Credit Data Product Owner

Credit Data Product Owner – (Senior, 5+ years’ experience)

Pinelands, Cape Town

We are seeking a creative and inquisitive Product Owner to join our rapidly growing Intelligent Debt Management (IDM) team. IDM is a leader in South Africa’s debt management sector. The group includes South Africa’s largest debt counsellor, DebtBusters; a renowned financial advice brand, JustMoney; a major credit bureau reseller, Kudough; and a successful joint venture with Sanlam, Sanlam Credit Solutions.

As a Product Owner, you will be responsible for the development of an internal, centralised credit data service to facilitate various use cases of credit bureau data across the IDM Group. You will create and manage the development backlog, work with the development team, and collaborate with stakeholders.

Since 2018, IDM has harnessed data and technology to build and optimize credit platforms. Our efforts have resulted in over 2.5 million active users, delivering significant value for both users and our business partners. Join us in shaping the future of credit management.

Minimum requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, mathematics, information systems, science, or related fields.
• Excellent communicator, able to facilitate conversations with various stakeholders at all levels.
• 2 years or more relevant experience in the areas of product management, product ownership and/or software development.
• Knowledge of agile methodologies.

• The ability to work independently with little supervision.
• Able to balance customer wants and needs with business goals.
• Understanding customer journeys and able to design the customer experience to enhance the product.
• Able to make informed decisions based on data.
• Familiar with using analytics and testing frameworks to validate assumptions, including A/B testing.
• Experience in managing a product backlog and facilitating backlog prioritization.
• Able inspire and motivate teams to work towards a common goal.
• Experience with leading complex projects and cross-functional teams independently.
• Can manage uncertainty and make critical product decisions with minimal oversight.

Advantageous requirements:

• 5 years’ experience in credit data or related industries
• Experience with coding languages
• Experience with software development management systems like Azure DevOps and Jira.

Key responsibilities:

• Collaborate with stakeholders to analyse needs and align the product roadmap with strategic goals.
• Lead the formation of the long-term product vision and strategy, including market analysis and product roadmap creation.
• Own and manage the product roadmap, ensuring alignment with business objectives.
• Define scope and create backlog items to guide the Agile development team.
• Conduct trade-off analyses to meet commitments.
• Address product-related issues.
• Understand the customer experience and its dependencies.
• Engage stakeholders during product visioning and development.
• Assess value and prioritize backlog items for maximum impact.
• Educate stakeholders on the business model and value proposition.
• Maintain a prioritized backlog of user stories.
• Act as the product ambassador and primary contact for inquiries.
• Develop detailed user stories for product features.
• Lead agile ceremonies with the development team.
• Oversee the entire product lifecycle, from ideation to release.
• Mentor and coach junior or intermediate product owners, as well as influence team processes.

What does IDM offer you:

• Hybrid (onsite and remote) work environment
• Competitive packages, including medical and RA contributions
• A values and purpose driven working culture
• Bursary program and encouragement to pursue future studies
• Merit based promotions in a fast-growing company