At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead digital product strategy and collaborate with agile teams to deliver customer-focused solutions.
- Company: Join Canada Life UK, a diverse and inclusive employer committed to building better futures.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, generous pension, private medical insurance, and professional development opportunities.
- Other info: Flexible working arrangements available to support work-life balance.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by championing customer needs in a dynamic, agile environment.
- Qualifications: Experience as a Product Owner and strong communication skills are essential.
The predicted salary is between 50000 - 60000 £ per year.
This job is with Canada Life UK, an inclusive employer and a member of myGwork – the largest global platform for the LGBTQ+ business community. Canada Life UK looks after the retirement, investment and protection needs of individuals, families and companies. We help to build better futures for our customers, our intermediaries and our employees by operating as a modern, agile and welcoming organisation.
Part of our parent company Great-West Lifeco, Canada Life UK has operated in the United Kingdom since 1903. We have hundreds of respected and supported employees committed to doing the right thing for our customers and colleagues. Canada Life UK is transforming to create a more customer-focused business by providing our customers with expertise on financial and tax planning, offering home finance and annuities propositions, and providing collective fund solutions to third party customers.
Job Purpose
As the Digital Product Owner, you will support the setting of the strategic direction for the relevant business area, and then actively work with the rest of the agile product delivery team to translate that strategy into reality. You will be responsible for achieving business outcomes. The Digital Product Owner acts as the voice of the customer within an agile delivery team. You will ensure that a team is maximising the value delivered taking the relevant vision and business outcomes into a roadmap and backlog you own. This requires that you maintain appropriate feedback mechanisms from real users such as customers, advisers, or colleagues.
Key Duties
- Gathering and interpreting feedback from the Customer/User. The Digital Product Owner must keep open feedback channels with stakeholders (internal and external). This enables them to identify the problem to be solved and potential approaches to the solution.
- Agreeing the Vision for the agile delivery team with the Sponsor and owning the creation and maintenance of the Product Roadmap. The Digital Product Owner is champion for the customer/user in these tasks, ensuring that they are aligned to product and company strategy while driving great customer outcomes.
- Managing and prioritising the delivery team backlog to focus on maximising the value delivered while balancing the long-term health and sustainability of the product.
- Working as part of the agile delivery team to deliver value. The Digital Product Owner works with the rest of the delivery team to communicate the vision and business strategy, answering questions, sharing feedback, and actively participating in team events i.e., iteration planning or retrospectives.
- Author presentations and represent the delivery team's work to senior leadership.
- Fostering collaborative relationships across the company to facilitate cooperation and information exchanges that improve customer and business outcomes.
- Design and run experiments to validate a hypothesis in a low-risk manner. Use the data to inform future backlog/roadmap priorities.
- Supporting the organisation in its ongoing transformation to become a more agile, customer-focused business.
- Organise and participate in communities of practice and share openly any learnings with all colleagues.
Skills, Knowledge and Experience
- Extensive knowledge/experience in the business domain/capability being recruited for, including relevant regulatory concerns.
- General financial services industry experience.
- Experience working as a Product Owner.
- Proven record of being able to deliver against tangible business outcomes and the ability to champion the value of this internally at every level of the organisation.
- Effective communication skills suitable for both internal and external stakeholders.
- Ability to interpret data and understand what data would be valuable to collect and report on to make decisions.
- Experience working as part of an agile team, and agile ways of working, and Agile methodologies.
- Experience supporting an organisation going through an agile transformation.
- Has a strong business acumen, with proficiency in identifying, tracking, and acting upon metrics, designing tests, and collaborating with engineering/data science partners.
Benefits of working at Canada Life
We believe in recognising and rewarding our people, so we offer a competitive salary and benefits package that's regularly reviewed. As a Canada Life UK colleague, you'll receive a competitive salary and comprehensive reward package including a generous pension and bonus scheme, along with income protection, private medical insurance and life assurance. We have a fantastic number of other benefits and support services as well as regular personal and professional development.
