Project Manager: Data Delivery at Santam Insurance

What will you do?

The Santam Group Data Strategy Office has a position available for a PROJECT MANAGER to lead and manage the delivery of strategic Data Use cases as a key enabler to derive value from the Data. 

The role will work across all divisions of Santam to ensure end-to-end delivery of data use cases. The individual will report to Product Owner for the Data Strategy and work closely with the Data Science and Analytics team within Group Underwriting Services.

What will make you successful in this role?

The person will typically be allocated to a data use case (project) with budget of more than R3million to deliver over a 6-18 month period with a small/medium sized team of resources (3-6 full time people). The person will manage cross-functional initiatives which derive value from data introducing change. 

Key areas of responsibility:

• Data Use Case (Project) Identification, Definition, Inception and Kick-off. Includes kick-off sessions; definition of charter; facilitate definition of requirements and user stories.
• Data Use Case (Project) Planning. Includes scoping, conceptual sprint planning and development; project and work stream definition; sizing and estimating; sprint, release and milestone management.
• Financial and Cost management. Includes accurate budgeting, actuals tracking, forecast projections, monitoring and control of expenses, invoicing and payment.
• Time and Cost management. Includes budget definition, monitoring and control; time recording and costing; Invoicing and payments; cost containment.
• Managing Project Scop. Includes understanding project scope and product backlog; monitoring scope.
• Risk, Issue and Decision management. Includes dependency management and escalation.
• Reporting. Includes reporting on status, financials, schedule, risk, blockers and issues, quality; reporting on metrics including burn up/down charts, team velocity; updating reporting and management tools.
• Defining and implementing the required delivery Governance framework. Includes review and sign-offs, decision-making, steerco management, change control and content review, management of tolerances, closure and lessons learned.
• Quality Management by ensuring data use case’s deliverables meet the requirements and the appropriate quality. Includes ceremonies such as: team retrospectives, attending Scrum-of-Scrum sessions, managing dependencies, blockers/ impediments and resourcing.
• Stakeholder management. Includes the ability to work with external and internal stakeholders across divisions at all levels demonstrating strong interpersonal skills.
• Data Use Case success management. Includes regularly review of measures of success ensuring deliverables meet the requirements and the appropriate quality.
• Support implementation of the fit-for-purpose way of working. Adherence to the Agile framework, governance, standards for reporting and Tools (JIRA, Confluence) as required.

Qualifications & Experience

• Relevant 3+ year degree or equivalent qualification.
• Certificate or Diploma in Project Management from an industry recognized training institution. Agile certification recommended.
• At least 10-15 years’ experience in managing projects and/or change initiatives.
• At least 5 years’ experience working in the Financial Services and/or Insurance industry to demonstrate understanding of the business context. 
• Knowledge of, and experience in, working with a Data management framework (such as DAMA framework) understanding the concepts and practices of information and data management. Includes understanding of data management principles and practices.
• Knowledge of, and experience in, data driven and/or digital enablement initiatives.
• Sound experience working with stakeholders at different levels across organisations/divisions; both on-shore and off-shore, face-to-face and remote.
• Demonstrate experience in the application of industry standard project management methodologies and processes; and working in an Agile environment with Scrum method knowledge strongly preferred.
• Experience using the Tools and Techniques in alignment with the agreed Santam ways of working. Including but not limited to, PPO, JIRA, Confluence, Portfolio for JIRA and SharePoint.
• Demonstrate experience and sound knowledge of the system development lifecycle processes and methods from business concept to deployment stages.
• System development life-cycle knowledge and solution implementation experience required. Understanding of the integration between business strategy delivery in terms of data, technology, people and process.
• Ability to act as Scrum Master supporting the scrum teams to ensure the delivery of sprint goals and measureable business value. Includes: partnering with the business Product Owner determining the product backlog and the on-going refinement and prioritization of the backlog that ensures the availability of work for the development team; proactively work to eliminate blockers/impediments and other barriers for the development team;  guide the team members on best practices and facilitate scrum ceremonies.

Knowledge & Skills

• Well-honed MS Office skills.
• Agile and Scrum Method and Tool experience (JIRA, JIRA Portfolio and Confluence suggested).
• MS Project skills and Project Management Tool experience (PPO suggested).
• Facilitation skills.
• Financial and business acumen.
• Foster and support the Agile approach.
• Demonstrate a growth mindset in support of the Agile values and Santam culture: Trust, Respect, Collaborative, Self-organisation, Adapt, Transparent, Courage, Focus, Openness, Servant Leadership.
• Deep understanding of project management methods, techniques and tools.
• Deep understanding of agile ways of working, techniques and tools.
• Deep understanding of the system development lifecycle and frameworks for business solution delivery. Incudes waterfall, iterative and agile methods.
• Understanding of key components of Data management such as Data governance; Data analytics; Data technology, architecture, modelling, design and integration. 
• Understands architectural considerations in order to effectively factor them into planning, decisions and recommendations and effectively communicate.
• Familiarity with change management disciplines including stakeholder management, communication and business readiness.
• Ability to identify project implications based on an understanding of systems, processes and business.

Competencies

• Drives results
• Client Focus and Collaborates
• Flexible and adaptable
• Relating and networking. Strong stakeholder management expertise
• Analysing
• Applying expertise and technology
• Project Oversight, Planning, Project Management Tools, Project Tracking and Reporting, Project Portfolio Management
• Organisational Savvy
• Decision Quality
• Plan and Aligns
• Manages complexity
• Core thinking competencies: analytical, information seeking, problem solving.
• Action oriented competencies: self-confident, flexible, takes initiative.
• Ability to work independently and determine course of action.
• Negotiation and contracting of resources and work packages with project teams and managers.
• Strong interpersonal skills; action orientated to drive for results yet remaining flexible to the context; emotional self-control; good communication skills at all levels of management; ability to leverage relationships and target messages to different audiences effectively; sound interpersonal skills.