Job Description

Product Owner - Cloud Hosting

Rate: £80-£84 per hour (Inside IR35)

Contract: Initial 6 months, rolling extension

Location: Reading (Hybrid - 3 days onsite per week)

Security Clearance: Active MOD SC Clearance Required

Overview

We are seeking an experienced Product Owner with a strong background in Cloud Hosting, Defence, and secure technology environments to join a major aerospace and defence programme.

This is an excellent opportunity for a Product Owner who can bridge business and technical teams, drive cloud platform strategy, and deliver secure, scalable cloud hosting solutions within highly regulated environments.

Key Responsibilities

Define and own the Cloud Hosting product vision, strategy, and roadmap.

Collaborate with business and technical stakeholders to gather and prioritise requirements.

Translate business needs into Epics, Features, and User Stories.

Manage and prioritise the product backlog, balancing business value, dependencies, and team capacity.

Lead delivery of cloud hosting platform enhancements and new product increments.

Ensure cloud solutions are secure, compliant, resilient, and aligned with organisational standards.

Act as the Voice of the Customer, driving an excellent user experience and self-service capabilities.

Monitor and improve product performance, delivery velocity, and operational effectiveness.

Support platform engineering teams with testing, validation, and acceptance activities.

Manage cloud-related risks, compliance requirements, and security considerations.

Work closely with Solution Architects and delivery teams to ensure successful end-to-end solution delivery.

Provide guidance on emerging cloud technologies, industry best practices, and innovation opportunities.

Essential Experience

Active SC Clearance (current and transferable).

Proven experience as a Product Owner, Product Manager, or similar role within Defence, Aerospace, or secure government environments.

Strong experience delivering cloud hosting platforms and cloud-based services.

Demonstrable experience managing the full product lifecycle from requirements gathering through to release and continuous improvement.

Strong understanding of Agile delivery methodologies, including Scrum.

Experience managing and prioritising product backlogs and roadmaps.

Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to engage senior business and technical audiences.

Understanding of cloud integration, platform services, and enterprise-scale cloud environments.

Experience working with security, compliance, and governance requirements within regulated environments.

Strong communication and presentation skills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.

Desirable Experience

Experience with AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform.

Knowledge of hybrid and multi-cloud strategies.

Understanding of cloud governance, FinOps, and service catalogues.

Familiarity with SQL, Python, or other development technologies.

Experience managing medium-sized technical delivery teams.

Knowledge of enterprise architecture frameworks and cloud transformation programmes.

Desirable Certifications

AWS, Azure, or GCP Professional Certifications

ITIL Foundation

CISSP or equivalent security certification

TOGAF

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or a related discipline

Key Attributes

Strategic thinker with strong commercial awareness.

Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.

Ability to operate effectively in complex stakeholder environments.

Passion for delivering customer-focused technology solutions.

Strong leadership and influencing skills.

Ability to thrive in fast-paced, mission-critical programmes.Please note: Active SC Clearance is mandatory for this position and candidates must be eligible to work onsite in Reading three days per week