Digital Product Owner at Alexander Forbes

Job description

This individual represents all key business stakeholders as well as the “voice of the customer” in maximising ROI on the Alexander Forbes Digital applications through ownership and management of the digital backlog.

Minimum Requirements

Formal Qualifications:

• Relevant graduate qualification and experience including qualifications in the principles and practices relating to Agile Product Ownership (e.g. Certified Scrum Product Owner) and Product Management.
• Similarly, additional qualifications and/or experience in Agile delivery and execution would be an advantage

Required Experience:

• Minimum 5 years Product Ownership experience in the financial services industry
• Has experience in prioritisation techniques to be used when prioritising the product backlog such as Cost of Delay, MoSCoW, Technology Risk, etc.
• Proven track record in working with software development teams that have adopted an Agile approach
• Experience in management and prioritisation of a Product Backlog
• Proven track record of delivery using Agile methodologies such as Scrum, Kanban or similar
• Experience in delivering digital innovation

Job Specification

Main Purpose:

This individual represents all key business stakeholders as well as the “voice of the customer” in maximising ROI on the Alexander Forbes Digital applications through ownership and management of the digital backlog. The Product Owner will ensure that business value is maximised and all necessary functionality and fixes are delivered through the prioritisation of the stories that the team is working on. The incumbent will be required to have an excellent knowledge of Agile principles and practices with a strong focus on the Scrum framework as well as the principles of Kanban and flow. The role will require that the individual has experience in maintaining a product backlog that aligns with the strategic objectives of the organisation through working very closely with business stakeholders and customers to ensure continuous alignment.

This person is required to have a deep understanding of the Alexander Forbes business and its clients, both in the Institutional as well as Retail areas. A good understanding of competitor activity as well as industry trends both locally and globally is required. In addition, they would need to have excellent knowledge of digital business, digital trends, enablement technologies and execution methodologies. The ability to then apply their experience as a Product Owner and act on shifting priorities, which they are accountable for, is key to this role.

Level Summary:

• Position requires a graduate or professional with at least 5 years related experience.
• This is a specialist role that requires taking responsibility for Digital Innovation, Digital Enablement and Thought Leadership for the Group.
• The role requires both a customer-centric mind-set as well as a disruptive innovation approach in order to establish AF as a Leader in the Digital arena.
• The position requires leadership and a strong character who can challenge the status quo and obtain buy-in and support for innovative proposals
• The incumbent is expected to interact with the following forums:
• Digital Steering Committee
• Group Innovation forums/Steerco
• Cluster Steering Committees
• Software Development Teams
• Internal Business Stakeholders
• External Customers

Scope:

• Clearly understands the strategic direction and vision of the digital products (as defined by the various channel owners) and expresses it as a Product Backlog
• Is an advocate of the Agile principles and practices within the organisation
• Drive prioritisation of digital innovation with a focus on delivering business value that enable the company to achieve its Group Value Proposition and enable differentiation (industry leadership)
• Draws from many tools to manage the product backlog, some of which include:
• User Story Mapping
• Backlog Prioritisation Quadrant
• Impact Mapping
• Value Stream Mapping
• Focus is primarily on enabling innovations through the digital channels and digital capabilities. These include Web, Mobile Web, Mobile App, USSD and Social Media and includes disciplines within the digital marketing and electronic communications areas
• Accountable for driving the creation of new digital capabilities on the new digital architecture namely Adobe AEM (for Engage) and Sapiens/OutSystems (for Transact)
• Required to have an excellent understanding of the competitor landscape, not only with the financial services industry but across the digital landscape
• Able to prioritise workload and tasks within the broader context of the digital deliverables – specifically working closely with Scrum Masters, Development Teams and other stakeholders
• Decision Making:
• Has mandate to make decisions while exercising judgement based on precedents and standards as well as consultation with key stakeholders
• Can say NO! And articulate why the answer is NO!
• Problem Solving:
• A strong problem solver.
• Analyse information and able to define the problem to be solved in a manner that is clear and detailed enough for development teams to work with
• Good understating of strategy and business objectives with the ability to find innovative ways of meeting/exceeding these objectives and addressing existing challenges
• Understand technology and system constraints and to operate within existing parameters while finding solutions to push the boundaries
• Leadership:
• Establishes respect and rapport with stakeholders, colleagues and teams in order to build enthusiasm for realising the digital strategies and objectives
• Participative leader who is passionate, enthusiastic and demonstrates the SERVE leadership qualities
• Able to clearly articulate and position a proposal/idea/thought in a manner that garners support and buy-in from senior stakeholders
• Self-directed and self-motivated
• Tolerant of ambiguity, remains calm and composed, is steadfast to the main purpose
• Weathers the storms, emotions and crises as they come
• Commitment to excellence and more importantly to people
• Able to affectively prioritise requirements and mediate between parties

Accountability:

• Possess a proven, credible knowledge and track record of innovating in digital environments
• Knowledgeable and subject matter expert in digital transformation, digital trends and best practices
• Effective communication abilities to motivate and align broad range of stakeholders
• Effective conflict management across business areas and cross functional teams
• Self-directed and able to independently define tasks and make decisions necessary

Key Performance Areas:

• Digital Innovation
• Create and maintain the digital product backlog
• Prioritise the items on the backlog using a business value based approach
• Support the Scrum Master and other team members in conducting necessary review meetings, stand-ups etc.
• Clearly articulated and communicated business requirements and objectives to team
• Establish clear metrics to optimise delivery and demonstrate progress – including elements such as burndown charts, team velocity, defects management etc.
• Establish and drive the effectiveness of the Digital Factory
• Stakeholder Management 
• Build and maintain relationships with all stakeholders
• Clear articulation and communication of ideas in a professional proposal and presentation that obtains support/buy-in
• Regular engagement and socialising of the digital product strategy, plans, progress etc.
• Creation of reports, dashboards and communications necessary for effective stakeholder engagement
• Execution efficiencies and process refinement
• Focus on execution with highly efficient, practical methodologies to enable process improvements
• Stay abreast of latest methodology improvements, technology enablers, training etc.
• Demonstrate an excellent working knowledge of the new digital platforms/frameworks to enable effective execution
• Benefits Tracking and Realisation
• Strict adherence to realising the benefits as defined in the business objectives and defined business value drivers
• Mechanisms in place to Monitor/Track/Measure the anticipated (and non-anticipated) benefits

Technical and behavioural competencies

Technical:

• Agile principles with a strong focus on Scrum framework as well as the principles of Kanban and flow
• Excellent understanding of Digital technologies within the financial services and insurance industry
• Innovative Thinker with the ability to think outside the box
• Good oral and written communicator
• Good business/industry acumen
• Problem Solver
• Judgement and decision maker
• Ability to critically assess and challenge existing methods

Behavioural (Interpersonal and Intrapersonal):

• Assertiveness – willing to challenge and confront
• Decision making attributes
• Ability to persuade and influence
• Client Service Orientation - SERVE
• Ability to manage expectations
• Resilient
• Responsible & accountable
• Resourceful problem solver
• Strong networking capability
• Self-Managed
• Able to share knowledge and leverage team work

Cognitive Competencies:

• Innovative Thinking
• Creative
• Analytical Thinking
• Conceptual Thinking
• Tolerance for Ambiguity