Digital Product Owner

Digital Product Owner

National Oceanography Centre, Southampton or Liverpool

Permanent

Full time (37 hours per week)

£43,703 - £47,941

Who are we?

We are the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) - the UK’s leading institution for integrated coastal and deep ocean research. Through our ground-breaking research, collaboration, and game-changing innovation we work to gain a deeper understanding of our ocean, helping every living thing on our planet flourish.

We are made up of a dynamic and vibrant community focused on solving challenging long-term marine science problems, underpinning international and UK public policy, business and societal outcomes.

The ocean has the potential to provide the solutions to so many of the social, economic and environmental challenges we face worldwide. To truly harness the value of the ocean, we put ocean research, science and discovery at the heart of our culture.

Join us in shaping the future of oceanographic research and contribute your unique perspective to our organisation.

About the role

The National Oceanography Centre (UK’s leading institution for integrated coastal, and deep ocean research), is looking for a Digital Product Owner. The project you’ll be joining is at the forefront of environmental science and innovation. In this strategic (Band 6) role, you will drive the vision and delivery of innovative software and infrastructure (enabling AI to democratise access to massive environmental datasets). You will lead the team in the development of tools that enable and support researchers around the world to leverage state of the art artificial intelligence models to compress and data at scales not previously possible. process and analyse massive amount of environmental data withoutthe need for large computational resource(s).

Working alongside a Team of over 30 Research Software Engineers, AI Scientists, User Research and Product Designers, you will connect the dots between complex scientific challenges, technical execution and usability. Using design thinking & agile methodologies, you’ll shape backlogs, manage stakeholder expectations and deliver measurable results for projects across the team.

This is a unique opportunity to apply your product leadership skills to a mission-critical initiative that supports global sustainability, tech-for-good, fosters a user-centric culture, and ensures our ocean data is accessible, intuitive, and impactful for every living thing on our planet.

About you

We’re looking for someone who is proactive and thrives on turning ambiguous scientific challenges into clear and actionable product strategies. Open minded and curious by nature. You’re someone who has a genuine interest and desire to understand both the technical requirements and the diverse needs of the global oceanographic community.

You’re a natural problem solver, and approach collaboration with empathy and agility, working in collaboration with others (researchers, engineers and stakeholders) to build new digital technologies.

Our values at NOC are driven by a purpose greater than profit (although commercial viability and efficiency is always incredibly important too) your values should align to ours: to democratise access to critical environmental data, and to ensure ocean science flourishes for the benefit of every living thing on the planet.

If you are ready to champion a user-centric culture and lead with integrity in a role that bridges cutting-edge technology with global sustainability, we want to hear from you.

Why NOC?

We offer a generous set of benefits, including:

- work flexibility (we usually work 3 days in the office, but we’re flexible)

- 30 days contractual annual leave, plus 3.5 extra closure days and bank holidays

- a 10% employer contribution pension scheme (with a 15% NI saving on employee contributions made above 5%, if in the salary sacrifice scheme)

- financial support for relocation

- a salary sacrifice scheme for electric / hybrid vehicles (qualifying period applies)

- a Cycle2Work scheme allowing employees to acquire bikes and accessories

- access to our Employee Assistance Programme, offering free and confidential support on mental, physical, emotional, health and financial issues

- access to a flexible benefits portal offering online discounts, cashback and eGift cards

- a great working environment with a number of social events, including summer and Christmas celebrations

- Death in Service (3 times annual salary) provided by Aviva from day one of employment, plus access to a range of other Aviva wellbeing services

- we are proud to be a Living Wage Employer

Location

This position can be based in Southampton or Liverpool. Our Southampton site is well connected by public transport and has ample cycle parking in addition to free onsite car-parking with over 40 EV charging points. The Liverpool centre is part of the University campus and is only a short walk from the city centre and Lime Street station.

We have a hybrid working approach where for most positions staff can work from home up to 2 days per week. If you are interested in this position, but require a more flexible working arrangement, please contact the recruitment team using the contact details below.

Submitting an application

Please click ‘Apply for this job’ and submit an up-to-date CV, portfolio (if applicable) and cover letter highlighting your relevant experience and why you are interested in the position. Please ensure you answer the Application Question below (maximum 300 words) as part of your cover letter.

Applications submitted without a cover letter will not be considered. If you are unable to apply online, please contact the NOC recruitment team at careers@noc.ac.uk / 07955 851648.

Application Question

In a maximum of 300 words, describe a product you owned (from initial discovery through iterative delivery and scaling). Explain your approach to define the vision, prioritise the backlog, and collaborate with the development team. Include any of your methods for stakeholder collaboration, including users, managing scope changes, and utilising metrics for measurement/optimisation. We're especially interested to understand how you added value (throughout the project) and what would have been lacking without your role in the team.

Before submitting your application, please ensure you have reviewed the attached job description and person specification.

We are committed to fostering diversity and inclusion in our workplace. We actively encourage qualified candidates from all backgrounds to apply for this position, as we strive to create a supportive and equitable environment where all voices are valued and heard.

Those seeking employment at NOC are considered solely on their qualifications, skills and experience, without regard to gender, gender identity, age, race, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, relationship status, family status (including pregnancy / maternity leave) or any other protected characteristic.

There is a guaranteed interview scheme for candidates who meet the minimum criteria of the position and declare a disability.

Date advert posted: 2nd July 2026.

Closing date: 30th July 2026. This vacancy may close earlier depending on the number of applicants.

Please note we are not accepting applications via recruitment agencies for this position.