Digital & Opti Channel Enablement Manager at Nedbank

Job Purpose

• The Digital & Opti-Channel Enablement Manager is a senior product ownership role (aligned to the enterprise’s Product Owner Level III and Delivery Manager roles) responsible for driving a mobile-app-first, opti-channel strategy in the bank’s customer journeys.
• This role ensures the development and delivery of high-quality digital products and services, focusing on making the mobile app the primary customer touchpoint while seamlessly integrating other channels (online, branch, contact center) where needed.
• As a Product Owner Lead, the role balances a strategic vision with hands-on agile execution – aligning digital solutions with the bank’s strategic direction and creating new ways of solving customer problems.
• In practice, the Digital & Opti-Channel Enablement Manager works to maximize customer value and business outcomes by collaborating across business segments and operational teams, prioritizing features and enhancements, and ensuring that every customer journey is optimized for the right channel at the right time.

Job Responsibilities

Product Vision & Roadmap:

• Define and refine the digital customer journey vision and scope, aligning each iteration’s deliverables with the broader Product Manager’s vision and business strategy.
• Develop a mobile-first product roadmap, incorporating mobile app features as a priority and ensuring all channel initiatives contribute to an opti-channel approach (digital as default, with other channels integrated as needed).
• Clearly communicate this roadmap and act as an ambassador for the product vision both internally and externally, so that the team and stakeholders share a common understanding of goals. Key deliverables include a product roadmap and defined journey blueprints for priority use cases (e.g. digital onboarding, service requests with branch/call-center support where necessary).

Backlog Management & Delivery:

• Oversee the product backlog for digital channel initiatives, ensuring it is prioritized by customer value, readiness, and strategic priority. Write or guide the creation of clear user stories with well-defined acceptance criteria and detailed specifications, so development teams fully understand what to build. Set iteration goals and manage scope for each sprint, balancing speed with quality.
• Lead key agile ceremonies – e.g. iteration/sprint planning, reviews, and Program Increment (PI) planning – to monitor progress, share new product features, and adjust plans as needed. Deliver new app releases and journey improvements on schedule, with impeccable functionality that meets defined acceptance criteria.

Customer Journey Design (Mobile-First, Opti-Channel):

• Design end-to-end customer journeys that put the mobile app at the forefront, while integrating other channels optimally. Collaborate with client-facing segment leaders (e.g. Retail, Business Banking heads) to gather requirements and pain points, ensuring that digital solutions address real client needs and frontline feedback.
• For each major product or service journey, map out the steps a customer takes, and determine where digital self-service is ideal versus where human or alternate channels should augment the experience.
• The deliverables include comprehensive journey maps and requirements documents that reflect both customer perspective and internal process readiness. This responsibility also involves championing the “voice of the customer” throughout development – making sure customer needs and pain points are understood and prioritized by the team.

Cross-Functional Team Leadership:

• Lead and coordinate cross-functional Agile teams (product managers, UX designers, engineers, QA, operations, etc.) to build and implement digital capabilities with speed and quality.
• Remove impediments and guide teams in mitigating risks to meet release and iteration goals – escalating issues or calling out focus areas when necessary. Foster strong collaboration with technology teams, ensuring solutions are built to high standards and enterprise architectural guidelines (e.g. scalability, security, compliance) are met.
• As a Product Owner Lead (Level III), this role may oversee and mentor junior Product Owners (Levels I & II), guiding them in best practices and ensuring alignment across teams. It serves in the “Manage Others” leadership pipeline (Product Owner III), meaning the Lead might have Product Owners I/II as direct reports and act as a coach and role model to develop their capabilities.

Job Responsibilities

Stakeholder Management & Opti-Channel Alignment:

• Act as the primary liaison between business stakeholders and the Agile delivery teams, aligning diverse groups towards common digital initiatives. Collaborate with senior stakeholders and executives across business and technology to ensure digital channel solutions support broader business strategies and are feasible for operational implementation.
• This includes coordinating with other Product Owners and channel managers to manage cross-team dependencies and ensure a consistent, integrated customer experience across channels.
• The Lead also works with internal Centers of Excellence (e.g. UX/CX design standards, Agile CoE) to adopt best practices and enterprise guidelines. Key deliverables include stakeholder workshops, clear communication plans, and governance forums (steerco updates, etc.) that keep everyone aligned and informed on product progress and value delivered.

Performance Monitoring & Continuous Improvement:

• Establish and track key performance metrics for digital channel usage and journey performance. Monitor data on customer adoption, engagement, and drop-off rates in digital journeys, as well as cross-channel migration patterns (e.g. reduction in branch-dependent transactions).
• Use these insights to continuously improve the customer experience and operational efficiency – for example, by simplifying steps causing friction or introducing new features like personalized recommendations.
• This responsibility also involves ensuring benefits realization: verifying that digital initiatives achieve their intended outcomes in terms of customer satisfaction and business value, and initiating adjustments if KPIs or feedback indicate gaps.
• Deliverables include regular performance reports (e.g. digital adoption dashboards, customer feedback summaries) and action plans for optimization.

Essential Qualifications - NQF Level

• Matric / Grade 12 / National Senior Certificate
• Advanced Diplomas/National 1st Degrees

Preferred Qualification

• Degree in business, BCom IS, Engineering, Digital / Technology / Business Studies. 

Minimum Experience Level

• 7–10+ years’ experience within the banking or financial services sector
• 7–10 years’ end‑to‑end product development experience, from concept and design through to delivery and optimisation
• Strong understanding of banking and financial services products, with exposure to digital channels
• Proven experience working on mobile banking applications and digital customer journeys
• Solid understanding and practical experience with Agile methodologies, including working within Squads, Tribes, and cross‑functional teams
• Demonstrated involvement in banking service delivery from a digital perspective, including collaboration with technology, operations, and business stakeholders

Technical / Professional Knowledge

• Budgeting
• Business administration and management
• Business principles
• Business terms and definitions
• Capacity planning
• Change management
• Client service management
• Communication Strategies
• Diversity management
• Employee training/development
• Financial Accounting Principles
• Governance, Risk and Controls
• Organisational behaviour theory
• Principles of project management
• Relevant regulatory knowledge
• Stakeholder management
• Strategic planning
• Talent management
• Business writing skills
• Management information and reporting principles, tools and mechanisms
• System Development Life cycle(SDLC)
• Role relevant related technologies
• ITIL
• IT Concepts
• Business Process
• Products and Services

Behavioural Competencies

• Building Partnerships
• Facilitating Change
• Inspiring others
• Business Acumen
• Driving for Results
• Selecting Talent
• Delegation and Empowerment

Closing Date:  13 May 2026