Digital Product Owner
Job Description:Digital product owners lead a team of specialists to build online products and services for customers.
Job Category:What you will do:
As a digital product owner, you’ll:
- work closely with your teams
- look at user feedback to help improve the product
- work with designers to make the product easy to use
- develop business cases and user stories for new features
- work with the design team to draft versions of your product or service
- keep people informed about your product’s development
- manage relationships between teams, partners and customers
Skills:
You’ll need:
- knowledge of computer operating systems, hardware and software
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently
As well as:
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- customer service skills
- the ability to use your initiative (drive)
- the ability to work well with others (teamwork)
- the ability to monitor your own performance and that of your colleagues
- excellent verbal communication skills
- critical & analytical thinking skills – the ability to think critically, analyze problems, and make decisions is essential for this role.
Entry Requirements:
Becoming a Digital Product Owner involves a combination of skills and experience in product management, technology, and digital strategy. While there are no specific GCSE subjects required for this role, certain subjects and skills can be valuable in preparing for a career as a Digital Product Owner. Here are some GCSE subjects and skills that can be beneficial:
- Mathematics: Strong mathematical skills can be useful for data analysis and understanding metrics, which are essential for making data-driven decisions in product management.
- Computer Science: Basic knowledge of computer science concepts, programming, and software development can be valuable for understanding the technical aspects of digital products.
- Business Studies or Economics: Understanding business principles and economics can help you make strategic decisions and assess the market viability of a digital product.
- Design and Technology: Familiarity with design principles, user experience (UX) design, and user interface (UI) design can be advantageous for creating user-friendly digital products.
- English Language: Effective communication skills, including strong writing and presentation skills, are crucial for collaborating with teams, stakeholders, and users.
- Statistics: A basic understanding of statistics can be helpful for analyzing data and making informed decisions in product management.
Post School
You can get into this job through:
- a university course
- an apprenticeship
- working towards this role
- specialist courses
University
You could do a degree or postgraduate degree in:
- computing
- project management
- business management
- marketing
Apprenticeship
You could start by doing a project manager degree apprenticeship.
After completing your apprenticeship, you’ll need to get experience working in digital delivery teams before getting a job as a product owner.
Work
You could start out in a junior or assistant role. You’ll usually need to have some relevant work experience in a job like:
- product marketing
- software development
- customer experience
- user experience (UX) design
When looking for work, most employers will expect you to have experience in:
- search engine optimisation (SEO)
- analytics and understanding online user behaviours
- web design and marketing
- helping a business make large changes to their digital products
- agile project management methods like Scrum, Kanban and Lean
Other Routes
If you do not have relevant work experience, there are some things you can do.
You could:
- develop some skills in basic web design and data analysis
- study online about the role of digital product management
- take a specialist course in product management
- join online product management communities for tips and networking opportunities
Working Hours and Environment:
You could work in an office or at a client’s business.
Career Path & Progression:
With experience, you could apply for more senior jobs, such as head of product or senior product manager.
Some product managers also become self-employed consultants.