Technical Product Owner in Leicester

We're a digital insurance provider with ambitious plans to become The Best and Biggest in the UK market. Over the past few years, we've made significant investments in our data and tech capabilities, particularly within our CIO function. Our CIO team is at the forefront of driving innovation and ensuring our technology infrastructure supports our ambitious goals. We've nurtured our 4Cs culture, fostering collaboration, creativity, and continuous improvement. We're proud of the journey we're on as a company and know that our continued success will rely on the contribution of our talented colleagues. The CIO team plays a crucial role in this journey, working on cutting-edge projects that enhance our digital presence and improve customer engagement. We provide insurance to nearly four million customers, but we know there's even bigger opportunity out there.

We understand some people may not apply for jobs unless they feel they tick every box. If you are excited about joining us and think you have some of what we are looking for, even if you're not 100% sure, we would love to hear from you. Our CIO team is always looking for passionate individuals who are eager to make a difference and contribute to our success.

We're looking for a technically astute Product Owner to lead the delivery of change initiatives within our agile delivery teams. This role is pivotal in shaping and prioritising the product backlog, ensuring that all developments are aligned with business strategy and built for scalability, resilience, and performance.

What you'll be doing:

• Acting as the voice of the customer and business within the development team, translating complex requirements into actionable user stories with clear acceptance criteria.
• Leading sprint planning, backlog refinement, and PI events, ensuring that digital platform priorities are clearly communicated and understood.
• Collaborating with stakeholders to gather and validate requirements, ensuring traceability from business need through to tested solution.
• Supporting full lifecycle testing including OAT, regression, and deployment readiness, with a focus on digital experience quality.
• Ensuring downstream impacts of change are identified and communicated across product teams and technical stakeholders.

Technical Skills & Experience Required:

• Proven experience working in agile software development teams, particularly within Scrum or SAFe frameworks.
• Experience with tools such as Jira for backlog and progress tracking.
• Solid understanding of software and systems process design, including documentation and testing practices.
• Ability to interpret and communicate technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Experience in the insurance industry or other regulated environments is highly desirable.

What we're looking for:

• Product Owner experience, ideally within general insurance or financial services.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to translate technical concepts into business language.
• Experience delivering within SAFe or other Agile methodologies.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, including the ability to influence at Head-of and Director level.

What we offer:

• Attractive salary based on experience + Car Allowance (pay reviews also completed each year).
• Flexible Working – We champion a flexible and hybrid working approach so please speak to your recruiter to discuss in more detail, including days in the office and at home.
• Competitive Bonus Scheme - All colleagues are eligible for our annual 4Cs performance bonus, which is usually paid in March. The scheme is based on Hastings' performance against our business goals and your own personal performance.
• Physical Wellbeing – We like to help our colleagues take a proactive approach in keeping themselves well, that's why we fund our colleagues to be able to claim against everyday health care through our healthcare cash plan.
• Financial Wellbeing – As well as providing you with 4x your salary with our life assurance cover and income protection at no extra cost, pension contribution match up to 10%, we are proud to provide you with an AWARD WINNING package which includes discounts and cashback.

Hastings Group is an equal opportunities employer which means we treat people fairly. We welcome applications from all suitably skilled persons regardless of their gender, age, race, disability, ethnic background, religion/belief, sexual orientation, gender reassignment or marital/family status. Please also note that we have a thorough referencing process, which includes credit and criminal record checks. At Hastings Direct, we're committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, we encourage you to be open with us. Our recruitment team is here to provide the support you need to ensure a fair and accessible experience for all.