Finance Systems Product Owner (SAP)

TL;DR

Finance Systems Product Owner (SAP): Own the end-to-end product lifecycle for SAP Finance systems including S/4HANA, BW, BPC with an accent on stability, optimisation, standardisation and continuous improvement. Focus on prioritising enhancements, driving innovation through agile scrum, leading team delivery and ensuring alignment with business needs.

Location: Hybrid (Milton Keynes, UK) - contractually aligned to Milton Keynes office, approximately one day per week attendance required

Salary: £59,966 to £73,710 plus temporary Market Related Pay supplement of up to £23,004 (total not exceed £83,000, reviewed after 2 years)

Company

UK’s largest university, world leader in flexible part-time education with research excellence.

What you will do

• Lead and manage team responsible for finance systems in player-coach model, focusing on stability, optimisation and continuous improvement.
• Own end-to-end product lifecycle for SAP Finance systems, ensuring scalability, control and business alignment.
• Prioritise and drive system changes, enhancements and innovation using iterative agile scrum approach.
• Develop user stories, acceptance criteria, refine product backlog and advocate for end-user needs.
• Coordinate UAT, release management, training and act as change ambassador across FBS.
• Collaborate with Digital Services on architecture, SAP S/4HANA cloud and process standardisation.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience
• Proven Product Owner experience with strong technical/functional knowledge of SAP S/4HANA, SAP BW, SAP BPC
• Experience across SAP Finance processes, system integration, enhancements, upgrades and transformations
• Good understanding of planning models in SAP BPC and SAC, including transitions from BPC to SAC
• Engaging/influencing diverse stakeholders, agile scrum methodology
• Hands-on leadership: build relationships, innovate, work in ambiguity, political awareness

Nice to have

• Experience in Higher Education or Public Sector
• Awareness of SAP cloud strategy (S/4HANA Private vs Public Cloud)
• Understanding of finance process standardisation and system-driven controls

Culture & Benefits

• Flexible working discussions including job share, part-time, compressed hours
• Hybrid pattern: work from home and office (approx. 1 day/week in Milton Keynes)
• Range of benefits for work-life balance, detailed on Staff Benefits page
• OU Values: Inclusive, Innovative, Responsive

Hiring process

• Submit CV and supporting statement (up to 1,500 words) addressing competencies
• Shortlisted: panel interview and presentation exercise (anticipated 23 April 2026)
• Applications reviewed ongoing, may close early