Product Manager

Product Manager

Location: Manchester Salary: £71,100 - £81,200 Contract: Permanent Working Pattern: Smart Hybrid Working – minimum 2 days per week in the office

About AQA

AQA is the largest provider of academic qualifications in the UK and an independent charity. We mark over 10 million exam papers each year and set and mark over half of all GCSEs and A-levels in the UK every year. Our purpose is to advance education by helping students and teachers to realise their potential.

About the Role

You'll join AQA at an exciting point in the evolution of our Enterprise Technology function, with the opportunity to shape how some of our most important enterprise platforms support the organisation now and in the future.

We're creating two Product Manager opportunities, each with a distinct product focus:

• One across our Workday and iTrent landscape
• One across Microsoft Dynamics 365, Power Platform and Copilot

You'll bring expertise in one of these areas and use your product insight and strategic thinking to look beyond today's requirements, anticipate what's coming next and turn evolving technology into meaningful value for our organisation and customers.

Purpose of the Role

You'll take strategic ownership of your product area, defining the vision, strategy and long-term roadmap while helping us make the most of rapidly evolving SaaS technology and emerging AI capability. Working closely with Product Owners, functional teams, technical specialists and suppliers, you'll connect business needs with product capability, identifying the opportunities that will make the greatest difference and translating strategic direction into delivery.

You'll have the freedom to think ahead, challenge assumptions and explore new possibilities, while bringing the commercial judgement to balance innovation with customer value, cost and practical delivery.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and communicate the strategic vision and roadmap for your product area, balancing longer-term opportunities with organisational priorities and delivery
• Stay ahead of supplier roadmaps, product releases and emerging technology, identifying where new and existing capability can deliver genuine business and customer value
• Turn strategy into action, working with Product Owners, functional and technical specialists, suppliers and senior stakeholders to influence decisions, challenge thinking and ensure strategic priorities translate into effective delivery
• Own the Enterprise Applications product catalogue
• Own evergreen processes for ongoing supplier functionality and change releases, and horizon scanning
• Drive value-driven decision making and own product roadmaps for Enterprise Apps portfolio
• Conduct initial assessment and high level impact analysis of new products and applications for potential ownership by Enterprise Apps
• Undertake line management of Product Owners, accountable for coaching, performance management, developing team capability, and succession strength
• Create a culture of high performance standards, ownership, customer focus, collaboration and continuous improvement
• Define and communicate a compelling product vision and long-term strategy that inspires teams and stakeholders
• Work with Functional and Delivery teams to translate strategic objectives into a clear, actionable roadmap that balances innovation with delivery
• Identify and explore new market opportunities, technologies, and user needs to shape the future of our products and portfolio
• Collaborate with Product Owners, Functional leads and Architecture to ensure execution aligns with strategic intent and customer value
• Lead discovery efforts, including market and product research, user and supplier engagement, and trend analysis, to inform product direction
• Make informed trade-offs between short-term priorities and long-term goals, balancing ambition with feasibility
• Act as a thought leader and advocate for innovation, while ensuring decisions are grounded in data, insight, and business value
• Ensure clearly articulated business value and impact analysis including costings and resources are defined for change delivery, and inform decision making
• Provide proactive communication, engagement and influencing of stakeholders at all levels
• Monitor product performance and iterate based on feedback, analytics, and evolving market dynamics

What We're Looking For

You'll thrive here if you're a strategic, forward-thinking Product Manager who can combine strong product credibility with the commercial judgement to turn technology opportunities into meaningful outcomes.

Essential criteria:

• Proven experience in product management with a track record of delivering visionary, high-impact products and product enhancements
• Proven Product Management experience, with the ability to set strategic direction and develop and own long-term product roadmaps
• Experience within SaaS or cloud-based product environments, with expertise across Workday/iTrent or Microsoft Dynamics 365, Power Platform and Copilot, depending on your specialism
• Experience of managing SaaS products and balancing ongoing functionality releases and opportunities with business-requested change
• Strong commercial and analytical judgement, balancing innovation and emerging technology with customer value, cost and practical delivery
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the confidence to influence, negotiate and constructively challenge at senior levels
• The ability to translate complex technology into clear business opportunities, while working collaboratively with Product Owners, specialists and suppliers
• Strategic mindset with the ability to think big, challenge assumptions, and drive innovation
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a data-informed approach to decision-making
• Demonstrated ability to lead teams and influence at all levels of the organisation
• Experience working with third-party suppliers and technical specialists
• Excellent communication, negotiation and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to align diverse perspectives
• Familiarity with Agile methodologies and experience delivering successful products and change in fast-paced environments

We're open to different career paths. You may already be an established Product Manager or have developed deep product expertise through a functional or product-specialist background. What matters is your ability to combine product credibility with strategic product leadership.

What's in It for You

• Take strategic ownership of significant enterprise products and shape their future direction
• Work with rapidly evolving SaaS technology and AI capability, identifying where innovation can make a genuine difference
• Join a growing function built on autonomy, trust and shared purpose, at a time of significant investment, expansion and change
• Genuine scope to shape the strategic direction of your products and influence how Product Management develops within Enterprise Technology
• 25 days' annual leave, rising to 30 with service, plus bank holidays and extra closure days at Christmas
• 35-hour working week with flexible working arrangements
• Excellent contributory pension scheme
• Life assurance, BUPA PMI and health cash plan
• Enhanced maternity and paternity schemes
• Professional development and learning opportunities (over 50% of permanent roles are filled internally)

Our Commitment to Inclusion

At AQA, we're committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels they belong and can do their best work. We value the different perspectives, experiences and backgrounds our people bring, knowing they strengthen our culture, decision-making and impact. We foster an inclusive environment where everyone is treated with respect, has access to opportunities to grow and contribute, and feels able to be themselves. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and lived experiences.

How to Apply

Submit your CV and supporting statement outlining how your experience matches the requirements of the role.

Application deadline: 27th October 2026

Interview process:

• First stage video interviews in the week of 9th November
• Final stage face to face interviews in the office in Manchester in the week beginning 16th November

Reasonable Adjustments

If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process or in the role, please contact the recruiter named in the vacancy advert or your interview correspondence. They will work with you to ensure the appropriate support is in place and that the process is as accessible and equitable as possible.

If you're unsure who your recruiter is, or can't reach them, contact Faye Harrison (she/her) at fharrison@aqa.org.uk or 07813 724161, and she'll direct you to the right person.

For permanent and fixed term roles, contact opportunities@aqa.org.uk.

Safeguarding

AQA is committed to the safeguarding of children and adults at risk. We're dedicated to reducing the risk of employing or contracting any person intent on abusing their position of trust, along with identifying and responding to any incident of alleged abuse from its employees or associates fairly and swiftly. For more information on safeguarding at AQA please visit the AQA website.

Conflict of Interest

Please note that due to the confidential nature of our work, we are unable to employ people for our temporary roles who are currently a candidate for Key Stage 4 and 5 public examinations.