Product Owner Practice Lead

Tower; Auckland; Hybrid; NZD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Office in Auckland

Professional development

Discounts on Tower products

Job summary

Tower is seeking an experienced Product Owner leader to shape and lead our Product Owner Practice in Auckland. You will establish standards, build capability across the community, and turn strategy into meaningful customer and business outcomes through improved ways of working.

You’ll drive prioritisation, planning and collaboration across delivery teams, with a focus on practical, AI-enabled approaches and a strong emphasis on stakeholder leadership and strategic alignment.

Qualifications

• 8+ years’ experience across product ownership, product management, digital, technology or transformation.
• Proven experience leading, coaching and developing Product Owners, building capability and creating high-performing communities of practice.
• Deep knowledge of modern product practices, including discovery, roadmaps, backlog management, prioritisation, value measurement and iterative delivery.
• Strong portfolio and strategic planning capability, connecting business strategy, customer needs, capacity, dependencies and investment decisions.

Responsibilities

• Lead and grow Tower’s Product Owner Practice, bringing Product Owners together around clear standards, shared ways of working and continuous capability development.
• Connect strategy with delivery, helping Product Owners shape, prioritise and plan work around customer and business outcomes across quarterly and annual planning.
• Improve how teams deliver, partnering with other Practice Leads to remove systemic roadblocks, strengthen collaboration and embed practical, AI-enabled ways of working.

Skills

Product ownership

Coaching

Portfolio planning

Stakeholder leadership

AI-enabled practices

Job description

As a proud Kiwi born and bred insurer, we like to challenge the status quo and move quickly to make things happen. We’re here to create beautifully simple, rewarding experiences for our customers and communities, while helping protect the future of Aotearoa.

At the heart of insurance is being there for people when the unexpected happens, and that purpose shapes how we work.

Now, we’re looking for someone to help shape how product ownership works across Tower. This is an exciting opportunity to establish and lead our Product Owner Practice, build capability across our Product Owner community, and create simpler, more connected ways of working that turn strategy into meaningful customer and business outcomes.

Your day-to-day would look like:

• Lead and grow Tower’s Product Owner Practice, bringing Product Owners together around clear standards, shared ways of working and continuous capability development.
• Connect strategy with delivery, helping Product Owners shape, prioritise and plan work around customer and business outcomes across quarterly and annual planning.
• Improve how teams deliver, partnering with other Practice Leads to remove systemic roadblocks, strengthen collaboration and embed practical, AI-enabled ways of working.

What success looks like in 6–12 months

• A thriving Product Owner Practice with clear standards, rhythms and ways of working.
• Product Owners are empowered and thriving, with clear expectations, coaching and development pathways.
• Stronger prioritisation and planning across quarterly and annual delivery cycles.
• Better cross-practice collaboration, with clearer hand-offs and less friction across delivery teams.
• Improved delivery flow and visibility, with roadblocks, dependencies and priorities proactively managed.
• Practical, responsible AI-enabled ways of working embedded into Product Owner practices.

What you'll need

• 8+ years’ experience across product ownership, product management, digital, technology or transformation, including complex initiatives or portfolios.
• Proven experience leading, coaching and developing Product Owners, building capability and creating high-performing communities of practice.
• Deep knowledge of modern product practices, including discovery, roadmaps, backlog management, prioritisation, value measurement and iterative delivery.
• Strong portfolio and strategic planning capability, connecting business strategy, customer needs, capacity, dependencies and investment decisions.
• Exceptional stakeholder leadership and collaboration skills, with the confidence to influence senior leaders, navigate ambiguity and drive clear decisions.
• A customer-focused, data-informed and continuous improvement mindset, with responsible AI experience highly desirable; financial services or insurance experience is an advantage.

We invest in you

We're serious about looking after our people. Along with a competitive salary, we offer a bunch of perks and benefits to support you and celebrate the work you do:

• 26 weeks of paid parental leave for the primary carer and 4 weeks for partners
• A paid day off on your birthday
• 22 days annual leave, plus two extra annual leave days and the option to buy up to eight more
• Wellness leave
• Career growth and internal progression opportunities
• Flexible working and a beautiful, modern office in Auckland
• Discounts on Tower insurance products
• Free life insurance