Senior Product Operations Manager

The Senior Product Operations Manager to the SVP Product ( Small Business and Accountants Business Unit), is a trusted partner and extension of the leadership team. The role exists to maximise the effectiveness of the BU by enabling strategic focus, driving operational cadence, and ensuring alignment across the BU, the wider Global Product Office, and beyond. This role blends strategic advisory, operational leadership, and executive support, with a strong emphasis on outcomes, prioritisation, and stakeholder alignment.

*** Please note: This is a hybrid role requiring 3 days per week in our Newcastle office ***

Key accountabilities (not definitive):

Strategic enablement

• Act as a thought partner to the SVP leaders on strategy development, technology transformation priorities, and execution trade‑offs

• Support the articulation, translation, and tracking of the SVP leaders’ strategic agenda across the technology organisation

• Prepare high‑quality briefing materials, narratives, and decision papers for ExCo, Board, and senior leadership forums

Operational leadership & cadence

• Own and run the BU operational rhythm, including leadership team agendas, QBRs, operating reviews, and strategic planning cycles

• Drive clarity of priorities, OKRs, and cross‑area dependencies across the BU

• Track progress against strategic initiatives, escalating risks and blockers as needed

Stakeholder management & cross‑functional alignment

• Act as a key interface between the SVP and senior leaders across Product, Commercial, Finance, People, Legal

• Ensure alignment between Technology strategy and broader Sage business priorities

• Represent the SVP in selected forums, initiatives, or governance bodies as delegated

Governance, planning & execution

• Support annual and multi‑year planning, investment prioritisation, and resource discussions

• Coordinate input into budgeting, headcount planning, and portfolio management alongside Finance and People teams

• Ensure effective governance of key programmes and initiatives within the division

Leadership team effectiveness

• Partner closely with the Leadership Team to improve decision‑making, collaboration, and operational effectiveness

• Challenge constructively, surface issues early, and help drive continuous improvement in how the function operates

• Role model Sage values and ways of working, acting as a cultural carrier internally and externally

Skills, know-how and experience:

• Proven experience operating at senior level with Executive leadership, ideally within Product, Engineering, or Digital organisations

• Experience working in complex, global, matrixed organisations

• Exceptional stakeholder management and capability to successfully influence senior leaders

• Strong commercial and business acumen, with the ability to translate technology strategy into business outcomes

• Experience of using data to drive insights, to create outcome focused plans.

• Highly commercial and strategic, whilst detail conscious and can manage multiple tasks.

• Able to translate business strategy through GPO / BU strategy.

• Virtual leadership across the function, promoting ways of working that lead to high performance outcomes.

• Excellent planning, prioritisation, and execution skills

• High quality written and verbal communication, with the ability to synthesise complex topics into clear recommendations

• Comfortable operating with ambiguity and pace

• Trusted, discreet, and highly credible partner

• Outcome‑focused with a bias for action

• Curious, challenging, and pragmatic

• Resilient and adaptable, with strong judgement

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