Systems Product Owner

Overview

The Registrar’s Office (RO) is involved in the full student enrolment funnel, including marketing and communications, undergraduate recruitment and admissions, scheduling, enrolment, examinations, student awards and financial aid, development and application of academic policies, and convocation.

The role has a particular responsibility as the Product Owner for systems within the Student Information System (SIS) portfolio strategically prioritizing work to achieve maximum business value and streamlining the execution of priorities.

The role includes being the lead / owner for implementations of new systems and for ongoing support of current systems that support the business activities of the RO.

Of significant importance over the coming months and years, this position is accountable for the ongoing prioritizing of work for the whole SIS portfolio (SIS Product Owner) and accountable for implementing and maintaining an Admissions Systems solution to align with the Admissions business processes (Admissions Systems Product Owner).

This position provides leadership and proactively explores the system and project execution driving continuous improvement.

In fulfilling their role, the Product Owner regularly collaborates with the business units in the RO, the rest of the RO Systems team, and all the stakeholders across campus involved with the different student systems.

Responsibilities

Oversee the utilization, deployment and development of teams to support continuous improvement and innovation through projects and initiatives within Student Information Systems.

• In collaboration with the Director, Manager Business Systems and the Solution Architects, aid in deployment and guide the systems project staff to ensure timely delivery of Student Information Systems critical activities and projects aligning to strategic goals
• Mentor, coach, and develop team members to assure growth and development of those individuals specifically in the areas of prioritization, road-map planning, business analysis, new technology opportunities, and other new trends
• Work with the Manager Business Systems to lead Business Systems Analysts to develop appropriately detailed specifications for the features so they are clearly understood for the project team
• Lead project staff (including those from areas outside of the RO) to succeed in a more agile approach to systems work
• Promote collaboration, team spirit, cohesiveness, motivation, and commitment to customer focused service and continuous quality improvement

Lead the Student Information Systems (SIS) projects as Product Owner by setting, prioritizing and accepting work that is supporting the business and adding value to support the success of our students, faculty and staff.

• Serve as the voice of the client, working with all stakeholders to analyze the system needs and align a product roadmap to strategic goals
• Collaborate with stakeholders during visioning to help develop the Student Information Systems product roadmap with ongoing input from Steering Committee, ensuring execution against the roadmap
• Draft key objectives to be used for determining priorities with SIS Steering endorsement
• Continuously develop and refine project and task backlog items that guide the project teams in implementation in collaboration with business owners and project teams
• Solve product related problems, make decisions, complete analysis to stay on track towards commitments
• Possess a full understanding of the end-to-end user experiences including integrations and dependencies
• Be accountable for the created product(s), delivering continuous improvement within all projects, communicating all resulting product changes
• Assess value, develop cases and prioritize execution of work to ensure work focuses on those with value that is aligned with the overall strategy
• Act as an ambassador for the product internally and externally and as the primary contact for queries related to the system
• Lead Business Systems Analysts to develop appropriately detailed specifications for the features so they are clearly understood for the agile team

Lead and support the project team that will guide the selection and implementation of the next generation of any sustainable (Admissions) System solution.

• Work with the project team and other stakeholders, support the development of a project plan to implement an (Admissions) System solution
• Work with the project team and other stakeholders through all stages of the project plan, ensuring the RO is set up for success post-implementation (to support Waterloo’s applicants)
• Draft key objectives to be used for determining priorities on the implementation of the (Admissions) System solution
• Lead the management of requirements for the (Admissions) System solution and provide support for the elicitation of these requirements
• Solve product related problems, make decisions, complete analysis to stay on track towards commitments
• Lead system configuration and ongoing support for ensuring the best use of the product
• Post-implementation, continue to guide the team through continuous improvement and evolution of the (Admissions) System solution
• Act as an ambassador for the (Admissions) System solution internally and externally and as the primary contact for queries related to the system

Client Relationships and Support

• Serve as the voice of the client, working with all stakeholders to analyze the system needs and align a product roadmap to strategic goals
• Collaborate with stakeholders during visioning to help develop the product roadmap with ongoing input from the Client groups and the Steering Committee, ensuring execution against the roadmap
• Possess a full understanding of the end-to-end user experiences including integrations and dependencies

Complete regular and ad hoc analysis and reporting to aid decision-making around how to progress within the agile team and how to progress overall within the Student Information System.

• Report to key stakeholders on progress; including but not limited to work completed, burndown updates, earned value and trends against the roadmap or milestones
• Ongoing research and analysis of peers and competitors in the market, the users of the system, and the roadmap for the product (and other similar products)
• Apply data analysis to recommend changes to program structure and staff practices in the spirit of continuous improvement

Advise, consult, and provide support to the Student Information Systems leadership and University stakeholders.

• Understand and be able to communicate the business of the Registrar, in the context of building strategic partnerships within the RO, GSPA, Finance, IAP, IST and other campus stakeholders
• Collaborate across all Product Owners to ensure product roadmaps and priorities of all cross functional initiatives align and best meet the overall vision of all systems
• Collaborate with IST in data and security requirements as well as standards reviews conducted by IST
• Remain current on related industry tools and related best practices
• Advocate for and support the principles outlined in Policy 46 Information Management

Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree in Management Science, Business Administration, or related discipline. A suitable combination of education and systems experience in a post-secondary environment may be considered
• Formal training in business analysis or project management (Agile preferred)
• Certified Scrum Product Owner or Certificate in Product Owner Analysis an asset
• 5+ years’ practical experience in project management, leadership in an Agile environment and business analysis
• 2+ years of experience in leading cross functional continuous improvement initiatives or projects, with demonstrable positive outcomes
• 5+ years of experience developing and managing a team of systems professionals
• Experience with enterprise resource systems, agile methodologies and product management
• Competencies will include stakeholder management, information system products, tools, development frameworks as well as interpersonal, organizational and communication skills
• Experience in post-secondary education environment is an asset
• Ability to translate strategy into well thought out roadmaps and tactical execution plans ensuring the best use of the resources and management of the deliverables
• Strong, demonstrable, organizational and problem-solving skills combined with analytical and planning abilities
• Strong, successful people-management skills that demonstrate flexibility and adaptability, and experience managing diverse teams
• Expert in agile methodologies and in leading a large group through the change management of becoming more agile
• Must demonstrate curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking
• Ability to effectively communicate between business and technical users
• Strong communication and presentation skills
• Knowledgeable in product road mapping with a strategic perspective
• Familiar with various project management tools such as Jira, Confluence as well as staying up to date on techniques and best practices
• Advanced skills in Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Visio
• Familiar with the principles of the Secure Software Development Lifecycle
30+ days ago