Product Owner – 2026-APG-425

Product Owner – Cloud (Azure) Infrastructure Provisioning Location: Heerlen, Netherlands Hours per week: 40 (32–40 possible) Contract Type: Freelance / Interim Assignment Start Date: ASAP Duration: Approx. 2 years (with extension option) Onsite Requirement: Full-time during onboarding, then 2 days per week onsite (Tue/Wed alternating) Maximum Hourly Rate: €52 Education Level: Bachelor's degree (or equivalent working/thinking level) Experience Required: Minimum 5 years Travel Requirement: 25% – 50% Language: Dutch / English (professional level expected) Role Overview We are seeking an experienced Product Owner – Cloud Infrastructure (Azure) to support a large-scale IT Platform Services environment within a financial services organisation. In this role, you will be responsible for shaping and delivering the vision, roadmap, and backlog prioritisation for Azure-based infrastructure provisioning services. You will work closely with DevOps teams, stakeholders, and other Product Owners to deliver scalable, automated, and cost-efficient cloud services aligned with business needs. The environment is highly agile (DevOps-based) and focused on continuous improvement, automation, and value-driven infrastructure delivery. Key Responsibilities Product Ownership & Strategy Define and maintain the product vision and roadmap for Azure infrastructure provisioning services Translate business and technical needs into actionable backlog items Prioritise work based on business value, cost impact, and strategic alignment Contribute to long-term cloud strategy, including innovation topics such as FinOps, AI, and cloud sovereignty Stakeholder Management Act as primary liaison between business units, IT teams, and technical stakeholders Engage with stakeholders across Pension Services, Asset Management, and Corporate IT Align expectations and ensure clear communication of priorities and delivery scope Act as a trusted advisor and subject matter authority in cloud infrastructure provisioning Delivery & Team Collaboration Work closely with DevOps teams to ensure smooth delivery of infrastructure services Support autonomous team execution while maintaining alignment with strategic direction Collaborate with other Product Owners within the Azure and infrastructure domain Contribute to the continuous improvement of Agile and DevOps practices Cloud Infrastructure Focus (Azure) Provide direction for development and optimisation of Microsoft Azure services Ensure efficient, automated, and scalable infrastructure provisioning Maintain focus on cost management and optimisation (FinOps) Support integration of cloud services with enterprise IT platforms Assignment Deliverables Clear product vision and roadmap for Azure infrastructure provisioning Well-managed and prioritised backlog aligned with business value Improved efficiency and automation of cloud infrastructure provisioning Strong stakeholder alignment across IT and business domains Cost-aware and scalable Azure infrastructure strategy Contribution to cloud innovation initiatives (e.g. AI, sovereignty, FinOps) Required Qualifications Minimum 5 years of relevant experience (preferably in financial services or enterprise IT environments) Proven experience as a Product Owner or similar leadership role Strong knowledge and experience with Microsoft Azure cloud infrastructure Bachelor's degree or equivalent working and thinking level Experience working in DevOps environments Strong stakeholder management and communication skills Ability to work in complex, multi-team IT organisations Preferred Experience Experience in large-scale financial services or enterprise environments Strong understanding of cloud cost management (FinOps) Experience with infrastructure automation and self-service provisioning Knowledge of enterprise networking, storage, backup, and recovery services Experience working with multiple Product Owners and cross-functional teams Exposure to AI-driven infrastructure or cloud innovation initiatives Key Competencies Strong ownership and accountability mindset Strategic thinking with hands-on execution ability Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills Analytical and solution-oriented approach Strong collaboration within agile/DevOps teams Ability to prioritise based on business value and cost impact Leadership in ambiguous or innovative environments