Intermediate Product Owner - (CONTRACT)

PM Connection; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 600,000 - 900,000; Full time

Job summary

A technology firm is seeking an Intermediate Product Owner in Cape Town to join an agile team responsible for defining user stories and prioritizing the team backlog. The role involves collaborating with product management to align on product vision and strategy while driving product delivery through effective backlog management. Candidates should have 4+ years of experience in similar roles, alongside certifications and a relevant degree, to contribute to optimizing product features and enhancing customer experience across various digital touchpoints.

Qualifications

• 4+ years’ experience in a Product Owner role within an agile framework.
• Experience in launching new product features and translating business strategy into successful products.
• Strong understanding of analytics and big data.

Responsibilities

• Define and prioritize team backlog to streamline execution of program priorities.
• Collaborate with product management to execute product vision and strategy.
• Provide input into refinement of product backlog and ensure user stories are written with acceptance criteria.

Skills

Agile methodologies

Product management

Stakeholder engagement

Market analysis

Communication

Education

Degree in Business, IT, Engineering, or Marketing

Certified Product Owner / SAFe Product Owner

Job description

Role Purpose

The Intermediate Product Owner is a member of the agile team, responsible for defining user stories and prioritizing the team backlog to streamline the execution of program priorities while maintaining the conceptual and technical integrity of the features or components for the team. The role owns products of varying complexities, engaging, and collaborating with product management to execute the product vision, strategy, and roadmap.

Role Description

• Provide input into the refinement of the program backlog, ensuring the team is familiar with the features being brought into PI planning and keeping program management informed of progress in achieving team PI objectives.
• Continuously refine and sequence the product backlog.
• Provide clear direction to the team.
• Gather the requirements for the product and capture them in the form of a product backlog, consisting of user stories with acceptance criteria.
• Ensure all user stories are written and that each user story has acceptance criteria.
• Sequence team backlog—must prioritize work for teams' main stakeholders with demands for change from other stakeholders.
• Ensure team backlog readiness for next iteration (enough user stories/enablers are ready to be worked on in the next iteration).
• Include the team in enough of the backlog refinement to ensure familiarity ahead of the next iteration.
• Ensure the team is familiar with the features being brought into Sprint planning.
• Collaborate with BEM / Product Manager / Team in the refinement of the Program Backlog.
• Keep BEM / Product Manager informed of progress in achieving team Sprint objectives.
• Provide visible, transparent, and clear direction, ensuring the development team is clear on priorities:
• Provide clear solution direction to the agile team.
• Apply economic decision making.
• Sequence user stories based on team PI objectives.
• Balance PI objectives with local team requirements.
• Ensure team backlog readiness for next iteration.
• Include the team in backlog refinement.
• Participate in ART level events: ART sync, Product Owner Scrum of Scrums, Inspect and Adapt, PI Planning, daily stand-ups, and system demos.
• Participate in relevant team level events:
• Provide vision for iteration planning and participate in iteration Planning.
• Accept completed work in iteration Demo.
• Participate in relevant Scrum ceremonies - ART level events: ART sync, Product Owner Scrum of Scrums, Inspect and Adapt, PI Planning, Sprint Planning, Sprint Review, Sprint Retrospective, daily stand-ups, and system demos.
• Track progress towards the release of a product.
• Drive mobile digital omnichannel customer engagement based on customer preference and omnichannel strategies.
• Ensure a consistent and delightful customer experience across all digital touchpoints of the customer journey.
• Provide input and support into the strategic customer experience improvements that help drive customer acquisition, customer retention and conversion.
• Actively promote and advocate product features and customer-first product design.
• Adhere to and improve customer service levels across businesses and service.
• Provide integrated reporting and feedback.

Qualifications and experience

• Degree in Business, IT, Engineering, Marketing, or a related field – (essential).
• Certified Product Owner / certified SAFe Product Owner – (essential).
• +4 years’ experience in a Product Owner role, working in an agile team with proven success launching new product features and translating business strategy and analysis into successful consumer products – (essential).
• Experience collaborating across multi-disciplinary teams to deliver projects – (essential).
• Strong understanding and experience with analytics and big data – (essential).
• Commercial experience in digital led business development environment – (essential).
• Customer user and loyalty experience – (essential).
• Knowledge of legal compliance (POPIA, Electronic Information Act, etc.) – (essential).
• General marketing or retail experience – (desired).
• Exposure to the African digital market and customers – (desired).

Key competencies and work ethic

• Independent, motivated self-starter with a focus and determination to persevere in a challenging, fast paced environment to achieve high-quality results.
• Excellent problem‑solver and analytical thinker with the ability to focus on what’s most important, balance technical constraints, maximise product value and deliver a differentiated product.
• Strong product focus with end‑to‑end product optimisation – Ability to translate market and customer feedback into product requirements, driving product delivery through an agile release process while collaborating across development and product management. Brings expertise to manage product requirements and deliver product optimisation.
• Customer focused – Passionate about creating value for customers. Translates customer needs into meaningful experiences, taking a proactive approach to anticipating future customer needs.
• Business acumen – Good understanding of company business models, goals, and strategies and how they impact on commercial viability and profitability.
• Collaborative partner – Lives the company values and contributes positively to team dynamics; builds strong relationships and partnerships while managing stakeholder expectations; knows when / how to include different parties.
• Stakeholder engagement and influencing skills – Works collaboratively with stakeholders to resolve roadblocks to ensure results are delivered. Aligns and motivates teams and stakeholders behind the product vision and strategy. Strong understanding of the modern product management mindset.
• Leadership skills – Challenges when required and ensures the team has full clarity on objectives, priorities, and the reasons why; deals with conflicts or roadblocks independently while contributing to mentoring junior product owners as required.
• Communication skills – Strong communicator - able to deliver clear, professional, and confident presentations in formal and informal settings; produces clear, to the point written communication.
• Is curious and adaptable, finds agile and rapid ways of implementing innovative solutions fast. High degree of comfort with ongoing technological and organisational change.