Product Owner

We have partnered with an ambitious, tax technology start-up that is solving one of the accountancy profession's most complex challenges, encoding dense legislation into structured, executable rules to automate expert decision-making at scale.

Having secured initial seed funding and with a live accounting platform integration already driving revenue, they are now looking for their first dedicated product hire to drive the roadmap from zero to one.

This is not a corporate strategy role with layers of bureaucracy. It is a rare chance to step in as a founding product operator, working hand-in-glove with the founders and a newly appointed Founding Product Designer to build a disruptive B2B platform from its early foundations.

The Role

As the Founding Product Owner, you will take complete day-to-day ownership of the product lifecycle. You will be the vital engine that translates market needs into a clear, focused roadmap.

You will spend time on the ground with accounting clients, running deep user discovery sessions, and working alongside in-house specialists to dissect complex, data-heavy workflows. Your primary mission is to translate multi-layered compliance and financial data relationships into tight, definitive product requirements and actionable user stories for the engineering team

Key Responsibilities

Define, manage, and prioritise the end-to-end product lifecycle, making the firm choices necessary to protect the engineering team's focus.

Conduct deep research and interviews with existing clients, converting real-world observations into definitive product insights.

Translate complex legal legislation and user feedback into exceptionally clear, logic-driven user stories and acceptance criteria with zero ambiguity.

Partner closely with the Founding Product Designere to marry the structural what and why of the product with an intuitive user experience.

Collaborate with internal domain experts to map high-stakes tax rules into robust, deterministic product workflows.

What We Are Looking For

You have been a primary product decision-maker at an early-stage startup, ideally as employee number 1 to 20, meaning you understand the pace and reality of building from scratch.

You do not need a tax background, but you must have a proven track record of mastering highly complex systems with dense, interlocking data points, such as Fintech, Regtech, Compliance, Legaltech, or advanced ERP workflows.

You are a data-driven operator who prioritises core user value over simply shipping features, and you are comfortable holding your ground with founders when product trade-offs require it.

You thrive in an environment with zero hand-holding, meaning you are happy to write your own specs, run your own user research, and actively unblock your own engineers.

Nice to Have

Prior experience within tax, accounting, or professional services automation software.

Hands-on familiarity with deterministic rule engines or advanced data logic, rather than purely probabilistic AI.

Experience working with Xero, QuickBooks, or similar accounting API ecosystems.

The Package

This role offers fully remote working, a competitive £85,000 base salary + 50% bonus, and a meaningful equity allocation via an employee share scheme designed to ensure a significant financial reward.

Ripple Recruitment is acting as an employment agency for this vacancy. My client is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. Due to high volumes of interest, we can only respond to shortlisted applicants.