How we work at Canada Life
Our culture is unique and incredibly important to us. We care about doing the right thing for our people, customers and community and helping others to build better futures. Our blueprint behaviours shape and influence how we work, and are central to the relationships we have with others. Every day we are encouraged to be more curious, own the outcome, face into things together and find a way forward. We want colleagues to have rewarding careers with us so we invest in the development of our people, technology and workplaces. That's why we offer a range of training, flexible working and opportunities to grow and develop.
Diversity and inclusion
Building an inclusive workplace with a diverse workforce where everyone can feel they belong and achieve their potential regardless of gender, ethnicity or any other characteristic is a key commitment for us. We are proud of the progress we're making in DEI, and we continue for it to be a significant focus. "At Canada Life we believe in the power of great people from different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives coming together to build better futures. Emerging talent is crucial to our growth and creating an environment that continues to inspire us all." Nick Harding, Chief People Officer, Canada Life UK.
We appreciate that everyone has different work and life responsibilities. We're happy to discuss flexible working arrangements, including part time, for any of our roles should this be a requirement for you.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Digital Product Owner
✨Join Product Management Meetups
Get involved in local product management meetups or workshops. These events are perfect for meeting industry folks, sharing ideas, and staying updated on trends. Plus, you never know who might be hiring—it's a fantastic way to make connections that could lead to a job at places like Canada Life UK!
✨Show Off Your Product Sense
Create case studies or mini-projects showcasing your product management skills, and share them on platforms like Medium or LinkedIn. This not only puts your skills on display but also boosts your visibility in the product community. Imagine how impressed the hiring team at Canada Life UK would be by your initiative!
✨Utilise Online Communities
Dive into online product management communities like Product Coalition or Mind the Product. Engage in discussions, ask questions, and share your insights. These platforms are goldmines for networking and finding hidden job opportunities—many companies often scout talent from within these circles.
✨Leverage Your University Network
If you’ve recently graduated or are still in uni, tap into your alumni network for connections in product management. Many universities have their own job boards and affinity resources to help graduates land roles. Don't forget to keep an eye out for job openings at Canada Life UK through your school's career services!
We think you need these skills to ace Digital Product Owner
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Product Passion:When applying for a product management role like Digital Product Owner, let your passion for developing products shine through in your cover letter. Share specific examples of products you've managed, how you solved user needs, and any successful outcomes you've achieved. This is your chance to showcase your understanding of the product lifecycle!
Highlight Your Cross-Functional Skills:Product management isn't just about understanding the product; it’s about collaborating with different teams! Make sure to emphasise your experience working with developers, designers, and marketers. Use your CV to showcase your ability to bridge gaps between these areas, and include relevant experiences that demonstrate your communication and leadership skills!
Include Your Metrics and Achievements:In a full-time product management application, data speaks volumes! Quantify your achievements wherever possible. Did you increase user retention by a certain percentage? Launch a product ahead of schedule? Include these metrics in your CV to paint a picture of your impact and effectiveness in previous roles.
Tailor Your CV to the Role:Make sure your CV is tailored for the Digital Product Owner position at Canada Life UK. Use keywords from the job description and ensure your relevant experiences are front and centre. Highlight any certifications or relevant training you’ve completed that will make you stand out as a strong candidate for the role. And remember, we’re excited to see your application on our website!
How to prepare for a job interview at Canada Life UK
✨Understand the Product Life Cycle
As a product management candidate, we need to get our head around the complete product life cycle. Be prepared to discuss real-world examples of how you’ve managed product development from ideation to launch. Bring specific insights on tools like JIRA or Trello that can help streamline these processes.
✨Showcase Your Cross-Functional Skills
Product management is all about collaboration. We should be ready to highlight how we’ve worked across teams—think marketing, engineering, and design. Prepare to discuss scenarios where you had to mediate differing opinions and how you got everyone on board with a shared vision.
✨Prepare for Case Studies
In a full-time role, we can expect to encounter case study questions during our interviews. Practise solving hypothetical product problems on the spot, such as prioritising features for a new app or improving user engagement metrics. This will show our analytical thinking and decision-making skills.
✨Know Your Metrics
Let’s face it, numbers are our best friends in product management. We should prepare to discuss key performance indicators (KPIs) and how we've used analytics to inform product decisions. Dive into examples where data has driven our strategy for improvements or justified product changes.
