Product Manager - Customer & Commercial

Arriva Group; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading passenger transport company in the UK is seeking a Product Manager to join its Product Team. This full-time role involves defining product vision and managing a team of Product Owners to enhance customer experience and commercial performance. Key responsibilities include aligning product development with business goals, overseeing the product lifecycle, and building stakeholder relationships. Candidates should have strong product management experience in customer-focused environments and excellent leadership skills. Closing date for applications is January 21, 2026.

Qualifications

• Experience in product management within customer-facing and commercial environments.
• Proven ability to lead and manage a team effectively.
• Strong understanding of customer experience principles and commercial systems.

Responsibilities

• Define and maintain a clear product vision and roadmap.
• Lead and manage a team of three Product Owners.
• Ensure clarity on priorities, scope, and expected outcomes.
• Build strong relationships with stakeholders and facilitate workshops.

Skills

Product management

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Agile methodologies

Customer experience principles

Knowledge of emerging technologies

Job description

Arriva is a leading European passenger transport partner, operating in 11 countries across the UK and Europe. The company employs around 35,000 people, delivering more than 1.5 billion passenger journeys connecting people and communities safely, reliably and sustainably.

We have strong roots dating back to 1938, an ambitious growth and sustainability agenda, and a continuously developing relationship with I Squared Capital – a global infrastructure investment fund manager – who acquired Arriva in 2024.

We are looking for a Product Manager – Customer and Commercial, to join our Product Team on a full‑time, permanent basis. The role will be based from either our London or Sunderland office.

The Product Manager for Customer & Commercial is responsible for shaping and delivering products that improve customer experience and drive commercial performance. This role provides clear direction for product development, ensuring that solutions meet business objectives and customer needs while being technically robust. The Product Manager will work closely with business units, support teams, IT business partners, and the Platforms team to ensure seamless integration and scalability. Acting as the link between business priorities and delivery teams, the role requires strong leadership, decision‑making, and the ability to balance competing demands in a dynamic environment.

Direct Responsibilities

Product Vision & Roadmap

• Define and maintain a clear product vision and roadmap for customer and commercial domains, ensuring alignment with organisational objectives.
• Align product development with business goals and IT strategy.
• Continuously review market trends, competitor activity, and customer insights to identify opportunities for innovation and growth.
• Translate business goals into actionable product plans with measurable outcomes.

Team Management

• Lead and manage a team of three Product Owners, providing coaching, guidance, and performance feedback.
• Ensure clear role responsibilities, prioritisation, and alignment across the product portfolio.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement within the team.

Delivery Oversight

• Lead the end‑to‑end product lifecycle from concept through delivery and optimisation.
• Ensure delivery teams have clarity on priorities, scope, and expected outcomes.
• Manage dependencies across multiple teams and coordinate with the Platforms team to ensure technical feasibility and scalability.
• Monitor progress against timelines and budgets, proactively addressing risks and issues.

Collaboration with Key Teams

• Work closely with business units, support teams, IT business partners, and Platforms team to align on requirements, integration points, and performance standards.
• Ensure platform capabilities are leveraged effectively to support product objectives.
• Participate in technical reviews and provide input on design decisions impacting product delivery.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Build strong relationships with commercial, marketing, finance, and technology stakeholders.
• Facilitate workshops and regular updates to ensure alignment on priorities and progress.
• Act as the primary point of contact for senior leadership on product performance and roadmap updates.

Governance & Compliance

• Ensure all products comply with regulatory, security, and brand standards.
• Maintain accurate documentation and reporting for governance purposes.
• Track benefits realisation and ensure delivery aligns with agreed business cases.

The role will manage a diverse portfolio of products across key domains:

• Customer Service
• Customer Experience
• Ticketing & Retail
• CRM & Sales
• Revenue Management
• Marketing & Digital
• Accessibility & Inclusion

Example Products Include

Zendesk, Delay Repay, AI Travel Assistant, Marketing Fonts, Revenue Management, Upgrade Auctions, CRM, B2B Sales, Onboard CX, Food & Drink, Commercial Systems, Revenue Forecasting, Revenue Protection, Ticketer, Digital, Hanover, Littlepay, iSAMS, BODS, EPM, Hacon, Paypoint, Scancoin, Braintree, iBus, Expendo.

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

• Experience in product management within customer‑facing and commercial environments.
• Proven ability to lead and manage a team effectively, including overseeing multiple Product Owners.
• Knowledge of product lifecycle management and Agile methodologies.
• Strong understanding of customer experience principles and commercial systems.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Familiarity with emerging technologies and product management tools.

Key Success Criteria For This Role Are

• A clearly defined product roadmap aligned with business objectives.
• Roadmap communicated and understood by all stakeholders.
• Features and enhancements prioritised based on measurable business value.
• Demonstrable improvement in customer experience and commercial performance metrics.
• Dependencies managed effectively across product and platforms.
• Effective leadership and development of Product Owners, ensuring delivery excellence.
• Decisions supported by analytics (e.g., adoption rates, revenue impact).
• KPIs tracked and reported consistently.
• Successful delivery of new capabilities that enhance efficiency and scalability.
• End‑to‑end delivery of product from concept stage to supporting products and continuous improvements.

This job description sets out the main duties and responsibilities of the job‑holder. It does not constitute an exhaustive or comprehensive description of duties and the job holder will be required to carry out any additional tasks as and when requested to do so by their manager. Responsibilities and duties may also change in light of future business needs and personal development.

The closing date for applications is Wednesday 21st January 2026. Arriva Group reserves the right to close this vacancy early.