Product Owner - Domestic Payments

About the Role

We are looking for an experienced Product Owner with deep expertise in Domestic Payments and Real-Time Payments ecosystems. The ideal candidate should possess strong functional knowledge of payment products, scheme regulations, operational readiness, and end-to-end payment processing flows.

The role requires hands-on experience working as a Product Owner, Business Analyst, or Subject Matter Expert (SME) in Real-Time Payments environments, with strong exposure to regulatory compliance, testing governance, and payment product lifecycle management.

Key Responsibilities

• Drive end-to-end product ownership for Domestic Payments and Real-Time Payments initiatives.

Manage and support payment product flows including:

• Real-Time Payments (RTP)

• SEPA Instant Payments

• UK Faster Payments Service (FPS)

• Collaborate with business, operations, compliance, and technology teams to define product requirements and delivery roadmaps.

• Translate business requirements into detailed functional specifications and user stories.

• Manage product governance activities including:

• Regulatory and Scheme Compliance

• Product Governance Reviews

• Paper Approvals

• Operational Readiness

• Release Sign-offs

• Ensure payment solutions comply with regulatory, operational, and scheme control requirements.

• Participate in defect triage, prioritization, and resolution management during delivery cycles.

Review and validate testing strategies across:

• SIT (System Integration Testing)

• UAT (User Acceptance Testing)

• PVT (Production Verification Testing)

• Support test planning, scope definition, evidence validation, and issue management activities.

• Work closely with delivery and testing teams to ensure successful implementation and production readiness.

• Coordinate with stakeholders across Product, Operations, Compliance, Technology, and Vendor teams.

Required Skills & Qualifications:

• Minimum 8 years of overall experience in Payments Product domain.

• Minimum 4 years of hands-on experience in:

• Real-Time Payments Product Flows

• Product Ownership

• Business Analysis / SME roles

• Strong functional expertise in:

• RTP (Real-Time Payments)

• SEPA Instant Payments

• UK FPS Payments

• Strong understanding of:

• Payments Lifecycle

• Regulatory/Scheme Guidelines

• Operational Controls

• Product Governance

• Experience managing:

• Release Sign-offs

• Operational Readiness

• Defect Prioritization

• Governance Approvals

• Strong exposure to SIT/UAT/PVT testing cycles and validation processes.

• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.

Preferred Skills

• Experience working in global banking or financial services organizations.

• Exposure to Agile delivery methodologies.

• Understanding of payment processing platforms and transaction lifecycle management.

• Knowledge of ISO 20022 payments standards is an added advantage.