Chief Product Officer - (527) at BankservAfrica

Your main responsibilities will be: 

• Accountable for product income statement and profitability
• Strategic planning and management of the BankservAfrica’s product portfolio and BankservAfrica’s payments schemes
• Alignment of Company’s Vision & Strategy with the product development roadmap, in order to establish the company as a trusted payments provider in South Africa and beyond
• Ensure that our cooperative and other Scheme rulebooks are aligned with best practices and serve the objectives of the company and its customers, as well as broadly all South Africans
• Create and present visionary innovations (often in front of strategic stakeholders), strategic product development proposals, as well as comprehensive business cases
• Drive and deliver on market and business development, ideation and prototyping to maximize value to company’s customers 
• In collaboration with the Executive Management, identify strategic partnerships, lead necessary contract negotiations and manage those relationships on an ongoing basis
• As required, represent the company with regard to key stakeholders, customers, governments the media and broader payments ecosystem
• Develop, monitoring and enhance relevant KPIs and other measures to determine achievement of the strategic objectives set
• Lead the product management discipline at the company in which you motivate for and achieve continuous improvements
• Responsibility for a long-term sustainable product portfolio and innovative transformation

You will engage with the following stakeholders:

• Customers (current and prospective)
• Executive Management of BankservAfrica and its Board of Directors
• Customer and Market Development Teams
• Technology Operations Teams
• Project Delivery and Project Management Teams
• Compliance and Risk Management Teams
• Other Departments of BankservAfrica
• Regulators e.g. PASA, SARB
• Decision Makers / Influencers e.g., SABRIC, BASA, Government etc.
• Other international payments market infrastructure providers

Your key responsibilities include:

Product & Scheme Management and Project Delivery Responsibilities

• Accountable for the sustainability and growth in profitability of the product portfolio
• Continuously identify and lead innovation by challenging the status quo of business and industry policies and processes, including the structure and principles of our cooperative and other Schemes
• Project ownership, managing project budgets, scope and timelines 
• Develop Product Strategy & Roadmap, drive the development of new enhancements to the existing product line to ensure products/services create value to the customers
• Provide oversight and direction to ensure the maintenance of excellent operations and client service for all the products within the business
• Oversee and direct continuous research, ideation, and prototyping
• Drive the customer value proposition to ensure customers receive a superior business/product service experience
• Ensure Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity plans and practices are maintained and tested successfully
• Monitor the external environment on an ongoing basis for changes that necessitate modifications to the business case and/or products

Customer & Stakeholder Engagement Responsibilities

• Provide strong support to the Chief Customer Officer in managing key customer/stakeholder relationships at strategic and operational levels, balancing and satisfying all stakeholder interests into a common product strategy
• Help to promote a customer-oriented focus, advocate for customer interests, and ensure that we gather customer requirements that translate into services that they require
• Develop strategic relationships with customers, suppliers, and internal and external stakeholders
• Represent BankservAfrica and its Schemes at relevant industry bodies and fora
• Engage with the Banking and other relevant Associations for ongoing strategic alignment 
• Collaborate with all teams within the organization to ensure alignment with corporate objectives

Financial Management Responsibilities

• Responsible for Product Pricing Proposals and Management
• Develop and manage area’s annual budget, forecasting, cost management, profitability and reporting
• Drive the management of continuous improvement of efficiencies within the team

People Management Responsibilities

• People Development: Build high performing subject matter and people leaders through regular individual and team engagement sessions and coaching; develop and retain talent for the future 
• People Process: Manage leaders through the employee lifecycle including plan, recruit, manage performance and reward
• Knowledge Management:  Effectively manage knowledge sharing within the team and the broader organisation to minimise single person dependency

Compliance and Risk Management Responsibilities

• Compliance: Ensure compliance with relevant policies and procedures, regulation and legislation; be aware of potential IT/cyber threats and escalate where required
• Risk: Manage risks and ensure they are reported and mitigated
• Policies and procedures: Develop, amend and review all relevant policies and procedures

QUALIFICATIONS / KNOWLEDGE:

• Appropriate tertiary qualification
• Payments product and industry knowledge
• Ability to conceptualise a business case
• Ability to align disparate views to mutually important areas
• Have a firm understanding of market and industry dynamics
• Ability to maintain relationships with other powerful industry and business professionals that are directly involved with the business
• Partnering/influencing skills
• Required Computer literacy levels

EXPERIENCE:

• Minimum 10-15 years’ experience in related field 
• Proven leadership skills as an executive leader in a relevant company or as part of a major industry programme/initiative
• Experience in implementation of strategic and/or transformational product/projects
• Experience in collaborating with and influencing key partners/stakeholders in the industry
• Experience in people management, strategic planning, budgeting, and risk mitigation
• Broad and comprehensive knowledge of all matters related to the business of the organisation with an eye towards transformation and innovation, identifying new sales prospects and driving business growth