At a Glance
- Tasks: Define and manage product backlog, collaborate with teams, and leverage AI for product development.
- Company: Join Smartstream, a leader in AI-driven financial operations innovation.
- Benefits: Hybrid work model, competitive salary, and opportunities for personal growth.
- Other info: Diverse and inclusive environment with excellent career advancement opportunities.
- Why this job: Be at the forefront of AI technology in finance and make a real impact.
- Qualifications: Experience as a Product Owner or Business Analyst, with strong Agile and AI tool skills.
The predicted salary is between 63000 - 77000 £ per year.
Location: Bristol/London (Hybrid, 3 days office working)
Smartstream is on its most transformative journey yet, embedding artificial intelligence natively across its products to redefine financial operations for the world's top banks and asset managers. We are constantly innovating to cement our industry-leading position for the next decade. Working with our product development centres in Mumbai, Bangalore, and Bristol, we are building AI-powered modern software using constantly evolving agile practices, with AI embedded natively throughout our development workflows. Independent autonomous teams build, maintain, and support services, developing deep expertise in both technology and business domains.
The successful candidate will be an AI-native product thinker who uses AI tools daily to amplify their impact, influence product direction, and grow personally in a friendly and welcoming environment. We welcome engineering and business professionals from a variety of backgrounds to contribute to our diverse teams in our Bristol development centre.
Job Responsibilities- Define, prioritise, and manage the product backlog to ensure delivery of high‑value features aligned with business objectives and customer needs.
- Work with stakeholders, customers, and internal teams to gather requirements, augmenting discovery with AI-assisted analysis (e.g. summarising workshops, identifying gaps, generating follow‑up questions).
- Translate requirements into clear functional specifications, user stories, acceptance criteria, workflow diagrams, and use cases, using AI tools to improve structure, completeness, and speed of delivery.
- Collaborate closely with engineering, QA, UX, and architecture teams throughout the product lifecycle.
- Develop a deep understanding of the product, domain, customer workflows, and business rules to inform product decisions.
- Lead Agile ceremonies such as backlog refinement, sprint planning, sprint reviews, and product demos.
- Use AI to support backlog refinement by suggesting story breakdowns, identifying edge cases, and highlighting dependencies.
- Validate product functionality, support testing cycles, and ensure delivered features meet acceptance criteria and quality standards.
- Review and understand incoming support tickets to categorise issues, severity, and business impact.
- Prioritise tickets and assign them effectively to the appropriate engineering or product teams.
- Provide clear timelines, status updates, and progress communication to the support organisation.
- Identify recurring issues and convert them into backlog items, improvements, or product enhancements, leveraging AI to detect trends and prioritisation opportunities.
- Excellent user story writing skills, with clear acceptance criteria and process documentation, leveraging AI tools to improve clarity, coverage, and consistency.
- Strong understanding of Agile principles, especially Scrum or Kanban.
- Ability to collaborate effectively with engineers and product team.
- Strong analytical mindset and ability to make data‑driven decisions.
- Excellent communication, coordination, and stakeholder‑management skills.
- Ability to translate business language into technical details.
- Proficiency with AI tools (such as Claude or Kiro, Copilot Studio) to accelerate user story writing, requirements analysis, and product documentation.
- Ability to critically evaluate AI-generated outputs and apply sound product judgement to shape AI‑assisted features and workflows.
- Experience working independently with complex, configurable enterprise systems where requirements are non-linear and highly domain specific.
- Hands‑on experience using AI‑assisted tools in a Product Owner or Business Analyst workflow.
- Experience with generative AI tools or AI‑assisted product features.
- Understanding of how AI can be applied in enterprise products.
- Basic understanding of APIs, data models, SQL, or reading technical logs is an advantage.
- Hands‑on experience with tools like Jira and Confluence.
- Experience using intelligence tools for engineering analytics and backlog management is preferred.
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Business Information Systems, Engineering, Mathematics, or a related discipline.
- Experience as a Product Owner, Business Analyst, or similar role in software development.
- Experience using AI tools to enhance requirements gathering, documentation, or product analysis activities.
- Demonstrated ability to integrate AI into day‑to‑day product ownership tasks while maintaining quality and control.
- Experience working in Agile teams with iterative delivery cycles.
- Exposure to enterprise software, SaaS platforms, or complex B2B products is highly beneficial.
- Experience in software vendor environments.
Smartstream is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to promoting equality of opportunity and following practices which are free from unfair and unlawful discrimination.
Product Owner employer: SmartStream
Smartstream is an exceptional employer that fosters a collaborative and innovative work culture, ideal for professionals seeking to make a significant impact in the finance sector. With a strong emphasis on employee growth, Smartstream offers comprehensive training programs and career advancement opportunities, all while being located in a vibrant area that promotes work-life balance. Join us to be part of a forward-thinking team dedicated to excellence in revenue operations and analytics.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land 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 SmartStream!
✨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 SmartStream 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 SmartStream through your school's career services!
We think you need these skills to ace Product Owner
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Product Passion:When applying for a product management role like 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 Product Owner position at SmartStream. 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 SmartStream
✨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.
