Technical Product Owner

SUMMARY:
Our client in the telecommunications sector is seeking a Technical Product Owner on a contract duration of 6 months. 

Purpose of the role
We are looking for an experienced Technical Product Owner to bridge the gap between our business objectives and technical execution. The ideal candidate will possess deep domain expertise in building modern, long-term life and funeral insurance systems, combined with a strong technical foundation in cloud-native microservices architectures and South African insurance regulations. As a senior member of the IT Insurance team, you will own the product backlog, act as the 'voice of the customer' for our engineering teams, and translate complex long-term insurance requirements into clear, actionable technical user stories. You will collaborate closely with architects, developers, and business stakeholders to ensure the delivery of a highly scalable, secure, and resilient platform deployed on AWS that strictly adheres to the Twin Peaks regulatory model.

POSITION INFO:
Technical skills and experience The successful candidate will bring deep, hands-on experience across the following areas: Insurance Domain Deep understanding of Life and Funeral insurance policies, risk insurance, policy administration, waiting periods, beneficiary verification, and claims payouts. Regulatory Knowledge Twin Peaks model, FSCA\/PA mandates, COFI Bill, Policyholder Protection Rules (PPRs), TCF principles, and POPIA (especially relating to health information). Product Management Backlog management, user story writing, roadmap definition, stakeholder alignment. Architecture & Cloud Understanding of API-first design, microservices, containerization, and AWS. Data & Integration Familiarity with data models, system integrations, and sequence diagrams. AI in the SDLC AI-assisted requirement drafting, analysis, and process optimization. Delivery tooling Agile \/ SAFe, Jira, Confluence, Miro\/Figma. Essential technical requirements Life & Funeral Insurance Systems: Demonstrable, hands-on experience as a Product Owner or Technical Business Analyst building or integrating core life and funeral insurance platforms. Deep domain knowledge spanning policy administration, premium collection, beneficiary verification, waiting period rules, and claims payout processes. South African Regulatory Context: Proven track record of building systems that comply with the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) and Prudential Authority (PA) requirements. Deep understanding of the Treating Customers Fairly (TCF) outcomes and how to embed them into digital platforms. Technical Aptitude: Strong understanding of API-based architectures, integrations, and cloud platforms (AWS). Ability to engage in technical design discussions with engineers. Architecture Context: Proven experience working within microservices-based environments, understanding the trade-offs and dependencies inherent in distributed systems. Engineering Practice: Solid grasp of the software development lifecycle, continuous delivery (CI\/CD), and secure-by-design principles (including POPIA compliance). AI in the software development lifecycle AI-assisted workflows are increasingly embedded across the full lifecycle from requirements and design to maintenance. Practical experience using AI tools to accelerate the creation of user stories, acceptance criteria, and documentation. Data & Insights leveraging AI to query product metrics and optimize user journeys. Sound judgement and a human-in-the-loop mindset validating AI output for correctness, security, and quality. Qualifications and experience Minimum 8 years' relevant experience, with at least 3-5 years acting as a Technical Product Owner or Product Manager in a software engineering environment. A degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Business, or a related field (or an equivalent combination of qualification and demonstrable experience). A proven track record of delivering complex, scalable enterprise applications, specifically within the financial services or long-term insurance sectors in South Africa.