Product Owner
- locations
- Manchester
- time type
- Full time
- posted on
- Posted Yesterday
- job requisition id
- R8011
At AQA, we’re committed to advancing education and we’re committed to our people. As the largest provider of academic qualifications in the UK, we mark over 10 million exam papers each year and it’s our people who make this happen.
Product Owner
Permanent
Manchester
Salary: £54,300 - £60,700
Working Arrangements: Hybrid - two days per week in the office, with Thursday as the team anchor day
Introduction
AQA is looking for an experienced product owner to join Enterprise Technology and help shape how change requests, product priorities and stakeholder expectations are managed across a growing delivery pipeline. This is a role with real visibility, variety and influence in a team that is increasingly in demand across the business.
Purpose of the Role
You will be the focal point between business stakeholders and the internal delivery team, helping turn business needs into a clear, prioritised technology pipeline. The role supports products including Power Platform, Dynamics 365 and custom applications built using Power Platform and Dataverse, with potential future exposure to Copilot. Your work will help AQA deliver practical, well-managed technology change that supports colleagues, customers and learners.
Key Responsibilities
In this role, you'll be responsible for:
- Owning and prioritising the delivery backlog, helping stakeholders understand progress, timelines, risks and where reprioritisation may be needed.
- Leading pragmatic product delivery routines, including stand-ups, planning and retrospectives, while keeping processes useful and proportionate for the team.
- Reporting progress clearly to leaders and stakeholders, using tools such as Azure DevOps to track work, manage expectations and support delivery decisions.
What We Are Looking For
You will thrive in this role if you can combine product ownership experience with confident stakeholder management and a practical, flexible approach to delivery.
- Experience as a product owner, product delivery manager, pipeline delivery manager or similar in a technology or software environment.
- Proven ability to translate business aims and day-to-day requirements into a prioritised technology delivery pipeline.
- Excellent communication skills, with the confidence to consult, influence, challenge and negotiate with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
- A pragmatic understanding of agile or product delivery principles, with the flexibility to adapt ways of working rather than applying a rigid framework.
- Knowledge of Dynamics 365, Power Platform, Dataverse or customer-facing systems would be useful, but it is not essential.
What's in It for You
- You will join a team with growing demand and plenty of opportunity to influence how delivery is organised and communicated.
- You will have the chance to shape backlog management, stakeholder engagement and reporting as the team continues to mature.
- A 35‑hour working week with flexible, hybrid working
- 25 days’ annual leave (rising to 30), plus Christmas closure days
- Excellent pension (up to 11.5% employer contribution)
Diversity and Inclusion Statement
At AQA, we are committed to fostering a workplace that celebrates diversity and promotes equity and inclusion. We believe that a diverse team brings richer perspectives and drives better outcomes. Our ED&I strategy ensures that everyone—regardless of religion, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, age, disability, sexual orientation, or background—is valued, respected, and empowered to thrive. We actively promote inclusive language, avoid stereotypes, and strive for representation across all dimensions of diversity. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds and lived experiences.
Application Process
To apply, please submit your CV through the AQA careers site. Applications close on Sunday 12 July 2026.
- Stage 1: a 30-minute Teams call
- Stage 2: a face-to-face interview in Manchester.
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Full Job Description
Summary
Operating within an agile framework you will collaborate with business stakeholders and technical/functional experts across multiple teams, leading on the prioritisation of demand. You will champion the applications to users and proactively drive improvement opportunities, whilst also supporting BAU support and delivery.Landscape: The role reports into a Senior Functional Consultant. The Product Owner works closely with the Functional and Governance members of the team and matrix manages relevant resources, such as BAs, as required. The role is a gateway to the delivery team and a key business partner interface to stakeholders of all levels across all business areas, particularly those in Commercial and Exams Delivery Directorate. Other key relationships include those with colleagues in Assessment Technology, Architecture, Security & Risk, Analytics, Project Management and external suppliers.
The role will be technically aware, with a need for strong collaboration, planning and change management experience. As a security focused organisation you will also support the provision of services that enable AQA’s ongoing alignment with legal/ regulatory regulations and standards such as ISO27001 and Cyber Essentials Plus. Active risk management and robust continuity planning are another key part of this provision of reliable and secure applications.
