Lead Product Owner

NOW HIRING: Lead Product Owner

POSITION SUMMARY:

At the Rainforest Alliance (RA) we create value for customers and users through a portfolio of productsincluding Certificationthat support our mission and global impact. The Product Development department is responsible for developing the technology solutions that enable these products operating within a complex ecosystem of internally built platforms and integrated thirdâparty software.

Product Owners (POs) at RA work across a variety of delivery contexts. A single PO may support both internal engineering teamsusing agile approaches such as Scrum or Kanbanand external technology vendors who may follow more hybrid or waterfall delivery models. Because of this the PO role spans a wide range of responsibilities from driving internal development and managing backlogs to coordinating vendor work integrations and delivery timelines.

As the Lead Product Owner you guide and support this team as they operate in these varied environments. You ensure highâquality product delivery strengthen product ownership practices and help the team navigate both agile development and vendorâdriven implementations. This role reports to the Director of Product Development.

WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING:

Team Leadership & Growth

• Lead and mentor an initial team of four Product Owners with potential to grow further.
• Provide clear guidance regular feedback and support for individual skill development.
• Participate in hiring and building a strong balanced PO team.

Delivery

• Ensure successful delivery of technology solutions built internally or delivered through external vendors.
• Support POs in managing backlogs defining requirements or helping draft Statements of Work depending on the delivery model.
• Help the team adapt to agile hybrid or more traditional project approaches.
• Take on handsâon Product Owner responsibilities yourself when needed for either internal engineering teams or vendorâmanaged solutions depending on organizational priorities and hiring timelines.

CrossâFunctional Collaboration

• Work closely with Business Analysts Product Development Managers UI/UX designers engineering teams and vendor partners.
• Ensure smooth endâtoâend processes and consistent user experiences across systems.

Continuous Improvement

• Promote best practices in product ownership agile ways of working and vendor coordination.
• Encourage learning and adoption of new tools and emerging technologies.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement and proactive problem solving.

Production Support

• Help define and improve production support processes.
• Ensure clarity of ownership smooth handover from development and effective issue resolution.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR:

Required Skills and Experience:

• Minimum of two years of experience in a leadership or teamâmanagement role.
• Experience as a Product Owner Product Manager Business Analyst or in a similar role within a complex multiâsystem environment.
• Ability to work effectively across agile development teams and vendorâled delivery contexts.
• Strong communication collaboration and stakeholderâmanagement skills.
• Understanding of userâcentered design or UX practices.
• Proficiency with tools such as Jira Confluence or equivalent workflowâmanagement platforms.

Preferred Skills and Experience:

• Experience working with thirdâparty software vendors or managing vendor contracts.
• Familiarity with dataâdriven decisionâmaking or analytics tools.
• Experience working in an international or missionâdriven organization.

BENEFITS OF WORKING AT THE RAINFOREST ALLIANCE:

• Be a part of a global organization with a strong mission and a collaborative respectful and accountable culture.
• Enjoy opportunities for professional growth and career development.
• Benefit from remote working flexibility and flexible hybrid working environment.
• Receive a competitive salary package.

• A favourable timeâoff policy including annual leave and Resilience Days to help you recharge and balance life outside of work.

• Prioritize your wellbeing. We have numerous ways to promote work-life balance so you get the chance to take some time off recharge and remain at your best. This includes:

  • Resilience and personal leave days
  • Employee assistance programs
  • Wellbeing activities
  • Sabbatical opportunities.

Apply now and lets grow together. We look forward to hearing from you and exploring how your skills can help us advance our mission.


Level: 2

Deadline: 3 April 2026

Notes: Only candidates legally authorized to work in the Netherlands UK or Kenyawill be considered.

If you have any questions about the job vacancy please contact the HR department:

The Rainforest Alliance encourages diversity and inclusion across the global organization. With this commitment to diversity we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of gender race color ethnicity religion sexual orientation gender identity ages disability and any other protected group.