

• Experience working as a Product Owner, Business Analysts 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.

Essential Skills

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to explain complex technical information to a non-technical audience.
• 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 developing high performing teams.

Note that this isn’t a line management role, but Product Owners are expected to show leadership within their Product team.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience in a product or change function in the public sector.
• Experience of working in financial services.
• Familiarity with data driven environments.

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. Leeds salary £50,320 - £56,610 per annum. 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.

This role closes at 23:59 on 4th June 2026.

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. 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.