Senior Product Owner: Rewards Proposition at Old Mutual

Job Description

• Old Mutual is looking for an experienced, results-driven Senior Product Owner to lead the development and execution of our Rewards Program. As a Propositional Owner, you will be responsible for the end-to-end ownership of the Rewards proposition, from strategy and conceptualization to implementation and optimization.
• This role requires a leader with deep expertise in customer value propositions, loyalty programs, and a passion for driving customer engagement through personalized and innovative rewards solutions.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Proposition Ownership:

• Own and lead the entire lifecycle of the Rewards proposition, ensuring alignment with Old Mutual’s overall strategic goals and customer needs.
• Develop and maintain a clear product roadmap for the Rewards program, identifying opportunities for differentiation and growth.
• Define and refine the customer value proposition, ensuring the Rewards program is highly relevant, engaging, and delivers measurable customer benefits.
• Leverage data and insights to create a hyper-personalized rewards experience, tailoring offerings to individual customer preferences and behaviors.

End-to-End Delivery:

• Oversee all aspects of the product development process, from ideation to execution, working closely with cross-functional teams including IT, marketing, operations, and customer experience.
• Drive the successful implementation of Rewards initiatives, ensuring that projects are delivered on time, within scope, and meet quality standards.
• Continuously improve the customer experience by optimizing rewards offerings, user journeys, and engagement touchpoints.
• Business as usual running of the Rewards programme

Strategic Leadership:

• Collaborate with senior leadership to shape the strategic direction of the Rewards program and align it with Old Mutual’s broader financial wellness and customer engagement goals.
• Develop and present business cases to justify investments in new rewards initiatives and enhancements.
• Drive innovation by staying on top of market trends, competitive offerings, and emerging technologies in loyalty programs and customer engagement.

Customer & Stakeholder Engagement:

• Act as the primary advocate for the Rewards proposition, both internally and externally.
• Engage with key stakeholders, including customer insights teams, partners, and external vendors, to co-create solutions that enhance the program's value.
• Leverage feedback from customers, agents, and other stakeholders to iterate on the proposition and deliver an exceptional customer experience.

Team Leadership & Collaboration:

• Lead a multidisciplinary team of product managers, marketers, and developers to deliver the Rewards proposition.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, and accountability within the team, ensuring alignment with the broader organization.
• Provide mentorship and guidance to Actuarial SME’s and team members to develop future leaders.

Competencies Required:

• Strong track record of managing end-to-end product lifecycles, from strategy through execution and optimization.
• Deep understanding of customer value propositions, loyalty program dynamics, and customer segmentation.
• Ability to translate customer insights and data into actionable product strategies.
• Experience working with data analytics and customer behavior insights to drive personalized experiences.
• Strong leadership and team management skills, with the ability to inspire and lead cross-functional teams.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with experience influencing at senior levels.
• Experience in delivering digital-first customer experiences, with a focus on innovation and user-centric design.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

• Actuarial, Mathematics or Engineering Background
• Proven experience as a Product Owner or Propositional Owner, ideally in a loyalty or rewards program, financial services, or customer engagement context.

Preferred Experience:

• Experience in financial wellness, fintech, or insurance industries.
• Understanding of design thinking principles and agile methodologies.
• Strategic thinker with a customer-first mindset and a passion for building high-impact products.
• Manages Scrum teams to transfer the project/product vision to design, development, and delivery. Guides the team through the product backlog toward building the right product, considering the vision, planning, and budgets of the business, customers, or use.

Responsibilities

• Digital Strategy/Transformational Projects Execution
• Oversee digital assets and orchestrate how the company can successfully leverage them to gain and maintain a competitive advantage.
• Product and Solution Development
• Take overall responsibility for designing, developing, and delivering the strategic plan for product development for a significant area of the business.
• Project Team Management
• Lead large project teams (or multiple small- to medium-sized teams); define the project vision, communicate the necessary outcomes, and provide guidance to achieve these outcomes; coordinate team actions across project activities; coordinate the flow of additional team members on and off the team, as needed; and build the capability of the team through training, coaching, and mentoring.
• Digital Vision and Strategy
• Define and set the digital strategy, working with both internal and external stakeholders to build and communicate the strategic importance of digital while aligning with broader organizational strategy.
• Agile Release Planning
• Plan and replan software releases for multiple related business-critical programs as they are produced to ensure timely updates and to deliver the planned benefits as early as possible in the project or program.
• Agile Backlog Management
• Review the backlog of work for a business-critical program and reprioritize the work and the deployment of project resources to reduce costs and increase the value of the work delivered to the business.
• Product Management
• Take responsibility for all aspects of a life cycle of a group of products, including long- and short-term development and marketing. Stay abreast of trends in the marketplace to ensure the products' competitive position.
• Horizon Scanning
• Identify new external developments and/or emerging issues within an area of technology or business function and evaluate their potential impact on, or usefulness to, the organization.
• Project Benefit Realization
• Lead the development and implementation of a strategy to ensure that intended business benefits are realized across a program.
• Culture of Innovation
• Define the execution plan to disseminate innovative capabilities across the businesses, helping people develop these competencies and enabling them to innovate through solutions such as idea generation platforms, jam sessions, and hackathons. 
• Project Risk and Issue Management
• Ensure that risks, issues, dependencies, and constraints are managed appropriately at project level. Where risks or issues threaten delivery of the project, develop and agree on recovery plans.
• Application Software Road Map
• Define and maintain a roadmap to facilitate complex application software development and ensure the development work is prioritized in line with business requirements.
• Performance Management
• Manage and report on performance within the department or area of responsibility; set appropriate performance objectives for direct reports and hold individuals accountable for achieving them; take appropriate corrective action where necessary to ensure the achievement of annual business objectives.
• Personal Capability Building
• Act as subject matter expert in an area of technology, policy, regulation, or operational management for the team and beyond in the function. Maintain external accreditations and in-depth understanding of current and emerging technologies, external regulation, and industry best practices through continuing professional development, attending conferences, and reading specialist media.

Skills

• Actuarial Science, Adaptive Thinking, Agile Project Management, Change Management, Executing Plans, Managing Stakeholder Expectations, Policies & Procedures, Policy Development, Product Development Management, Project Communications Management, Project Life Cycle Management, Project Performance Management (PM), Project Quality Assurance, Project Scope Management

Competencies

• Action Oriented
• Balances Stakeholders
• Business Insight
• Cultivates Innovation
• Decision Quality
• Develops Talent
• Drives Engagement
• Drives Results

Education

• Fellow Of Actuarial Society Of South Africa (FASSA)  (Required), NQF Level 9 – Masters

Closing Date

• 27 February 2025 , 23:59