Technical Product Owner

Shoprite; Wes-Kaap; On-site; ZAR 600 000 - 800 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading retail company in South Africa is seeking a Product Owner II to define user stories and prioritize the backlog in an agile team. The ideal candidate has a degree in a relevant field, product ownership experience, and is skilled in analytics. The role involves collaborating with product management to execute the product vision and ensuring a delightful customer experience across digital touchpoints.

Qualifications

• 4 years’ experience as a Product Owner in an agile team.
• Experience launching new product features successfully.
• Strong understanding of analytics and big data.

Responsibilities

• Define user stories and prioritize team backlog.
• Collaborate with product management to execute product vision.
• Drive customer engagement based on strategies.

Skills

Agile methodologies

Product management

Stakeholder engagement

Problem-solving

Analytical thinking

Education

Degree in Business, IT, Engineering, Marketing, or related field

Certified Product Owner / SAFe Product Owner

Job description

Role Purpose

The Product Owner II is a member of the agile team, responsible for defining user stories and prioritizing the team backlog to streamline the execution of program priorities while maintaining the conceptual and technical integrity of the features or components for the team. The role owns products of varying complexities, engaging, and collaborating with product management to execute the product vision, strategy, and roadmap.

Role Description

Responsibilities and key activities:

• Provide input into the refinement of the program backlog, ensuring the team is familiar with the features brought into PI planning and keeping program management informed of progress in achieving team PI objectives.
• Continuously refine and sequence the product backlog:
• • Provide clear direction to the team
• • Gather requirements and capture them in the product backlog, consisting of user stories with acceptance criteria.
• • Ensure all user stories are written and have acceptance criteria.
• • Sequence team backlog, prioritizing work for main stakeholders and addressing demands from other stakeholders.
• • Ensure team backlog readiness for the next iteration (enough user stories/enablers ready to work).
• • Include the team in backlog refinement to ensure familiarity ahead of the next iteration.
• • Ensure the team is familiar with the features brought into Sprint planning.
• • Collaborate with BEM / Product Manager / Team in refining the Program Backlog.
• • Keep BEM / Product Manager informed of progress in achieving team Sprint objectives.
• Provide visible, transparent, and clear direction, ensuring the development team is clear on priorities:
• • Provide clear solution direction to the agile team.
• • Apply economic decision‑making.
• • Sequence user stories based on team PI objectives.
• • Balance PI objectives with local team requirements.
• • Ensure team backlog readiness for the next iteration.
• • Include the team in backlog refinement.
• Participate in ART level events: ART sync, Product Owner Scrum of Scrums, Inspect and Adapt, PI Planning, daily stand‑ups, and system demos.
• Participate in relevant team level events:
• • Provide vision for iteration planning and participate in iteration planning.
• • Accept completed work in iteration demo.
• Participate in relevant Scrum ceremonies – ART level events: ART sync, Product Owner Scrum of Scrums, Inspect and Adapt, PI Planning, Sprint Planning, Sprint Review, Sprint Retrospective, daily stand‑ups, and system demos.
• Track progress towards the release of a product.
• Drive mobile digital omnichannel customer engagement based on customer preference and omnichannel strategies.
• Ensure a consistent and delightful customer experience across all digital touchpoints of the Shoprite customer journey.
• Provide input and support into the strategic customer experience improvements that help drive customer acquisition, retention, and conversion.
• Actively promote and advocate product features and customer‑first product design.
• Adhere to and improve customer service levels across businesses and services.
• Provide integrated reporting and feedback.

Qualifications and Experience

• Degree in Business, IT, Engineering, Marketing, or a related field – (essential).
• Certified Product Owner / Certified SAFe Product Owner – (essential).
• 4 years’ experience in a Product Owner role, working in an agile team with proven success launching new product features and translating business strategy and analysis into successful consumer products – (essential).
• Experience collaborating across multi‑disciplinary teams to deliver projects – (essential).
• Strong understanding and experience with analytics and big data – (essential).
• Commercial experience in digital‑led business development environment – (essential).
• Customer user and loyalty experience – (essential).
• Knowledge of legal compliance (POPIA, Electronic Information Act, etc.) – (essential).
• General marketing or retail experience – (desired).
• Exposure to the African digital market and customers – (desired).

Key Competencies and Work Ethic

• Independent, motivated self‑starter with a focus and determination to persevere in a challenging, fast‑paced environment to achieve high‑quality results.
• Excellent problem‑solver and analytical thinker with the ability to focus on what’s most important, balance technical constraints, maximise product value and deliver a differentiated product.
• Strong product focus with end‑to‑end product optimisation – Ability to translate market and customer feedback into product requirements, driving product delivery through an agile release process while collaborating across development and product management. Brings expertise to manage product requirements and deliver product optimisation.
• Customer‑focused – Passionate about creating value for customers. Translates customer needs into meaningful experiences, taking a proactive approach to anticipating future customer needs.
• Business acumen – Good understanding of company business models, goals, and strategies and how they impact commercial viability and profitability.
• Collaborative partner – Lives the company values and contributes positively to team dynamics; builds strong relationships and partnerships while managing stakeholder expectations; knows when/how to include different parties.
• Stakeholder engagement and influencing skills – Works collaboratively with stakeholders to resolve roadblocks to ensure results are delivered. Aligns and motivates teams and stakeholders behind the product vision and strategy. Strong understanding of the modern product management mindset.
• Leadership skills – Challenges when required and ensures the team has full clarity on objectives, priorities, and reasons why; deals with conflicts or roadblocks independently while contributing to mentoring junior product owners as required.
• Communication skills – Strong communicator – able to deliver clear, professional, and confident presentations in formal and informal settings; produces clear, to the point written communication.
• Is curious and adaptable, finds agile and rapid ways of implementing innovative solutions fast. High degree of comfort with ongoing technological and organisational change.

Our Group and all its operating companies is committed to creating, embracing, and preserving a diverse workplace that values the unique talents, perspectives, backgrounds, and abilities that enrich our organisation. A place where everyone matters and feels included.

We are committed to Employment Equity when recruiting internally and externally.