Product Owner

ASSA ABLOY; Durban; Hybrid; ZAR 600 000 - 800 000; Full time

Job summary

A global security solutions provider is seeking a Product Owner to serve as the connector between stakeholder needs and product execution. This role involves working closely with scrum teams, creating requirements, and steering program planning to drive high-quality solutions. Ideal candidates should have a B.S. in a technical field and at least five years of product development experience. The position is hybrid, offering flexibility with occasional travel for customer meetings and events.

Benefits

Competitive salary and rewards package

Extensive career development opportunities

Vibrant and inclusive culture

Qualifications

• 5 years in new product development.
• Experience in hardware/firmware/software integration.
• Ability to present ideas before groups.

Responsibilities

• Identify needs by working with stakeholders.
• Run program increment (PI) quarterly planning.
• Collaborate with POs and PMs to deliver high-quality solutions.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

Agile development experience

Familiarity with Microsoft Teams

Knowledge of Jira and Miro

Effective English communication

Education

B.S. in a technical field or equivalent education/experience

Tools

MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

Jira

Job description

An Amazing Career Opportunity for Product Owner

Job ID: 43183

Location: Durban, South Africa (Hybrid)

Profile Summary:

As a Product Owner (PO) for HID Controllers you are the glue between stakeholder needs and product specification planning and execution. You identify needs by working with stakeholders and one or more scrum teams, create requirements in Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) artifacts such as features and stories, and refine solutions with engineering designers, implementers and testers. You run program increment (PI) quarterly planning, then track, refine and modify your scrum teams’ work as you progress through the plan.

About HID Global

HID Global powers the trusted identities of the world's people, places and things. We make it possible for people to transact safely, work productively, and travel freely. Our trusted identity solutions provide secure and convenient access to physical and digital places and connect items that can be identified, verified, and tracked digitally. Millions of people and over 2 billion things rely on HID technology worldwide. HID Global is an ASSA ABLOY Group brand with headquarters in Austin, Texas, and operates offices in more than 100 countries.

Business Area

HID Physical Access Control Solutions (PACS) PACS is at the forefront of securing spaces with advanced, reliable access control solutions. From cutting‑edge readers, credentials and controllers to mobile and biometric technologies, HID PACS empowers organizations worldwide to protect their people, property and assets with scalable, high‑quality solutions. This role offers a chance to join an industry leader, drive innovation in access control and make a real impact on global security solutions.

Preparation and Participation in PI Planning

• Member of the Product Management team, heavily involved in program backlog refinement and PI planning preparation.
• Assists with story definition and provides clarifications necessary to help the team estimate and sequence stories.
• Balances stakeholder commitments with needed plan adjustments.
• Builds, edits, and maintains the team backlog with input from system architects, engineers and other stakeholders.
• Reprioritizes backlog for iteration planning, coordinates dependencies with other POs, and ensures the team aligns on the final iteration plan.
• Agrees with the team on story completion, validating acceptance criteria, persistent tests and compliance with the Definition of Done.
• Ensures correct code merge procedures are followed for high‑quality releases.

Program Execution

• Drives execution, helping teams adapt to unplanned discoveries during implementation and testing.
• Collaborates with other POs and PMs to deliver high‑quality solutions on time.

Primary Duties

• Understand enabler work and collaborate with architects to assist with decision‑making and sequencing of critical infrastructure.
• Participate in team demos and retrospectives, guiding clear and concise demos and contributing to continuous improvement.
• Coordinate dependencies across POs during each PI.
• Produce System Demos for program and Value Stream stakeholders, ensuring critical aspects of the solution are showcased.
• Participate in Inspect & Adapt workshops, preparing PI system demos and ensuring stakeholder engagement.

Essential Qualifications

• Excellent communication skills across all organizational levels.
• B.S. in a technical field (or equivalent education/experience) and 5 years in new product development.
• Experience in hardware/firmware/software integration and new product introduction to manufacturing and launch.
• Effective English communication, both verbal and written, and ability to present ideas before groups.

Preferred Qualifications

• Agile development and lean innovation experience; training in SAFe (Implementing SAFe, SAFe POPM) is a benefit.
• Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and familiarity with Windows.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Teams and web‑based communication tools; experience with Jira and Miro desired.
• Employee works in the office with their scrum team.
• Some travel to meet customers and teams; occasional travel to PI planning events.

Work Environment

• Office‑based with scrum team.
• Occasional travel.

What we can offer you

• Competitive salary and rewards package.
• Competitive benefits and annual leave for work‑life balance.
• Vibrant and inclusive culture.
• Extensive career development opportunities.
• Global organization pioneering hardware, software and services for secure identity.

Why apply

• Empowerment: Global team, flexible environment, learning opportunities; no need to check all boxes – we value diverse talents.
• Innovation: Embrace challenges, drive change, support flexible arrangements.
• Integrity: Results‑oriented, reliable, straightforward, and valued for authentic self.

HID does not accept unsolicited resumes from headhunters, recruitment agencies or fee‑based services. We are not responsible for any related fees.

HID is committed to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce. As an equal‑opportunity employer we welcome applications from all backgrounds without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status, or other protected characteristics.

We may use AI‑powered tools to support screening, in accordance with privacy laws. All candidates are reviewed by the Talent Acquisition team; AI is used to support, not replace, human judgment.

Key Skills

Bidding, Exploration, Apparel Merchandising, Adobe Dreamweaver, Courier Delivery, Airlines

Employment Type: Full Time

Experience: Years

Vacancy: 1