Purpose of Job

The Associate Director, Product Owner is a key leadership role in each Capability domain area and will be required to work closely with the respective AD (Associate Director), Capability Lead to ensure delivery is value focussed, aligned to vision, strategy, roadmap, and budget.

The Product Owner is required to have knowledge of the Business, System and Technical perspectives and will define the high-level priorities. They will represent a wide variety of stakeholders and users across the business and will be required to shape the vision, roadmap, and priorities for their respective Capability area. They are accountable for the vision and are responsible with their capability peers for enabling teams to deliver in line with the priorities set.

Depending on scale, it is likely they will have direct oversight of a small team of product owners assigned to each team in their capability area. Where there is no scale, the Product Owner may be expected to operate within the capability teams as a Squad specific Product Owner.

Accountabilities & Responsibilities

• Accountable for the overall vision for their Capability area
• Accountable for the successful creation & approval of Business Cases, Value on Investment reports and Business Relationship Management for the Capability
• Responsibility covers having an understanding of and setting priorities across many different domains within the given Capability
• Champion a User First & Value First mindset within the Capability.
• Collaborate with all stakeholders, teams, and users to produce and own a portfolio roadmap for this capability area, aligning with the overall technology roadmap and ensuring that technology meets our supported status ambitions
• Communicate and promote the roadmap within the scrum team(s) and with the respective business areas aligned to each team
• Coordinates and prioritises high level Backlogs. Calculate, Update, Present and Justify each release value to key stakeholders. Drive and maintain uncompromised product quality standards
• Ensure clear definition, communications, and adherence to release acceptance criteria
• Develops and mentors the team of Product Owners to continuously refine a synchronised vision for each product area.
• Coordinate vision, roadmap, and backlogs with other department Capability areas.
• Ensure the teams have direct access to the appropriate users and stakeholders in the business to support user research and backlog and user story refinement and user story delivery
• Assist the development teams to meet the objectives of each increment (impediment removal etc)
• Resolve priority conflicts
• Ongoing review and monitoring that the solution meets needs of the user group/s
• Ensure adoption of product(s) by user group(s) when these are released into production’
• Act as an agent of change across the organisation and demonstrate commitment to continuous organisational improvement
• Develop strong internal networks and build trusted relationships to enable change across the Bank
• Drives and adhere to EBRD best practice and processes, to ensure integration of products into EBRD technology and business services
• Coach, mentor and direct your team in the delivery of good Agile delivery practices.
• Create a culture such that all team members are responsible for quality in all they do. Put our users first. Identify and deliver continuous improvement through retrospectives etc.
• Guide, support and educate the Capability Team and key stakeholders of the value of Scrum and Agile principles, especially with respect to refining and prioritising the product backlog to be aligned to value
• Directly accountable for the engagement and effective overall management of staff including recruitment, compensation (as agreed with the Head of Department, if applicable), performance management, coaching and development.
• Champion and role model the Bank’s Behavioural Competencies and Corporate Behaviours, ensuring adherence within the team(s) so that the highest standards of integrity and ethical conduct are exhibited at all times

• Artificial Intelligence Capability (once established)
• As part of AI Capability, the technologies and services in scope include (but are subject to change):
• All bespoke AI (Generative, Machine Learning)
• All commodity AI

Knowledge, Skills, Experience & Qualifications

Knowledge, experience & qualifications

• Relevant degree, or equivalent experience

• Solid experience of Scrum, managing product and release backlogs in JIRA or equivalent

• Experience of relevant EBRD (or equivalent) Business domain areas and operational processes

• Experience of analytical approaches to objectively measure release value

• Good understanding of SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle)

• Solid experience working in a product-based environment and how that can tie with aspects of programme/project governance.

• Solid understanding of enterprise/business architecture; ability to provide holistic and multidimensional stakeholder views essential

• Experience of agile product ownership approaches and techniques, or a willingness to embrace new ways of working desirable

Skills

• Good judgement; skills and record of accomplishment of strong solution-orientation and problem-solving

• Demonstrated strong analytical and decision-making skills with a structured approach to delivery

• Experience in project and/or programme management, as well as change management essential

• Strong oral and written presentation skills;

• Experience in technology enablement (agile)

• Strong stakeholder management skills

• Proven ability to influence and work well with others, with the personal authority to effectively harness the cooperation of peers across departments

• Team player, able to work with and manage through others in a matrix and collegiate style

• Excellent active listening skills and interpersonal and communication skills in English to communicate with a wide variety of people at all levels in the Bank

Please be advised internal applicants are only eligible to apply once the probation period in your current role has been passed.

Please note that CCTs and applicants working directly for a Board office can only apply for jobs advertised via the external website.

Please note, that due to the high volume of applications received, we regret to inform you that we are unable to provide detailed feedback to candidates who have not been shortlisted (for further consideration).