Digital Product Manager

Job Description

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities

Control & Governance, Business Direction – 30%

• Ensures project/program manager produce, manage and control projects to Absa Africa standards and guidelines.
• Ensures review and escalation if required, of project/program Risks and Issues.
• Responsible for monitoring activities and ensure compliance with laid down Program standards and procedures.
• Responsible for assisting the Program Office Manager in undertaking Project Assurance/Health reviews on project/program manager.
• Provide feedback to BA on local competitor product activity
• Undertake local market research to provide management information
• Undertake legal and regulatory assessment as required
• Feedback suggestions for new channels and channel enhancements to BA, Local stakeholders
• Provide data for Local and Centre management information

Resource/Finance & Business Management – 50%

• Implement new channels into market by:
• Engaging all stakeholders
• Creating a steering committee
• Building a business case
• Complete all testing
• Build detailed local implementation plan
• Closely monitor local implementation
• Provide cover for Head of Channels where necessary
• Increase usage across all alternate channels
• Complete competitor research
• Apply pricing strategy to local pricing models and manage the publishing of pricing guides
• Give necessary notices to local government/regulators and public of channel changes
• Liaise with Local Operations Centre’s, regularly reviewing all operational standards for channel profitability, and identifying skills gaps.
• Review and feedback into customer satisfaction surveys, responding to customer complaints.
• Liaise with People Development and Sales Management functions to design and deliver appropriate training and give input into sales strategies.
• Joint responsibility for the smooth running of the Channels Office.
• Ensure that Benefits Realization is actively managed throughout the life of the project and post-project until the Benefits review has been completed.
• Work with Head of digital commercialization to identify, quantify and document financial benefits to be achieved by the project for input into the business case.
• Work with the Head of digital commercialization of deliverables that are internal to the Channel Office and agreed with the Head of digital commercialization.
• Manage the change request process to ensure costs are correctly allocated from the budget or contingency
• Obtain the necessary sign-off for change requests
• Report to the Head of digital commercialization on the financial status of the project

Reporting, Information management and Risk management – 20%

• Participate in the Team Status Update meetings
• Produce reports for the Head of digital commercialization, Account Executive, Sponsor, to identify the status of the project in terms of milestones, key achievements, and key risks
• Prepare presentations on an ad hoc basis
• File Project documentation
• Ensure all documentation is correctly configured
• Ensure that the correct associated impact and probability scoring is given to each Risk and Issue
• Ensure that the associated mitigating actions are identified and tracked for the risks and issues
• Ensure that internal and external dependencies are identified with the associated mitigating actions
• Identify risks and/or dependencies and escalate these to the Head of digital commercialization where appropriate
• Responsible for assessing the impacts of new change against the existing planning portfolio.
• Responsible for consolidation of all  in-country project activity and issuing reports to key stakeholders, business leaders, Change Managers and all staff involved with change.
• Responsible for the adherence and definition where required of best practice change standards, tools and processes to optimize the delivery of governance of change.

Knowledge & Expertise

• Degree from a recognized institution
• Detailed knowledge and application of project/programs management and systems development techniques
• Knowledge of the Bank’s policies, standards, procedures covering premises, equipment, security procedures/controls and snap checks.
• A comprehensive knowledge of Absa Africa products and systems that support them, and a good understanding of Absa Group products.
• A detailed understanding of product offerings in the wider financial services industry.
• A detailed knowledge of Absa Africa strategy and policies
• Detailed knowledge of consumer buying behavior, marketing techniques and evolving trends
• An understanding of customer segmentation theory and practice.
• A detailed understanding of industry, advisory, regulatory and professional bodies
• A good understanding of legislation related to financial services and channel delivery
• A good knowledge of constructing reports, executive summaries and briefs
• Change governance and policy framework
• Some experience of managing activity across the whole of a project lifecycle, using current technology, structured methods and a quality process
• Exposure to governance, control and risk management
• Proven ability to effectively work across teams