Technical Product Owner

Technical Product Owner – SAP SuccessFactors   Summary   Based at Manchester Airport (2 per week onsite) Permanent position Also open to East Midlands Airport (EMA) Why MAG?   Every year, Manchester Airport connects over 30 million passengers with more than 200 destinations across the globe. As the third largest airport in the UK, Manchester is also in the top 20 airports in Europe. Part of the largest UK owned airport operator group, MAG, Manchester Airport supports over 19,000 jobs onsite and generates around £7.75bn each year for the region.     We’re at a genuine inflection point in how we use technology across the business. Significant investment is going into our platforms, including SAP SuccessFactors, but we’re not yet realising their full potential. That creates a rare opportunity: you won’t be maintaining a mature, optimised product - you’ll be shaping how it should work, where it should go, and how it delivers real value.   This role offers the chance to influence both technology direction and operating model, improving employee experience at scale across a complex, multi-site organisation. You’ll work on problems that are real, visible and commercially important, not theoretical product work, and have the backing to challenge the status quo, simplify complexity and drive meaningful change.   You’ll also have access to some great benefits including:   Flexible and generous company pension plan with various company contribution options (up to 10%) that you can change to suit your personal needs 24 days holiday plus bank holidays Free parking Subsidised public transport Huge range of company discounts 2 volunteering days per year Free Virtual GP service, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week Care Concierge service    The Role   We’re looking for a Technical Product Owner (TPO) to take ownership of our SAP SuccessFactors product landscape across the full HCM suite - including Employee Central, Recruitment, Onboarding, Learning, Payroll and Succession.   This is not a configuration role. This is a technology-led product role.   You’ll sit at the intersection of business, technology and delivery, owning how the platform evolves, scales and delivers value across the organisation. You’ll translate complex SAP capabilities and constraints into clear, actionable outcomes - and ensure the team delivers against them.   You’ll act as the bridge between “what the business needs” and “how we deliver it.”   Key Responsibilities   Product & Technology Ownership Own the end-to-end SuccessFactors product landscape, ensuring it delivers measurable business value Develop and maintain a clear product roadmap, balancing new features, platform stability and technical debt Work closely with architects to shape solution design, environments and route to live Understand and articulate system constraints, integrations and downstream impacts Technical Leadership (without hands-on config)   Demonstrate strong understanding of:   System architecture Non-functional requirements (performance, scalability, resilience) Integration patterns and dependencies Act as a credible voice with engineering teams, challenging and guiding decisions Translate technical complexity into clear business language   Agile Delivery & Backlog Ownership   Own and prioritise the product backlog based on business value Define clear acceptance criteria and success measures Support teams in breaking down work into deliverable, outcome-focused stories   Drive best practice in:   Sprint planning Backlog refinement Managing enablers and technical debt   Stakeholder Management & Communication   Build strong relationships across HR, Payroll, Technology and Transformation teams Act as a translator between business and tech, simplifying SAP complexity   Clearly communicate:   Trade-offs Limitations Risks and workarounds Challenge stakeholders constructively to ensure focus on value over output   Leadership & Team Enablement   Provide leadership to a team including System Analysts / BAs (direct or matrix) Create an environment where teams: Speak up Challenge ideas Continuously improve ways of working Drive a culture of ownership, collaboration and accountability   Data-Driven Decision Making   Define and track product success metrics and KPIs Use sprint and delivery data to: Identify improvement opportunities Inform prioritisation decisions   What We’re Looking For:   Core Experience   Experience as a Technical Product Owner, Product Owner or Technical BA within SAP SuccessFactors Strong understanding of SAP SuccessFactors modules (e.g. EC, Recruitment, Onboarding, Payroll, Learning, Succession) Proven experience working in Agile delivery environments   Technical Capability   Strong understanding of:   System architecture and integrations Environments and release processes Non-functional requirements Ability to engage deeply with engineers and architects without needing to configure the system   Product & Delivery Expertise Experience managing backlogs, roadmaps and prioritisation frameworks Comfortable balancing features vs stability vs technical debt Focus on outcomes over outputs, with clear success measurement   Stakeholder & Communication Skills   Able to confidently engage with both: Senior business stakeholders Technical teams Strong ability to simplify complex concepts into clear, practical language   Leadership Mindset   Natural leader who can:   Encourage openness and challenge Improve team ways of working Comfortable operating in ambiguity and making decisions   Desirable   Understanding of regulatory and compliance constraints within HR systems   Background in:   System Analysis Technical Business Analysis Transformation programmes