Product Owner (Ivalua) - NESO

National Energy System Operator (NESO) recognises the potential of bright and talented individuals, and we encourage you to join us as Great Britain's energy system undergoes an ambitious, exciting, and vital transformation. Together with industry, we are creating a cleaner, more sustainable energy future.

2026 is going to be an exciting year for NESO, particularly for the CFO function. Not only will we become operationally independent by completing our Transitional Service Arrangement (TSA) exit, we will also be using new systems which require a very different approach to today.

Ivalua, our replacement for Ariba, is a Software as a Service (SaaS) product and maintaining it will feel very different. Feature releases happen automatically twice a year and we need someone to manage those releases effectively, ensuring they land smoothly and at the optimal time.

The right candidate will ideally have some experience of Ivalua, but you don't need to be an Ivalua expert yet - we'll make that happen once you land - but we are looking for someone who understands the importance of Product Owners in a SaaS environment and ideally has experience in a similar role.

This role can be based in Warwick or Wokingham, and we continue to offer hybrid working from office and home. We are open to full time and part time applicants, as well as flexible working arrangements., * Development, ownership, prioritisation and execution of the Ivalua roadmap and backlog delivery.

• Strong stakeholder management across the CFO function, to agree prioritisation and recommendations to relevant governance forums.
• Attendance at governance forums to present the CFO roadmap and represent CFO stakeholder views on feature adoption.
• Conducting functional impact assessments for future releases, including across connected applications.
• Management of testing of releases.
• Leading on business change management.
• Leading on project management for non-technical feature releases.
• Building strong working relationships with the Workday Finance and HR Product Owners, to ensure efficient & effective delivery of plans.
• Acting as primary product liaison with our Digital, Data & Technology (DD&T) team, ensuring effective management of AMS partner(s).
• Working closely with the Transformation Business Partners in CFO Transformation, to align and coordinate feature releases with their continuous product discovery and innovation.

We're forging the path, and we know we can't do it alone. That's why we need visionary minds like yours to join us on this transformative journey. In this case, we're looking for someone who:

• Recent experience in a Product Owner role.
• Experience with agile development methodologies and software development lifecycles.
• Can build strong and effective relationships and deliver excellent stakeholder management, both within the team and beyond, to ensure the Workday HCM (HR) and Workday Finance Product Owners work with you to deliver feature releases successfully.
• The ability to quickly build the trust & respect of others, allowing you to facilitate effective business prioritisation discussions across the Product Owner community within CFO & CPO
• Strong communication & presentation skills, and personal presence, to support your attendance at all relevant decision-making governance forums and drive the right discussions & outcomes.
• An understanding of procurement processes, including PA23 regulations and how they impact public sector organisations.
• Ideally has experience working within an S2C and/or P2P environment.
• Displays a 'can-do' attitude, looking for continuous improvement opportunities and keeping our Ivalua users/customers in mind.

A competitive salary between £65,000 - £75,000pa - dependent on experience and capability.

As well as your base salary, you will receive a bonus of up to 15% of your salary for stretch performance, 28 days annual leave as standard, and a competitive contributory pension scheme where we will double match your contribution to a maximum company contribution of 12%.

You will also have access to a comprehensive benefits package tailored to support your well-being and professional success. From a competitive salary to flexible work arrangements, we promote your work-life balance. Enjoy fit for purpose wellbeing and lifestyle offerings, ongoing skill development aligned to our Purpose and Values and be part of a supportive community that values your individuality and where you can belong.

The creation of National Energy System Operator (NESO) is driven by an urgent need to unify and optimise our approach to energy. A more integrated and coordinated strategy is needed to meet the unprecedented challenges of climate change, ensuring secure energy supply, and keeping costs manageable for consumers. Join us and empower your potential, energise our team, and be part of something bigger. Your energy, our future, together. About The National Energy System Operator (NESO) In Autumn of 2024, the ESO transitioned to National Energy System Operator, or NESO for short. Previously denoted as the Future System Operator (or FSO), the new National Energy System Operator is the independent body responsible for planning Great Britain's electricity and gas networks and operating the electricity system. NESO, including all of its existing roles, are now at the heart of the new National Energy System Operator. As NESO, we will build on our existing roles, capabilities, and ways of working significantly to create an organisation the energy system and its users' need. Our new capabilities will enable us to look across vectors, including electricity, natural gas and hydrogen, and crucially consider the trade-offs between them. The organisation is set up as a public corporation with its own Board of independent directors, with complete operational independence from government, the regulator and any and all commercial interest. As was the ESO, NESO will be licenced and regulated by Ofgem through price control agreements and obligated to identify optimal solutions to system operations and planning in the most sustainable, affordable and secure way for all. The time to deliver is now. As part of our team, you won't just be touching the lives of almost everyone in Great Britain - you'll be shaping the way we use and consume energy for generations to come., We work towards the highest standards in everything we do, including how we support, value and develop our people. Our aim is to encourage and support employees to thrive and be the best they can be. We celebrate the difference people can bring into our organisation, and welcome and encourage applicants with diverse experiences and backgrounds, and offer flexible and tailored support, at home and in the office. We're committed to building a workforce that represents the communities we serve, and a working environment in which each individual feels valued, respected, fairly treated, and able to reach their full potential.