Job Title: Web Product Owner
Department: Publishing Operations
Contract: Full-time, 12 month fixed-term contract
Summary pitch:
Are you a collaborative digital professional who enjoys turning business requirements into clear plans for software development? We are looking for a Web Product Owner to look after Pan Macmillan's international website. In this role, you will work closely with technology, marketing and publishing teams. You will help build and improve a digital platform that connects our authors, stories and readers around the world, showcasing our books across all formats, including print, digital and audio.
Your team:
You will join our technology team based in London. We are a supportive and collaborative group that is responsible for the software and digital systems of our global publishing business. In this role, you will work closely with our Head of Content (in Digital Marketing), an external development agency, and our QA (Quality Assurance) testing team. You will also work with our local website managers in India and South Africa. We work together to solve technical challenges and improve our customer experience.
Your role:
Reporting to the Technology Director, you will be the main Product Owner for our global website platform. You will manage the product backlog and the development pipeline. You will translate business requests into clear, detailed instructions for our software developers. By guiding the weekly work of our agency, you will make sure our websites remain updated, fully functional and support our global teams.
Your key responsibilities:
Backlog and sprint management: Create, organize and update the web product backlog. Turn business ideas into clear user stories and development tickets with specific completion criteria.
Agency and QA collaboration: Work as the main daily contact for our external development agency and offshore testing team to keep project timelines on track.
International stakeholder co-ordination: Work with UK business teams and international website managers in India and South Africa to ensure their local requirements are included in development plans.
Roadmap planning: Work with the Head of Content to update the website roadmap, manage timeline risks and organize releases.
Problem triage and testing: Manage our process for fixing bugs and errors on the website. Balance urgent fixes with new feature development, and verify that new updates work correctly before they go live.
Clear updates and communication: Write and share simple, clear updates about new website features and changes for both technical and non-technical staff.
Content updates: Support teams that do not have the necessary experience or access to create well-formed content, landing pages or other assets.
Track industry standards and emerging trends: Stay up to date with evolving digital standards and industry trends, assessing their potential business impact and prioritising relevant updates as needed.
Support for business tools: Provide support for tools such as Docusign, Buffer and Zapier. Managing access and troubleshooting issues.
Essential experience, abilities, knowledge and values you’ll need to succeed:
Agile product management: Practical experience working as a Product Owner or in a digital project management role, using Agile frameworks such as Scrum or Kanban.
Clear technical communication: Effective written and verbal communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to explain technical ideas to non-technical people, and business requirements to software developers.
Agency and vendor co-ordination: Experience working directly with external software development agencies or technology vendors to deliver digital projects.
Prioritisation and organisation: A structured approach to managing many different requests from multiple departments and international teams at the same time.
Web technology foundational knowledge: A clear understanding of how websites, Content Management Systems (CMS) and user interfaces work, allowing you to discuss technical issues confidently. Experience of headless architecture is a plus.
Testing and quality assurance: Experience co-ordinating software testing processes, logging bugs and reviewing software updates before they are published.
AI: An understanding of how AI intersects with the web, including challenges, benefits and how websites need to adapt.
Inclusion and representation: An active dedication to promoting diverse voices and inclusive practices, taking personal responsibility for ensuring our workplace and publishing reflect the communities we serve.
Community: A collaborative approach to building a supportive and vibrant environment.
Curiosity: A strong drive for learning and a readiness to embrace different perspectives.
Integrity: A foundation of openness and honesty, taking responsibility for actions and learning from mistakes.
Desirable skills we’d love you to have:
International platform management: Previous experience working on websites that serve multiple countries, or managing multi-site CMS.
Web analytics tools: Familiarity with using Google Analytics or Google Tag Manager to view website data and understand user behavior.
Publishing data standards: Basic knowledge of book publishing metadata systems and data standards, such as ONIX or BIC.
What you’ll get in return:
In return we can offer you a range of great projects, a supportive and collaborative working environment as well as a competitive salary and benefits package.
Salary: £55,000 - 65,000
Note on salary: The offered salary is dependent on experience and expertise. We benchmark our ranges to ensure fair, competitive compensation that grows with your impact.
Closing date: 5 July 2027
This is a full-time, 12 month fixed-term role, and will be based in our offices in Farringdon, London, with some flexibility to work from home each week.
Some of the benefits we offer:
28 days’ annual leave increasing with years of service + bank holidays
Generous pension scheme
Discounted private medical insurance or health cash plan
Group income protection scheme
Enhanced family pay and leave
Flexible working hours and summer hours (early finish on a Friday during summer months)
2 volunteer days per year
75% off all Pan Macmillan books and regular staff book sales (highly reduced rates)
Season ticket loan/advance
Cycle to work scheme
Discounts on shopping and gym memberships; Christmas club savings
Daily free breakfast and monthly company lunch
How to apply & eligibility:
Our process: All applications must be submitted via our careers site to be considered. We are unable to accept CVs or applications sent via email.
Our timelines: Because we review every application thoroughly and with care, our shortlisting process can take some time. We appreciate your patience and will be in touch as soon as we have an update on your application.
Right to work: All applicants must be able to demonstrate the right to live and work in the UK in order to be considered for this role.
Our commitment to diversity & inclusion:
At Pan Macmillan, we are committed to publishing a wide range of voices that reflect the full breadth of the communities we serve. Joining us means playing an active role in bringing our titles to life as part of a team that champions inclusion at every level. We are dedicated to building a workplace that is as diverse and welcoming as the stories we tell, ensuring all perspectives are celebrated across everything we do.
We welcome applications from all individuals, including any age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic background, religion and/or belief. Our efforts to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are ongoing, and we continually strive to learn and improve. You can read our full Diversity & Inclusion Pledge here.
Disability confident scheme:
As a Disability Confident employer, we actively encourage applications from disabled candidates and people with long-term health conditions, aiming to offer an interview to everyone who meets the essential criteria for the role and chooses to apply under the scheme. The essential criteria can be found under our ‘Essential experience, abilities, knowledge and values you’ll need to succeed’ section.
Please note, some of our vacancies attract an exceptionally high volume of applications. In these circumstances, to ensure a fair and focused process for everyone, we may need to limit the overall number of interviews. Where this happens, we will look closely at who most closely aligns with the requirements to select the candidates applying under this scheme who best meet the essential criteria, in line with official government guidance.
Please remember that you are never required to disclose a disability to us, and you only need to share what you feel comfortable with.
Adjustment & support:
We want to ensure that all candidates are supported throughout the recruitment process. If you have any reasonable adjustments or accessibility requirements, please contact Kayelle Danyluk (Head of Talent Acquisition) at kayelle.danyluk@macmillan.com.
Privacy notice:
All personal information which we process in connection with your application will be treated in accordance with our Recruitment Privacy Notice here. Please read this notice before submitting your application.
