Senior Specialist: Product Development

Absa Group; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 800,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading bank in South Africa seeks a product development specialist to enhance product performance and drive innovation. This role involves managing product improvements, conducting market analyses, and ensuring regulatory compliance. Candidates should have extensive experience in financial services and a strong background in product management.

Qualifications

• Minimum 7 years’ experience in credit card product development or related roles.
• Proven track record of leading product initiatives in a complex environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end product development initiatives from concept to implementation.
• Undertake market and data analysis to identify product opportunities.
• Manage product performance through data metrics and provide actionable insights.

Skills

Analytical Expertise

Business Acumen

Project Management

Technical Knowledge

Stakeholder Engagement

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business Science, Business Informatics, I.T, Engineering, Information Systems or Business Management

Masters degree preferred

Job description

Empowering Africa’s tomorrow, together…one story at a time.

With over 100 years of rich history and strongly positioned as a local bank with regional and international expertise, a career with our family offers the opportunity to be part of this exciting growth journey, to reset our future and shape our destiny as a proudly African group.

Job Summary

To provide specialist product development expertise and data-driven insights to inform decision-making, improve product performance, and drive innovation. This role combines market analysis, data insights, and product management practices to enable effective product formulation and optimization

Job Description

Product Innovation & Data Insights:
Undertake market and data analysis to identify product and market share opportunities. Leverage data science techniques and insights to build frameworks to assess product performance and profitability that effectively inform product strategies and build a robust product improvement and innovation pipeline aligned to identified opportunities.

Product Change & Optimization:
Plan, manage, and continuously improve product investments, activities, and enhancements using data insights and performance trends to optimize outcomes and deliver value.

Product Performance & Data Monitoring:
Manage and monitor product performance through key data metrics such as profitability, sales volumes, customer trends, and other relevant indicators. Provide actionable insights based on data analysis to drive product enhancements and business value.

Product Development Management & Execution:

Lead end-to-end product development initiatives, from concept to implementation, manage multiple projects, ensuring timelines, budgets, and stakeholder expectations are met and work closely with IT and operations teams to support the development and execution of new product features.

Risk, Control & Regulatory Compliance:
Ensure all products comply with applicable Regulatory and Compliance requirements. Maintain an in-depth understanding of the regulatory environment and integrate data governance principles to manage risks effectively.

Required Skills

Analytical Expertise: Strong ability to analyze financial data, customer insights, and product performance.

• Business Acumen: Understanding of the credit card market, competitive dynamics, and revenue optimization strategies.
• Project Management: Experience in leading projects with multiple stakeholders, utilizing methodologies like Agile or Lean.
• Technical Knowledge: Familiarity with digital payment trends, fintech innovations, and credit risk management.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Ability to collaborate across teams to drive successful product outcomes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business Science, Business Informatics, I.T, Engineering, Information Systems or Business Management (Masters degree preferred).
• Minimum 7 years’ experience in credit card product development, financial services, or related roles.
• Proven track record of leading product initiatives in a complex business environment.

Industry Certifications (Preferred):

• Certified Payments Professional (CPP) or PASA Foundational and Practitioner certification – Knowledge in payment systems and transactions.
• Agile or Scrum Certification –Managing product launches in dynamic environments.

Education

Bachelor`s Degrees and Advanced Diplomas: Business, Commerce and Management Studies (Required)

Absa Bank Limited is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. In compliance with the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998, preference will be given to suitable candidates from designated groups whose appointments will contribute towards achievement of equitable demographic representation of our workforce profile and add to the diversity of the Bank.

Absa Bank Limited reserves the right not to make an appointment to the post as advertised