Principal, Technology Business Partner
Pearson · London
Job Title: Technology Business Partner
Reports to: Executive Partner– Technology Business, Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO)
As technology leads a significant transformation within the industry, businesses and customers are embracing advancements powered by artificial intelligence. This position is essential for delivering technical leadership, offering strategic guidance, and collaborating with both internal and external teams to drive business growth and support progress toward future objectives.
In this pivotal role, you will collaborate closely with the business stakeholders to understand their strategic objectives, assess technology needs, and guide on technology solutions that support business growth and efficiency. You will act as a trusted advisor, aligning OCTO initiatives with business objectives to drive value and innovation. Your role will involve strategic alignment, relationship management, and a focus on delivering measurable business outcomes.
We are looking for a future focused Techno-Business leader—a strategic thinker that combines deep technical expertise, large-scale operational leadership, experience leading through AI enabled modernization and a strong alignment with the mission of Pearson—helping people realize the lives they imagine through learning. Join us and play a key part in shaping a future-focused workplace—your leadership will make an impact felt across the entire organisation.
As a key member at OCTO and Pearson, you will be expected to embody, and role model our leadership dimensions:
Live Our Purpose: You align your values, actions, and goals with Pearson’s mission. You inspire others by articulating a compelling vision, connecting daily work to our broader purpose, and making decisions that reflect a deep understanding of our strategy.
Simplify the Complexity: You navigate ambiguity and distill complexity into clear, actionable plans. You help teams understand how their work contributes to strategic goals, enabling focus, clarity, and effective execution in a dynamic environment.
Carry Our Culture: You foster a culture of customer centricity, high performance, and exceptional collaboration. You lead with integrity, empower others, and build inclusive, high-performing teams that reflect Pearson’s values and behaviors.
Deliver Results: You set ambitious goals and execute with quality, precision, and speed. You hold yourself and others accountable for outcomes, ensuring alignment with strategic priorities and delivering measurable impact for learners and stakeholders.
What You’ll Do
Strategic Alignment: Partner with business unit leaders to understand objectives, challenges, market context, and technology needs. Translate business priorities into technology strategies and roadmaps that align OCTO initiatives with business unit goals.
Engineering Delivery Leadership: Work closely with engineering, product, architecture, and platform teams to execute complex technology initiatives with strong governance, operational discipline, modern engineering practices, and measurable business outcomes.
Technology Advisory & Oversight: Provide informed guidance on technology investments, architecture, cloud platforms, software engineering, data, AI/ML, cybersecurity, emerging technologies, and the effective use of technology partners and vendors.
Delivery Transformation: Champion modern delivery approaches including Agile, DevOps, platform engineering, automation, observability, and AI-enabled software development practices to improve speed, quality, resilience, efficiency, and customer outcomes.
Relationship & Communication: Bridge OCTO teams and business units by communicating technology capabilities, constraints, priorities, and benefits clearly. Build trust through transparency, active listening, and consistent engagement with business stakeholders.
Outcome-Driven Prioritisation: Collaborate across OCTO and the business to prioritise initiatives based on strategic value, measurable business impact, learner outcomes, and operational effectiveness.
Innovation & Continuous Improvement: Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, automation, operational rigour, and continuous improvement across technology delivery and operations.
Technology Business Partner Leadership: Serve as a key member of the Technology Business Partner leadership team, providing thought leadership across technology, product, business operations, and talent priorities.
What You Bring
- Technology Strategy & Architecture: Ability to shape and execute technology strategies and roadmaps that align with business objectives, market context, and Pearson’s broader technology priorities.
- Engineering & Technology Leadership: Extensive experience leading large-scale engineering organisations and technology delivery portfolios, with accountability for translating strategy into measurable execution.
- Hands-on Technical Expertise: Strong background across modern software engineering, cloud computing, enterprise architecture, data platforms, AI/ML, system integration, cybersecurity, and digital product delivery, with the credibility to guide architecture and engineering decisions.
- Delivery Excellence: Demonstrated success implementing Agile, DevOps, SRE, product-centric operating models, and engineering best practices that improve delivery quality, speed, and business value.
- Executive Influence: Experience partnering with C-suite executives and senior business leaders while maintaining credibility and influence across engineering, architecture, product, and operations teams.
- Leadership & Collaboration: A collaborative, inclusive, and empathetic leadership style, with a track record of inspiring teams, building trust, and driving cultural growth.
- AI-Enabled Transformation: Ability to leverage AI, automation, and industry best practices to modernise technology delivery, improve efficiency, and tailor solutions to the needs of each business division.
- Integrated, Outcome-Driven Delivery: Experience aligning delivery processes from planning through execution, prioritising initiatives that deliver measurable business outcomes rather than simply completing projects.
Why Pearson?
This is more than a technology role. It’s a platform for progression. Pearson is recognized for internal talent mobility and leadership development, with a well-defined path toward broader leadership roles. This position offers exceptional exposure into the Chief Technology Officer, with regular engagement with the Technology Leadership and Pearson Executive Management Team.
Benefits at a Glance
We know you’ll do great work, so we give a lot back with some of the best benefits in the business. We know one size doesn’t fit all, so our workplace programs meet the different needs of our diverse teams, and their families, too. See our Benefits.
At Pearson, we’re transforming learning. If you’re a Technology leader who thrives in complexity, leads with purpose, and aspires to shape the future—we want to hear from you.
Apply today and imagine the impact you can make.