Product Owner

SUMMARY:
Context 
De Beers has a dynamic portfolio of internal innovation initiatives spanning new business model, product, service and process innovations that aim to optimise the performance of the current profitable core business and simultaneously build new business. 
Our competitive environment demands that we operate differently, and in an integrated and connected manner, to enable faster transition of these innovation initiatives through to impact by utilizing new processes, products/services and business models. 
Our integrated innovation function – De Beers Group IgniteTM - has two broad deliverables:

• The identification, research, venturing, and deployment of new processes, connected technology products and services and new business models to unlock maximum value from innovation for De Beers
• Build on existing foundations to commercialise technologies to 3rd parties - growing profitable new revenue streams

These deliverables provide an emphasis on integration and delivery of connected technologies to optimize the existing core business whilst advancing our continued exploration of new business models that unlock maximum value for the De Beers Group, while also establishing and pursuing a pathway to profitable growth and additive revenue streams

Purpose of the role 
A Product owner is a tactical member and an integral part of the development team, responsible for maximizing the value of the products created by the development team. This role is responsible and accountable for the product backlog and ensuring the 
product development support the company’s strategy and goals. The PO’s job is to ensure the developers are working efficiently and on the right items. This includes overseeing sprints, being the primary point of contact, and providing constant feedback to the development team

POSITION INFO:
WORK OF ROLE (INCLUDING AUTHORITIES AND OUTPUTS)

A Product owner is a tactical member and an integral part of the development team, responsible for maximizing the value of the products created by the development team. This role is responsible and accountable for the product backlog and ensuring the product development support the company’s strategy and goals. The PO’s job is to ensure the developers are working efficiently and on the right items. This includes overseeing sprints, being the primary point of contact, and providing constant feedback to the development team

Role and Relationships
Managerially accountable to:

• Work closely with the Product Manager and internal stakeholders to understand industry, market needs, roadmap, and strategy.
• Identify and understand customer pain points, assist in defining solutions and bring them to life
• Be the voice of the customer in the team
• Work closely with technical teams to define user stories and acceptance criteria
• Use discovery techniques to manage product risk (value, usability, feasibility, and viability), and to test those risks qualitatively and quantitatively
• Translate product managers’ strategies to tasks for development to bridge the gap between product strategy and development

Own the product backlog to :
Define and prioritise a backlog of products features and capabilities
Update a dynamic and constantly evolving backlog
Develop and explicitly communicate Product and Sprint Goals
Clearly communicate each Product Backlog item, ensuring that the Product Backlog is transparent, visible, and understood
Define acceptance criteria

• Work with Delivery managers and tech principals to define success, help motivate teams, and be responsible for the outcome. Lead pi planning to arrange, prioritize sprints & identify/map dependencies between various areas of business.
• Work closely with the development to aid understanding of user stories, journeys and business value
• Conduct and own Sprint ceremonies and act as a key player throughout each event, including planning, refinement, review, and sprint demos.
• With each iteration, evaluate, verify, and validate outcomes by performing UAT, and be responsible for all communication during releases.
• Agile evangelist to improve ways of working
• Works across teams to define and implement improvement stories that will increase the velocity and quality of the program.
• Make data lead decisions on go/no go product and feature recommendation

Translate product managers’ strategies to tasks for development to bridge the gap between
product strategy and development
Own the product backlog to :
- Define and prioritise a backlog of products features and capabilities.
- Update a dynamic and constantly evolving backlog
- Develop and explicitly communicate Product and Sprint Goals
- Clearly communicate each Product Backlog item, ensuring that the Product Backlog is
transparent, visible, and understood.
- Define acceptance criteria
Work with Delivery managers and tech principals to define success, help motivate teams, and be
responsible for the outcome.
Lead pi planning to arrange, prioritize sprints & identify/map dependencies between various areas
of business.
Work closely with the development to aid understanding of user stories, journeys and business
value.
Conduct and own Sprint ceremonies and act as a key player throughout each event, including
planning, refinement, review, and sprint demos.
With each iteration, evaluate, verify, and validate outcomes by performing UAT, and be responsible
for all communication during releases.
Agile evangelist to improve ways of working
Works across teams to define and implement improvement stories that will increase the velocity
and quality of the program.
Make data lead decisions on go/no go product and feature recommendation.Translate product managers’ strategies to tasks for development to bridge the gap between
product strategy and development
Own the product backlog to :
- Define and prioritise a backlog of products features and capabilities.
- Update a dynamic and constantly evolving backlog
- Develop and explicitly communicate Product and Sprint Goals
- Clearly communicate each Product Backlog item, ensuring that the Product Backlog is
transparent, visible, and understood.
- Define acceptance criteria
Work with Delivery managers and tech principals to define success, help motivate teams, and be
responsible for the outcome.
Lead pi planning to arrange, prioritize sprints & identify/map dependencies between various areas
of business.
Work closely with the development to aid understanding of user stories, journeys and business
value.
Conduct and own Sprint ceremonies and act as a key player throughout each event, including
planning, refinement, review, and sprint demos.
With each iteration, evaluate, verify, and validate outcomes by performing UAT, and be responsible
for all communication during releases.
Agile evangelist to improve ways of working
Works across teams to define and implement improvement stories that will increase the velocity
and quality of the program.
Make data lead decisions on go/no go product and feature recommendation. Key internal role relationships

• De Beers BUs
• Research Lead
• Incubation Team
• Strategy and Innovation Team
• DB Commercial Tech

Qualifications
Relevant Bachelors Degree – BSc Engineering, (Mechatronics/Mechanical Engineering preferred), hard science or business degree

Experience

• Minimum of 2 years’ experience in Agile Product Development, with focus in hardware Products
• Experience in bringing technology products to market in a fast-paced environment
• Demonstrated success defining and launching excellent products
• Technical background, with experience in an engineering /science discipline
• Proven ability to influence cross-functional teams without formal authority
• Experienced in using discovery techniques to uncover user needs
• Mining or industry experience will be advantageous

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent teamwork skills Team collaboration
• Able to create direction and a sense of purpose for yourself and others
• Empathetic around customer problems and with an ability to dis-still insights into the product answer
• Strategic thinking
• You have strong analytical skills and proven process of data-validated, hypothesis-driven experiment-tested decisions
• Analytical, with the ability to gather data, synthesize the data and tell a story
• Strong communication skills and experience handling input from stakeholders
• Possess a deep curiosity about customer needs
• Product Development and ideation
• Agile Evangelist
• Leadership and facilitation build networks inspire

 

NB! This job is now closed. You can apply for other jobs by uploading your CV.

---