Product Owner

Network Recruitment; Pretoria; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

Network Recruitment seeks an experienced Product Owner / Delivery Lead to own a focused product feature from concept through production and ongoing support. This hands-on role blends product ownership, project coordination, business analysis, team leadership, stakeholder engagement, and delivery management to ensure high-quality software solutions for clients.

Reporting to the CTO, you will define requirements, prioritise backlogs, coordinate sprints, oversee QA, and drive delivery readiness

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent qualification and relevant experience.
• Minimum 3 years in management, team lead, product, project, or delivery-focused role.
• Minimum 5 years' experience within the insurance or financial services industry.
• Strong ability to write clear requirements, specifications, and acceptance criteria.
• Experience delivering customer-centric technology solutions.
• Experience in Agile methodologies and ceremonies.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end delivery of a product feature from concept to production.
• Engage with stakeholders, clients, users, and dev teams to gather requirements.
• Create and maintain specifications, user stories, acceptance criteria, and documentation.
• Prioritize product backlog based on business objectives and delivery constraints.
• Coordinate sprint planning and release preparation.
• Lead day-to-day delivery activities for a dedicated development team.

Skills

Product ownership

Backlog management

Delivery management

Team leadership

Business analysis

Requirements writing

QA testing

Stakeholder engagement

Release planning

SQL

Microsoft Office

Agile methodologies

Azure DevOps

Communication

Ownership

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Azure DevOps

Job description

A leading software solutions company is seeking an experienced Product Owner / Delivery Lead to take ownership of a focused product feature from concept through to production and ongoing support.

This is a hands-on position that combines product ownership, project coordination, business analysis, team leadership, stakeholder engagement, quality assurance, and delivery management. You will work closely with a small development team, users, clients, and business stakeholders to ensure the successful delivery of high-quality software solutions.

Reporting directly to the CTO, you will play a key role in defining requirements, coordinating delivery, managing priorities, and ensuring solutions meet both business and user needs.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the end-to-end delivery of a product feature from concept through to production and ongoing enhancement.
• Engage with stakeholders, clients, users, and development teams to gather and define business requirements.
• Research user needs, identify problems, gather feedback, and translate findings into actionable development requirements.
• Create and maintain specifications, user stories, acceptance criteria, and supporting documentation.
• Manage and prioritise the product backlog based on business objectives, customer needs, and delivery constraints.
• Coordinate sprint planning, development activities, progress tracking, and release preparation.
• Manage day-to-day delivery activities for a dedicated development team.
• Provide leadership and line management support to team members.
• Ensure development teams clearly understand requirements, priorities, and deliverables.
• Perform QA testing and oversee validation of completed development work.
• Review completed solutions against agreed requirements and acceptance criteria.
• Approve releases following successful testing and quality assurance processes.
• Facilitate user testing, feedback sessions, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Support the product after release by investigating incidents, managing defects, and coordinating enhancements.
• Communicate delivery progress, risks, blockers, and key decisions to senior leadership.
• Ensure stakeholders maintain visibility of project progress, delivery readiness, and release status.

Required Skills & Experience

• Product ownership and backlog management
• Project coordination and delivery management
• Team leadership and people management
• Business analysis and requirements gathering
• Specification writing and documentation
• User story and acceptance criteria creation
• Quality assurance testing and sign-off
• Client and stakeholder engagement
• Release planning and coordination
• Knowledge of SQL
• Experience with Microsoft Office Suite
• Understanding of Agile methodologies and ceremonies
• Experience working with Azure DevOps
• Strong business acumen and customer-focused mindset
• Excellent communication, organisation, and follow-through skills
• High levels of initiative, accountability, and ownership
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent qualification and relevant experience.
• Experience in product ownership, project coordination, business analysis, quality assurance, or software delivery.
• Proven track record of delivering customer-centric technology solutions.
• Minimum 5 years' experience within the insurance or financial services industry.
• Minimum 3 years' experience in a management, team lead, product, project, or delivery-focused role.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with developers, business stakeholders, clients, and end users.
• Strong ability to write clear requirements, specifications, and acceptance criteria.
• Experience managing small teams and driving day-to-day delivery activities.
• Ability to evaluate software against requirements and make sound release-readiness decisions.

Why Apply?

This is an excellent opportunity for a motivated Product Owner / Delivery Lead who enjoys taking ownership, engaging with stakeholders, and driving the delivery of practical, high-quality software solutions in a collaborative and innovative environment.