Product Owner in Newcastle upon Tyne

At Bede, our Product Owners (POs) play a key role in maximising the value delivered by our Product Engineering teams. You’ll be embedded in a Tribe, working closely with other POs and Product Managers. You’ll take full ownership of your product area, building expert knowledge, understanding customer and end-user needs, and driving continuous improvements. If you enjoy owning problems end-to-end and working closely with engineers to turn insight into impact, this is the role for you. This is a hybrid role that requires you to be in our Newcastle upon Tyne office two days a week. Please apply only if you’re comfortable with this arrangement.

What you'll be doing

• Vision - Own, maintain, and prioritise the Tribe and Team backlogs in line with the strategic direction set by Tribe Leaders. Contribute to the Bede Product Roadmap for your product area.
• Execution - Play a key role throughout the Bede Software Development Life Cycle within your Tribe. Work closely with Product Managers to understand customer needs and business strategy. Engage with stakeholders to identify and capture problem statements and objectives. Represent the voice of the stakeholder (whether a client or Bede sponsor). Translate high-level objectives into clear, detailed user stories with acceptance criteria and see them through to execution. Take full accountability for product quality and sign off features at the end of each sprint. Collaborate with engineering teams to produce sprint reports and project delivery dates for small to mid-scale projects (large-scale projects will have a dedicated Project Manager). Support defect triage for internal and external issues.
• Product Knowledge - Be the subject matter expert for your Tribe’s product area. Own and maintain product documentation, ensuring gaps are filled and kept up to date. Create and contribute to platform release notes and feature documentation. Build and maintain positive relationships with clients and internal stakeholders. Support continuous improvement practices within your Tribe. Gather feedback from customers and stakeholders to inform future iterations and drive continuous product improvements. Bring curiosity and drive to become an expert in your product area.

What we are looking for

• Experience working in a technology environment, with hands-on professional experience as a Product Owner or a similar role.
• Strong experience in Agile development (Scrum, SAFe, or other Agile framework qualifications would be a bonus).
• Excellent communication skills, with confident use of English (both written and verbal) to engage effectively with technical teams, stakeholders, and clients.
• A proven track record in software development with full end-to-end project lifecycle experience.
• Solid understanding of web-based systems development.
• Customer-focused, with the ability to identify and clearly articulate product requirements.
• Strong analytical, planning, problem-solving, and organisational skills.

What we can offer you

• A great benefits package and a competitive salary as you would expect from a forward-thinking and people-centric organisation.
• A friendly, flexible and trust-based approach to working.
• 25 days annual leave, plus 8 bank holidays and a typically very generous Christmas break.
• The use of a mobile phone or tablet of your choice, with the monthly contract covered by us.
• ‘Select Enhanced’ Bupa private healthcare – access from day 1 which covers all pre-existing conditions.
• Fully matched private pension scheme (up to 8% matched).
• Life Assurance which pays out x4 of your salary to a nominated person(s).
• Employee Assistance Programme – Beders have access to support and practical advice on a variety of issues that might impact their life (provided by Bupa).
• Innovation time – Engineers have regular opportunities to spend time developing skills and innovating.
• A great office life! Free snacks and refreshments in the office every day as well as regular food van visits from the best places in Newcastle.
• Access to Calm – the #1 app for meditation and sleep.
• Lots of social events – inside and outside of the working day.
• Referral Programme – help us grow our team with talented individuals and be rewarded with a referral payment of £3,000 (pre-tax).
• Bede swag – from Zoodies to t-shirts and even our much loved Bede socks!
• Bede Holidays – extra discretionary days off through the year as an extra special thank you.