At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the Own Brand team in managing product systems and driving strategic improvements.
- Company: Join Waitrose, a leading employee-owned business with a focus on innovation and collaboration.
- Benefits: Enjoy a competitive salary, flexible working, and a supportive work environment.
- Other info: Dynamic role with opportunities for career growth and personal development.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on over 6000 products while developing your leadership skills.
- Qualifications: Experience in product ownership, data analysis, and excellent communication skills required.
The Waitrose Own Brand team is responsible for developing and protecting the strategy and design of over 6000 own-label products, including our Essential Waitrose, Cooks' Ingredients, and No.1 Waitrose ranges. The multidisciplinary Own Brand team includes key roles responsible for product development, brand strategy and technical implementation of creating our Own Brand range. The Own Brand Systems Product Owner is an exciting new role in which you’ll be enabling better decision making across the Own Brand team. You’ll have 4 Own Brand Coordinators reporting directly to you, and you will report into the Own Brand Reporting Manager. Day-to-day you’ll manage the different applications within Own Brand, managing a clear roadmap to deliver noticeable results and improvements to our systems. You’ll be an expert in how these systems work and how they are integrated in the business, managing governance, upgrades and strategy.
Salary range - £53,000 - £78,000
Contract type - This position is permanent. Working pattern/flexible working - The Partnership has adopted a hybrid working approach, meaning you'll be able to work a mixture between the office and home based upon your personal needs whilst balancing the needs of the business. The team aims for 3-4 days a week in the office. Location - This role is based at our Bracknell Head Office.
Key responsibilities:
- As a Product Owner, you will be responsible for the technical product ownership of the systems we use in Own Brand, including WPP and other key systems like BazaarVoice.
- You will lead cross-functional teams to deliver Partnership Data Products.
- You will own and deliver the Product strategy and Roadmap, delivering end value to the team.
- You will manage third-party vendors and external stakeholders, delivering strategic technical priorities.
- This encompasses managing all elements of systems implementations including risk assessment, implementation of system updates, UAT, glossary management, and issue resolution.
- You will act as the primary link between the business and the Tech & Change (IT) programme, strategically managing data sources, governance, to resultantly deliver trustworthy data for reporting.
Essential skills/experience you’ll need:
- Deep knowledge and ability to define Product vision, roadmaps, backlogs that prioritise user needs and the meeting of business goals.
- Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
- Skills in data-driven decision making, using metrics to measure product performance and guide continuous improvement.
- Analytical & critical thinking & data manipulation skills (Tableau and Tableau Prep, Google Sheets & Scripts, SQL, Excel) with strong attention to detail, knowledge of Snowflake would be beneficial.
- Knowledge of complex data systems and big data.
- Strong problem solving skills and tenacity when working through data issues to solution.
Desirable skills/experience you may have:
- Experience in systems implementation management.
- Commercial retail understanding / awareness.
- You’ll have a good working understanding of SQL, having regularly written queries from scratch to give you the answers to the questions you're asking of the data.
- People management experience leading a high performing team.
Closing Date: July 28, 2026
Pay: £53,000.00 - £78,000.00 Annual
Contract Type: Permanent
Hours of Work: 35 hours per week, Mon-Fri
Job Level: Partnership Level 7
Where You'll Be Working: Bracknell Campus, Doncastle Road, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 8YA
We want all of our Partners to have a good work-life balance and we support flexible working. This might mean flexible or compressed hours, job sharing or shorter hour contracts, where possible. Please discuss this further with the hiring manager during your interview.
Own Brand Systems Product Owner in Bracknell employer: John Lewis
As a Retail Sales Assistant at John Lewis in Horsham, you will be part of a renowned company that values its employees and fosters a supportive work culture. With competitive pay and the opportunity for uncapped commission, you can grow your skills in a dynamic retail environment while enjoying flexible working hours. John Lewis is committed to employee development, ensuring that you have access to training and growth opportunities that make your role both meaningful and rewarding.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Own Brand Systems Product Owner in Bracknell
✨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 John Lewis!
✨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 John Lewis 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 John Lewis through your school's career services!
We think you need these skills to ace Own Brand Systems Product Owner in Bracknell
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Product Passion:When applying for a product management role like Own Brand Systems 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 Own Brand Systems Product Owner position at John Lewis. 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 John Lewis
✨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.
