Product Manager: Home Loans at Discovery Limited

Job Purpose 

• We are seeking an experienced and dynamic Product Manager for the Home Loans product line. This role requires a strategic thinker with a passion for delivering innovative financial solutions. As the Product Manager for Home Loans, you will be responsible for the end-to-end lifecycle of the home loans product, from ideation to implementation and beyond. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams to drive product growth, enhance customer experience, and achieve business goals.

Areas of responsibility may include but are not limited to:

Assist in defining the product roadmap:

• Ensure that the Home Loan product is fit for purpose and aligns to the strategic objectives of the Bank
• Researching new areas and opportunities for product development
• Prioritise areas for new product development through the Product Steercom

Developing new products and features:

• Define new product initiatives or changes to existing products
• Assess the viability and feasibility of any changes:
• Conduct market/competitor/client focused research to understand potential opportunities and establish feasibility of products,
• Build up a business case to support any changes
• Work with technical teams to determine feasibility of implementation
• ​​​​​Drive new initiatives through the Product Development Steering Committee

Driving implementation of new initiatives:

• Clearly specify products that are clear and concise which enable the systems team to implement, business analysts to design appropriate support processes, training material to be developed and the design of marketing assets
• Manage the full product life cycle, from specification to testing of functionality prior to new developments going live
• Monitor actual project progress and resolve issues speedily to support delivery

Product ownership:

• Monitor take-up, impact and financial performance of the product against the agreed targets
• Ensure the product functions as intended and address any gaps or defects identified
• Monitor and manage exceptions and escalations
• Manage and prioritise a “backlog” of product changes to deliver on overall targets and objectives
• Manage external partner relationships
• Provide specialist support to the Servicing and Operations teams dealing with complex cases

Personal Attributes and Skills 

• Strong analytical and strategic thinking abilities
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Proficiency in product management and product development methodologies
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, dynamic environment
• Proficient in data analysis and market research techniques

Education and Experience 

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Marketing, or related field
• MBA or equivalent is advantageous
• A minimum of 5 years’ retail banking experience in a Product Development / Product Manager role, particularly with experience pertaining to home loans
• Demonstrated ability to deliver on complex projects in a retail banking and / or payment space
• Extensive experience in working with systems delivery teams in a digital first organisation