Product Owner

Klipboard; Stellenbosch; Hybrid; ZAR 600 000 - 800 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading technology solutions provider located in Stellenbosch is seeking a Product Owner to manage ERP product development. The successful candidate will collaborate with stakeholders, manage product backlogs in JIRA, and ensure alignment of priorities with business goals. The role requires strong skills in backlog management, user story creation, and agile methodologies, alongside a Bachelor’s degree in a related field and at least 3 years of relevant experience.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 3 years’ experience as a Product Owner managing agile teams.
• Comfortable prioritizing based on business impact and technical requirements.
• Scrum Certification (CSPO or similar) preferred.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with Business Stakeholders to assess product development feasibility.
• Document product requirements using appropriate methodologies.
• Manage backlog in JIRA and ensure clarity of priorities.

Skills

ERP product management

User story creation

Backlog management

Agile methodologies

Communicating with stakeholders

Analytical problem-solving

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business or Computer Science

Tools

JIRA

Job description

At Klipboard we've introduced a flexible hybrid work policy, where employees spend three days in the office and two days working from home. This approach promotes a balanced work environment that combines office collaboration with the comfort and convenience of remote work.

Klipboard provides specialist software, services and support to deliver fully integrated trading and business management solutions to companies in the distributive trade – wherever they are in the world. With a unique depth of knowledge and experience in ERP/SaaS solutions, Klipboard has a wide range of clients including wholesalers, distributors, merchants and retailers from small traders to multinational enterprises. Klipboard has offices in the UK, Ireland, The Netherlands, South Africa, Kenya and North America. Our mission is simple: to design and deliver high performance, integrated ERP solutions that enable our distributive trade customers to source effectively, stock efficiently, sell profitably and service competitively.

Product Owner – Responsibilities

• Collaborate with Business Stakeholders and Product Management to assess feasibility of development in alignment with other requests and product priorities.
• Facilitate workshops to analyse and document specific development requirements.
• Document product requirements using appropriate methodologies (process flow diagrams, data flow diagrams, use case diagrams, etc.).
• Work with Product Development teams to estimate effort required to deliver against product requirements.
• Communicate time and effort estimates to the Project Manager, Customer Stakeholder, and Product Manager.

Requirement Documentation

• Document requirements following standard processes and procedures (workflow and data diagrams, conditions, flow of events, exception criteria, acceptance criteria, expected outcomes) in a format developers can easily follow.
• Ensure items on the priority list meet the definition of ready before they are added to the team’s backlog.
• Capture requirements in JIRA in the right format with appropriate supporting documentation.

Requirement Decomposition & Review

• Decompose features and epics so development efforts can be estimated and scope added to JIRA.
• Participate in effective Epic and Story Decomposition and ensure Epics and Stories are clearly defined in JIRA.

Backlog Management

• Engage in high‑level product strategy and roadmap discussions with the Product Team.
• Ensure an ordered list of priorities in JIRA aligned with the product roadmap.
• Communicate the list of priorities to the team and ensure clarity of expectations.
• Monitor backlog in JIRA to keep it up‑to‑date.

Prioritise Needs

• Weigh product priorities on the roadmap throughout the development cycle based on time, budget, scope, and resources.
• Manage add‑hoc requirements, bugs, and issues by verifying against other priorities and communicating updates.

Monitoring Product Progress

• Act as key participant in scrum events (sprint planning, sprint reviews, sprint retrospectives, backlog refinement).
• Work with the development team to define a sprint goal for each sprint.
• Work with the product development team to decide on items to add to the sprint during sprint planning.
• Review progress against sprint goals and backlog items using burndown charts and other available information.

Stakeholder Liaison

• Act as the primary communicator and link between product stakeholders and the delivery team.
• Communicate daily changes to priorities to product director/manager and ensure team clarity on deliverables.

Skills, Knowledge & Experience

• Previous experience in managing ERP products is essential.
• Proficient in creating detailed, actionable user stories across multiple product areas.
• Backlog management and prioritisation techniques; balance feature development, technical debt, and security.
• In‑depth understanding of Agile and Scrum frameworks, leading agile ceremonies, and managing multiple backlogs.
• Familiarity with technical debt and security requirements, enabling effective prioritisation.
• Strong communicator with ability to engage both technical and non‑technical stakeholders.
• Analytical mindset with structured problem‑solving across teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Computer Science, or related field, or equivalent experience.
• Minimum of 3 years’ experience as a Product Owner or similar role, managing multiple agile teams or squads cross‑functionally.
• Comfortable working with technical teams across different product areas, prioritising based on business impact and technical requirements.
• Scrum Certification (CSPO or similar) preferred but not required; experience leading multiple agile teams essential.

Company Info

Klipboard is the new brand of Kerridge Commercial Systems (KCS). The company operates across distribution, automotive, retail, rental, transport management, manufacturing and field service management. Offices are located worldwide. It offers opportunities for growth in a dynamic environment.

Equal Opportunities

As a global company, we value and respect the diversity of our workforce, aiming to empower everyone to embrace each other's differences. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where diversity, equity, and inclusion are integral to our culture. We encourage applicants to apply even if they do not meet every criterion, inviting those with transferrable skills and the right mindset.