Senior Product Owner - Engine by Starling

At Engine by Starling, we are on a mission to find and work with leading banks all around the world who have the ambition to build rapid growth businesses, on our technology. 

Engine is Starling's software-as-a-service (SaaS) business, the technology that was built to power Starling Bank, and two years ago we split out as a separate business. 

Starling Bank has seen exceptional growth and success, and a large part of that is down to the fact that we have built our own modern technology from the ground up. This SaaS technology platform is now available to banks and financial institutions all around the world, enabling them to benefit from the innovative digital features, and efficient back-office processes that has helped achieve Starling's success.

We draw upon our experience as knowledgeable bankers, and best in class technologists to become the chosen option for these banks, and preferred partners for leading consultancies.

As a company, everyone is expected to roll up their sleeves to help deliver great outcomes for our clients. We are an engineering led company and we’re looking for someone who will be excited by the potential for Engine’s technology to transform banking in different markets around the world.

Hybrid Working

We have a Hybrid approach to working here at Engine - our preference is that you're located within a commutable distance of one of our offices so that we're able to interact and collaborate in person.

Travel (including international) may be necessary depending on our current balance of clients at a given moment.

About the role

This role is pivotal within Engine’s Product & Technology Proposition function, in making sure we understand the client needs, sell the right thing, and build the right product. 

We’re looking for a specialist in Core Banking to own and shape our product in this area. At Engine this domain relates to how Engine supports the operations of a client bank’s Product Management and Finance teams with a focus on product configuration, ledgers and accountancy, and interest calculation and accrual.

We’re looking for versatile, adaptable individuals who enjoy the challenge of a varied and collaborative role, particularly those who enjoy getting into the detail of the core banking concepts that serve as the platform’s foundation, such as how products are structured and interest is calculated. You’ll work closely with the Business Development, Customer Success and Engineering functions to design solutions that meet client needs and our own product strategy. 

You’ll enjoy problem solving, getting to the detail, and understanding how clients can make the best use of our product, whilst designing ways to improve it. Your work will span product strategy, client-facing requirements gathering & solution design, and product ownership in an Engineering context.

What you'll get to do:

Product consulting:

You will have a detailed understanding of the Engine product and how it supports our client’s Product and Finance teams, and work closely with the Business Development team on developed sales opportunities as well as the Delivery team in relation to client discovery work. 

• Engaging with clients to understand their product management and finance needs, running exploratory workshops and delivering detailed demos of the product’s core banking capabilities
• Designing and documenting core banking solutions for the client in collaboration with our Engineering team, such as new product constructs, future ledger structures or working through required interest calculation models, and helping the client to understand what is and isn’t possible with Engine. 
• Designing changes to our core banking capabilities within the product in-line with our product strategy, working with our engineering function to provide key client context and influence feature design.  
• Designing and delivering training to partners and/ or clientspossible with Engine, and guiding the assessment of their requirements by our Product and Engineering teams.  

Product strategy

• Competitor analysis and market analysis to form a view of the direction of the product roadmap for our core banking capabilities with a focus on our target markets and clients 
• Developing sales materials with a deep understanding of the product and client needs

Product ownership

• You will have a specialism in finance and core banking, bringing an expertise in core concepts such as banking product management and configuration, accountancy, ledgers, finance function processes, interest calculations and marrying that competency to a detailed understanding of Engine’s capabilities and how these processes work in a Banking/Fintech context. 
• You will design improvements to the product that align with the vision of the business, taking into account existing and potential clients
• You’ll develop a deep technical understanding of the product and how it works and work closely with the engineering teams  

Your skills

• You are intellectually and technically curious and enjoy learning what things do and how they work
• You have a technical aptitude and curiosity
• You are self-motivated and independent. You’re able to switch contexts as needed and keep perspective on the big picture at all times without being overwhelmed 
• You are an expert story-teller and facilitator through presentations and written materials. 
• You’re comfortable handling ambiguity and working in a flat structure. 
• You have attention to detail
• You proactively take accountability for important and strategic activities 

Your background

• You may have a background in finance/accountancy, ideally in a Banking / Fintech context, or retail/commercial banking product management.
• You understand and have executed/managed the core processes handled by Product or Finance functions in a Financial Services context; you may have worked on projects to stand up these core processes within an organisation for the first time. 
• You’re familiar with the challenges faced by Product and Finance functions in relation to their core banking platforms and have ideas about how these might be solved. 
• You may also have a background in delivering technology products or experience working with Engineering teams to design features in a less formal manner (e.g. as an SME providing context to a wider engineering effort).
• Experience of rapidly understanding problems and presenting solutions in a structured and informative manner

Interview Process

Interviewing is a two way process and we want you to have the time and opportunity to get to know us, as much as we are getting to know you! Our interviews are conversational and we want to get the best from you, so come with questions and be curious. In general you can expect the below, following a chat with one of our Talent Team:

• Initial video interview with someone from the Product / Delivery team - 45 mins
• More in depth interview with some more from the team, including case study - 60 mins
• Final Interview with CPO and/or CDO ~45 minutes

• 33 days holiday (including public holidays, which you can take when it works best for you)
• An extra day’s holiday for your birthday
• Annual leave is increased with length of service, and you can choose to buy or sell up to five extra days off
• 16 hours paid volunteering time a year
• Salary sacrifice, company enhanced pension scheme
• Life insurance at 4x your salary & group income protection
• Private Medical Insurance with VitalityHealth including mental health support and cancer care. Partner benefits include discounts with Waitrose, Mr&Mrs Smith and Peloton
• Generous family-friendly policies
• Incentives refer a friend scheme
• Perkbox membership giving access to retail discounts, a wellness platform for physical and mental health, and weekly free and boosted perks
• Access to initiatives like Cycle to Work, Salary Sacrificed Gym partnerships and Electric Vehicle (EV) leasing

About Us

You may be put off applying for a role because you don't tick every box. Forget that! While we can’t accommodate every flexible working request, we're always open to discussion. So, if you're excited about working with us, but aren’t sure if you're 100% there yet, get in touch anyway. We’re on a mission to radically reshape banking – and that starts with our brilliant team. Whatever came before, we’re proud to bring together people of all backgrounds and experiences who love working together to solve problems.

Engine by Starling is an equal opportunity employer, and we’re proud of our ongoing efforts to foster diversity & inclusion in the workplace. Individuals seeking employment at Engine by Starling are considered without regard to race, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition, ancestry, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. 

When you provide us with this information, you are doing so at your own consent, with full knowledge that we will process this personal data in accordance with our Privacy Notice. By submitting your application, you agree that Engine by Starling and Starling Bank will collect your personal data for recruiting and related purposes. Our Privacy Notice explains what personal information we will process, where we will process your personal information, its purposes for processing your personal information, and the rights you can exercise over our use of your personal information.