Activities:
Collaborate and proactively engage with stakeholders of all levels across AQA in a business partnering capacity. Be a key interface between technical and non-technical stakeholders and delivery teams. Support user engagement and adoption.
Manage and co-ordinate effective delivery of the product roadmaps and pipelines, optimising the flow of work using appropriate tooling (Azure DevOps) and methodologies (Agile). This includes resource planning.
Lead on pipeline prioritisation, using in-depth knowledge of business processes and requirements
Identify, manage and negotiate dependencies across all technical product roadmaps so as to ensure the prioritisation and delivery of Enterprise Apps solutions on time and to budget. This requires working collaboratively with other Product Owners, technical, functional and business resources and 3rd party suppliers.
Deliver and manage a robust and effective change acceptance and prioritisation approach. This should ensure the specification of high quality requirement inputs, and delivery of first class solution outputs, with a clear prioritisation process that is fully aligned to deliver corporate strategy
Apply expert knowledge of Microsoft Dynamics, Power Platform and related applications to advise on, and challenge, proposed solution designs and prioritisation decisions to influence strategic direction and ensure the best possible outcomes
Ensure best practice software delivery and management processes are in place and adhered to, including quality assurance steps.
Develop and deliver Key Performance Indicator (KPI) metrics reflecting key service areas including support performance, solution delivery, customer satisfaction and benefit realisation. Produce relevant reporting.
Ensure the cost effective use of the systems by cost impact assessments, usage of appropriate licence profiles and ongoing tracking/ review of licence approach.
Take ownership of BAU support and change related issues and progress to resolution, engaging with external parties (suppliers/ partners) as necessary
Stay abreast of industry trends and product updates. Utilise this knowledge to adopt a continuous improvement approach to ensure the ongoing optimisation of the solutions and service being delivered to the business
Support and enforce the maintenance of data quality and integrity within the systems
Support user activity (testing, training, embedding of changes) as required
Model leadership behaviours and get the very best from direct/ matrix managed reports and teams by providing clarity, feedback, coaching, mentoring and development, while continuously seeking to enhance performance in line with business objectives
Demonstrate commercial flexibility by undertaking other responsibilities which are of a commensurate level as business needs change
Ensure AQA is safe and legally compliant by applying AQA’s policies and other legislative/ regulatory requirements and standards, including ISO9001/ ISO27001 and Cyber Essentials Plus. Proactively manage relevant risks accordingly
To be successful in this role, you will need to know:
Experienced Product Owner/ pipeline delivery manager. Proven ability to enable the translation of business teams’ strategic aims and day-to-day requirements into a prioritised technology delivery pipeline
Good knowledge of Dynamics 365, Power Platform and related products, and how they fit into the wider Azure environment and product landscape
Excellent communicator – able to consult, influence, challenge and negotiate effectively with stakeholders and partners, both technical and non-technical, to achieve desired outcomes.
Strong problem solving, analytical and presentation skills with a keen understanding of the intersection between technology and business strategy
Experience of driving pipeline delivery using appropriate software development methodology (including Agile) and tooling (preferably Azure DevOps)
Proven ability to manage issues, risks and problems from identification through to resolution
Strong influencer, able to build stakeholder confidence, plus manage ambiguity and competing priorities to deliver in line with business need
Customer focused with a proven track record of change delivery to improve customer experience and process efficiency
A proactive change oriented leader who can inspire others with a commitment to continuous improvement and innovation and the delivery of results
Strong understanding of relevant data and system management principles, their effective application to software, and knowledge of the security and compliance features of the Microsoft products
Agile and resilient – able to make pragmatic decisions and deliver at pace
Solid understanding of project management methodologies (e.g. PRINCE2, Agile), change management principles and ITIL - certification desirable
Effective leader of people – line or matrix management experience
Proactive in resolving issues and driving change proactively and pragmatically in a complex organisation through cross-organisational working
Have a “step up” mindset – use sound judgment and take accountability for actions