Director - Financial Institutions Product Owner / Agile Product Lead - London 1
Director - Financial Institutions Product Owner / Agile Product Lead - London 1

Director - Financial Institutions Product Owner / Agile Product Lead - London 1

Manchester Full-Time 43200 - 72000 £ / year (est.) No home office possible
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At a Glance

  • Tasks: Lead an agile team to enhance financial institutions' workflows and applications.
  • Company: Fitch Ratings is a top credit ratings agency with over 100 years of expertise.
  • Benefits: Enjoy hybrid work, comprehensive healthcare, tuition reimbursement, and generous parental leave.
  • Why this job: Join a collaborative culture focused on learning, innovation, and making a real impact.
  • Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree and 5+ years in product ownership; Agile experience required.
  • Other info: Work in a diverse environment that values all voices and encourages community involvement.

The predicted salary is between 43200 - 72000 £ per year.

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Director – Financial Institutions Product Owner / Agile Product Lead – London 1

Requisition ID: 48516

Business Unit: Fitch Ratings

Category: Operations

Location:

Manchester, GB

Date Posted: Aug 4, 2025

Fitch Ratings is currently seeking a Director- Financial Institutions Product Owner / Agile Product Lead based out of our New York, London, or Manchester offices.

About the Team

Ratings Workflow Solutions (RWS), part of the Ratings COO organization, is a cross-functional, agile team responsible for designing, implementing, and optimizing applications and workflows used by our Ratings staff. Our goal is to streamline processes, mitigate risks, and advance standardization and automation across Fitch’s ratings platforms and workflows. The team partners closely with analytical, business, and technology staff to ensure our systems support the needs of the Ratings organization and enable our staff to work effectively.

How You’ll Make an Impact:

We’re looking for an experienced and dynamic Product Owner to lead an agile delivery team supporting Fitch’s Banks, Non-Banks Financial Institution, Insurance, and Fund and Asset Manager credit analysts and their internal workflows. In this role, you’ll lead the squad, work closely with different groups to understand their needs, solve problems, and ensure we’re building solutions that advance our business objectives. You’ll work alongside analytical groups and technology teams to align priorities and deliver key outcomes. Strong leadership, communication, and organizational skills are important, and you should enjoy working with colleagues who have different levels of experience with Agile. A collaborative, customer-first mindset is essential.

  • Define overall strategy and direction of the applications covered based on understanding of organizational goals and analytical groups’ needs.
  • Own the backlog, feature prioritization, roadmap, and the MVP in support of business objectives.
  • Communicate and align with stakeholders to prioritize features and ensure a shared vision of sprint goals and backlogs.
  • Lead the Agile squad to define and align sprint goals, ensuring \”ready\” user stories and supporting the squad to deliver on sprint commitments. Supports squad in identifying dependencies and other execution risks.
  • Work closely with the squad to provide timely feedback and answers to their questions; ultimately accept or reject the product increments of the sprint.
  • Oversee the overall squad’s quarterly delivery , ensuring that the squad meets their goals and deliver business value.
  • Identify opportunities for process improvements and drive initiatives to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the Ratings business.
  • Enhance and automate processes to improve data quality, standardize workflows, and integrate key systems.
  • Analyze and break down complex workflows and system processes for both current (As-Is) and future (To-Be) states in support of automation and standardization.
  • Oversee and guide user training, rollout, and change management processes.

You May be a Good Fit if:

  • Bachelor’s degree and 5+ years of product ownership experience
  • Agile practitioner capabilities & experience working with or in Agile teams.
  • Proven track record of delivering workflow and data-driven solutions with a customer-first mindset.
  • Sees the business as a customer and translate requirements into technical solutions.
  • Ability to create and maintain a backlog and roadmap, and to prioritize that backlog based on business value and technical feasibility.
  • Track record of delivering results in a high-demand, matrixed organization.
  • Strong interpersonal and organizational skills, demonstrating an ability to work well with teams and stakeholders.
  • Proficiency in Jira, Excel, PowerPoint, and Word

What Would Make You Stand Out:

  • Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to engage and influence stakeholders at all levels
  • Demonstrated ability to oversee complex projects and excel in a high-demand, matrixed organization
  • Prior experience in debt capital markets, financial services or consulting

Why Choose Fitch:

  • Hybrid Work Environment: 3 days a week in office required based on your line of business and location
  • A Culture of Learning & Mobility: Dedicated trainings, leadership development and mentorship programs designed to ensure that your time at Fitch will be a continuous learning opportunity
  • Investing in Your Future: Retirement planning and tuition reimbursement programs that empower you to achieve your short and long-term goals
  • Promoting Health & Wellbeing: Comprehensive healthcare offerings that enable physical, mental, financial, social, and occupational wellbeing
  • Supportive Parenting Policies: Family-friendly policies, including a generous global parental leave plan, designed to help you balance career and family life effectively
  • Inclusive Work Environment : A collaborative workplacewhere all voices are valued, withEmployee Resource Groups that unite and empower our colleagues around the globe
  • Dedication to Giving Back: Paid volunteer days, matched funding for donations and ample opportunities to volunteer in your community

As one of the world’s top three credit ratings agencies, Fitch Ratings plays a critical role in global capital markets by providing credit analysis, ratings, research, and commentary to financial market participants. For over 100 years, Fitch Ratings has been creating value for global markets through its rigorous analysis and deep expertise, which have resulted in a variety of market leading tools, methodologies, indices, research, and analytical products. Fitch Ratings is part of Fitch Group, a global leader in financial information services with operations in more than 30 countries, which also includes Fitch Solutions. With dual headquarters in London and New York, Fitch Group is owned by Hearst.

