Product Owner (FMCG)

Salt Digital Recruitment; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

Salt Digital Recruitment is seeking a Product Owner for Data & Analytics in Cape Town. You will own the Data & Analytics asset portfolio, ensuring solutions are strategically aligned, well governed, and deliver measurable business value.

This role sits between technology and business, driving product from inception to delivery and ongoing operation, reporting to the Chief Data & AI Officer in a fast-paced retail environment.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience bridging technology and business in a technical product management or systems analytics role.
• Strong understanding of data systems, information flows, and analytics platforms.
• Proven ability to manage complex stakeholder environments across multiple seniority levels.
• Strong project management and organisational capability.
• Passion for data, analytics, and emerging technologies including ML/AI.
• Retail industry experience is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Take overall accountability for the effective operation and ongoing management of Data & Analytics assets.
• Identify product challenges and opportunities, driving continuous improvement and adoption across the business.
• Champion the business user throughout the product lifecycle - ensuring delivery decisions are grounded in real business need.
• Manage end-to-end product delivery including project management, change management, business and systems analysis, design, and UAT.
• Analyse and optimise inter-system information flows, developing success metrics for operations and the systems that support them.
• Keep stakeholders informed throughout delivery and ensure business benefits are realised - not just shipped.
• Accurately measure and report on the impact of initiatives, track issues, and define areas for ongoing enhancement.
• Stay current on global best practices in data, analytics, ML/AI, and UX to inform product direction.

Skills

Technical Product Management

Stakeholder management

Project management

Data analytics

ML/AI interest

Retail experience

Education

Bachelor's degree in Commerce/IT/Math/Data Science/Engineering

Job description

Product Owner - Data & Analytics | Contract | Cape Town

About the Role

A leading South African retailer is looking for a Product Owner to sit within their Data & Analytics Centre of Excellence, reporting directly to the Chief Data & AI Officer. This role takes full ownership of the Data & Analytics asset portfolio - ensuring that what gets built is strategically aligned, well governed, and delivers measurable business value. This is a role for someone who sits comfortably between technology and business, speaks both languages fluently, and can drive a product from inception through to delivery and ongoing operation without losing sight of the commercial outcomes it needs to produce. Due to the high volume of applications expected, candidates who have not received feedback within two weeks of applying should consider their application unsuccessful.

Key Responsibilities

• Take overall accountability for the effective operation and ongoing management of Data & Analytics assets.
• Identify product challenges and opportunities, driving continuous improvement and adoption across the business.
• Champion the business user throughout the product lifecycle - ensuring delivery decisions are grounded in real business need.
• Manage end-to-end product delivery including project management, change management, business and systems analysis, design, and UAT.
• Analyse and optimise inter-system information flows, developing success metrics for operations and the systems that support them.
• Keep stakeholders informed throughout delivery and ensure business benefits are realised - not just shipped.
• Accurately measure and report on the impact of initiatives, track issues, and define areas for ongoing enhancement.
• Stay current on global best practices in data, analytics, ML/AI, and UX to inform product direction.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in Technical Product Management, or a Systems and Business Analyst role bridging technology and business.
• Strong understanding of data systems, information flows, and analytics platforms.
• Proven ability to manage complex stakeholder environments across multiple seniority levels.
• Strong project management and organisational capability.
• Passion for data, analytics, and emerging technologies including ML/AI.
• Retail industry experience advantageous.
• Bachelor's degree in Commerce, Information Technology, Mathematics, Data Science, Engineering, or related field.

What Makes Something Successful Here

You're analytically rigorous, commercially aware, and genuinely excited about what data can do for a business. You don't wait to be told what to prioritise - you read the environment, form a view, and drive it. You hold the line between what's technically possible and what actually matters to the business.

Role Details

Employment type: Contract

Location: Cape Town (on-site)

Reporting to: Chief Data & AI Officer

Salt is acting as an Employment Business in relation to this vacancy.