Product Owner/Engineer

This is a freelance/contractor position for someone who is resident in Portugal

AI tools have changed what one product-minded person can do inside a delivery team. The distance from a user problem to a working prototype is now days rather than weeks, and we want a team that takes full advantage of that.

This is a hands-on role for someone with strong product instincts who wants to build, not just specify. You'll sit inside the delivery team, prototype quickly, and work closely with our software engineers to ship improvements into production. AI-assisted development tools are a core part of how the work gets done — not a side experiment, but the way we operate.

About Money Means

Money Means exists because good financial guidance has always been a privilege, and we think that's wrong. We're building Aida, an AI-powered tool that gives people genuinely useful, personalised financial guidance (& in the near future - financial advice) without the cost or jargon of traditional advice. We're a mission-driven team of 13 passionate about creating a positive impact, fostering a fast-paced, agile, and innovative environment where your skills and ideas can truly make a difference.

Key Responsibilities

• Embed inside the delivery team and help move work from idea to shipped product, owning the path from user problem to working solution
• Use Claude to prototype features quickly, often before engineering polish, so the team can see and react to something real
• Translate user feedback, bugs, and observations into small, fast iterations that ship
• Connect design, engineering, and the user end-to-end - taking on QA, feedback triage, and release readiness so the team keeps momentum from idea through to live
• Build prototypes early in the design process to clarify what we're actually trying to make, rather than waiting for specs to be perfect
• Drive momentum in delivery, with shipped outcomes as the measure of success
• Keep the user perspective in the room while being hands-on in the product itself

How You'll Work With AI Tools

AI tools are how we expect this work to get done, not an optional extra. You'll use Claude to write code, prototype interactions, sketch flows, and ship small improvements. We're not looking for someone who has been doing this for years (that's not a realistic ask!) but we are looking for someone who has experimented, has views on what works, and is excited to push the boundaries of what one product-minded person can do with these tools.

Everyone on the engagement gets access to a Claude Max subscription and the AI tools they need.

Why You'll Thrive Here

• Build, don't just specify. This is a role for someone who wants to be hands-on. You'll prototype, ship, and iterate, owning the path from idea to live feature.
• Real product taste, real autonomy. You'll have a meaningful say in what gets built and how, working closely with product, design, engineering, and our founder.
• A new model for delivery. This role is the first of its kind for us, with the potential to expand as we grow. You'll help define what it looks like.
• A product that matters. Aida is the heart of what we're building, and the work you ship will directly shape how people experience their finances.
• Join at the right moment. We're currently in beta testing with a product that has strong foundations and a clear voice. There's real work to do, and real room to shape how it gets done.

Key Skills & Experience

• A product mindset and good product judgement - you can hold the user's perspective and make sensible calls about what to build, what to cut, and what to ship next
• Hands-on experience using AI-assisted development tools to actually make things, not just generate ideas
• Comfortable working in code, even if that's not your primary background - enough to build and ship small features with AI assistance
• A track record of taking ambiguous problems and turning them into shipped outcomes, not polished documents
• Strong user empathy and an instinct for what good looks like in a product
• Comfort with ambiguity, imperfect V1s, and a startup pace where priorities shift week to week

We're more interested in product mindset than in deep engineering pedigree - we want a product person willing to build, not an engineer trying to do product.

Bonus points

• Background in fintech, financial services, or another regulated environment
• Experience prototyping or shipping AI-enabled features
• Familiarity with mobile-first product development
• Previous experience in an early-stage company or other high-ambiguity environment

How We Work

• Prototype-first. We'd rather see something working than read a perfect spec.
• Weekly outputs. Especially in discovery and design, we want something to react to every week.
• Cross-functional by default. You'll work directly with product, design, engineering, and domain experts.
• Comfort with imperfect V1s. Shipping something good and learning beats shipping something perfect and late.
• AI tools are part of the workflow, not optional extras.
• Fast-moving startup environment with lots of ambiguity - the people who thrive here are the ones who like that.

Our Interview Process

1. Initial conversation — a chance to get to know each other, talk through your experience, and share more about Aida and where we're headed
2. Practical task — a short, hands-on exercise where you'll use AI tools to prototype a small product improvement. We're more interested in how you think than in a polished final output.
3. Team session — meet the people you'd be working with day-to-day and walk us through your task and how you've approached the build.
4. Meet our founder — Helena will bring Money Means to life and talk honestly about what working here involves, now and in the future

Working Arrangement

• Engagement: Freelance, B2B contract basis
• Day rate: Agreed during the interview process
• Location: Tax-resident in Portugal, working remotely
• Hours: Some overlap with UK working hours

Equal Opportunities

We're committed to building a team that reflects the diversity of the people Aida is built to serve. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, and we'd rather hear from someone who brings something different than hire the same profile twice. If you don't tick every box but think you'd be great in this role, please apply anyway. If you need any adjustments during the application or interview process, just let us know.

Ready to Make a Difference?

Apply today and help us create a world where everyone has access to the financial advice they need!

• Hiring Manager: Ify Nwadike | Product Owner | ify@moneymeans.co.uk