Explore a career at Fitch Ratings and you’ll join a collaborative network of curious minds. Here, our differences are our strengths – in life as well as our work. Together we work with integrity and objectivity to provide clarity to the world’s financial markets. We pride ourselves on our ability to harness the ideas, expertise, and professionalism of our global workforce, which is integral to our continued success. The accessibility and depth of experience of our industry leading analysts, combined with our broad sector credentials, allow us to help market participants make important credit decisions with confidence.

Fitch is committed to providing global securities markets with objective, timely, independent and forward-looking credit opinions. To protect Fitch’s credibility and reputation, our employees must take every precaution to avoid conflicts of interests or any appearance of a conflict of interest. Should you be successful in the recruitment process at Fitch Ratings you will be asked to declare any securities holdings and other potential conflicts prior to commencing employment. If you, or your immediate family, have any holdings that may conflict with your work responsibilities, you may be asked to divest yourself of them before beginning work.

Fitch is proud to be an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer. We evaluatequalified applicants without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status, and other statuses protected by law.

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Director - Financial Institutions Product Owner / Agile Product Lead - London 1 employer: Fitch Group, Inc., Fitch Ratings, Inc., Fitch Solutions Group

Fitch Ratings is an exceptional employer that fosters a collaborative and inclusive work environment, where diverse perspectives are valued and encouraged. With a strong commitment to employee growth through dedicated training and mentorship programmes, as well as comprehensive health and wellbeing benefits, Fitch empowers its staff to thrive both personally and professionally. Located in vibrant Manchester, employees enjoy a hybrid work model that promotes work-life balance while contributing to the critical role Fitch plays in global capital markets.
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Contact Detail:

Fitch Group, Inc., Fitch Ratings, Inc., Fitch Solutions Group Recruiting Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫

We think this is how you could land Director - Financial Institutions Product Owner / Agile Product Lead - London 1

✨Tip Number 1

Familiarise yourself with Agile methodologies if you haven't already. Since the role requires leading an Agile squad, understanding the principles and practices of Agile will help you demonstrate your capability to manage and deliver projects effectively.

✨Tip Number 2

Network with professionals in the financial services sector, especially those who have experience in product ownership or Agile roles. Engaging with industry peers can provide insights into the expectations for the role and may even lead to referrals.

✨Tip Number 3

Prepare to discuss specific examples of how you've successfully led teams and delivered results in a high-demand environment. Highlighting your past experiences will showcase your ability to handle the responsibilities outlined in the job description.

✨Tip Number 4

Research Fitch Ratings and their approach to workflow solutions. Understanding their business model and how they integrate technology with financial analysis will allow you to tailor your discussions during interviews and show that you're genuinely interested in the company.

We think you need these skills to ace Director - Financial Institutions Product Owner / Agile Product Lead - London 1

Agile Methodologies
Product Ownership
Stakeholder Management
Backlog Management
Roadmap Development
User Story Creation
Data Analysis
Process Improvement
Workflow Automation
Interpersonal Skills
Communication Skills
Project Management
Jira Proficiency
Excel Proficiency
PowerPoint Proficiency
Word Proficiency
Leadership Skills
Customer-Centric Mindset
Change Management

Some tips for your application 🫡

Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV highlights relevant experience in product ownership and Agile methodologies. Use specific examples that demonstrate your leadership skills and ability to deliver results in a high-demand environment.

Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: In your cover letter, express your enthusiasm for the role and the company. Discuss how your background aligns with Fitch Ratings' goals, particularly in streamlining processes and enhancing workflows for financial institutions.

Showcase Your Agile Experience: Clearly outline your experience working in Agile teams. Provide examples of how you've successfully led projects, managed backlogs, and collaborated with cross-functional teams to achieve business objectives.

Highlight Communication Skills: Since strong communication is key for this role, include instances where you've effectively engaged with stakeholders at various levels. This could be through presentations, reports, or team collaborations that led to successful outcomes.

How to prepare for a job interview at Fitch Group, Inc., Fitch Ratings, Inc., Fitch Solutions Group

✨Understand the Agile Methodology

Since the role requires leading an Agile delivery team, it's crucial to demonstrate a solid understanding of Agile principles. Be prepared to discuss your experience with Agile practices and how you've applied them in previous roles.

✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills

As a Director, strong leadership is key. Prepare examples of how you've successfully led teams, managed conflicts, and driven projects to completion. Highlight your ability to motivate and align diverse groups towards common goals.

✨Communicate Effectively

Exceptional communication skills are essential for this position. Practice articulating complex ideas clearly and concisely. Be ready to explain how you engage and influence stakeholders at various levels within an organisation.

✨Prepare for Technical Questions

Given the technical nature of the role, brush up on relevant tools like Jira, Excel, and PowerPoint. Be ready to discuss how you've used these tools to manage backlogs, prioritise features, and deliver data-driven solutions.

Director - Financial Institutions Product Owner / Agile Product Lead - London 1
Fitch Group, Inc., Fitch Ratings, Inc., Fitch Solutions Group

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