Product Manager (Enterprise Resource Planning Finance) – TECD
WFP seeks candidates of the highest integrity and professionalism who share our humanitarian principles
Selection of staff is made on a competitive basis, and we are committed to promoting diversity and gender balance
Job Title: Product Manager (Enterprise Resource Planning Finance)
Type of Contract: Regular Consultant (CST) Level II
Division: Digital Services (TECD), Information Technology Division
Duty Station: This position will be performed from remote
Duration: 11 months
ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT:
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is the world's largest humanitarian agency, fighting hunger worldwide. WFP Technology Division (TEC, formerly known as IT) is the digital business engine of the World Food Programme, providing the business with multi-pronged and resilient technical capabilities able to respond with the agility required in humanitarian operations, be they manmade or in a natural disaster setting.
The Technology Division of WFP partners with units across the organization to digitally transform WFP. We design, develop, enhance and maintain a variety of digital products. The Digital Solutions Delivery Branch (TECD) oversees solution delivery activities, covering both the introduction of new products as well as the evolution of existing ones. Each product being delivered has a Product Manager.
Reporting to the ERP Business Analysis Lead, the Product Manager (ERP Finance) is the custodian of the vision of the product, accountable for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the Product Team. The Product Manager aims for an IT solution which achieves the highest quality in terms of technical usability, user acceptability, and domain suitability.
ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:
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Apply strong knowledge of Finance and Budget business processes to develop IT solutions in line with User needs by identifying new opportunities, evolution or integrations across the different IT systems and tools
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Proactively engage the TEC and Business Stakeholders to propose and prioritise process optimisations with the aim to improve Finance, Budget and Donor contribution processes through Digital Technology
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Communicate business objectives, user needs and processes, to ensure common understanding and prioritization between stakeholders ensuring availability and sharing timely information with both internal and external parties.
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Act as Product Manager:
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Create and maintain the Improvement Canvas outlining the vision of the product;
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Create and maintain the Product Roadmap outlining the evolution of the product;
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Prepare the Product Roadmap for endorsement by the TEC Demand Assessment Board (DAB);
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Perform the role of Scrum Product Owner:
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Develop and explicitly communicate the Product Goal;
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Gather and validate requirements following a HCD approach;
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Ensure that the Product Backlog is transparent, visible and understood;
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Communicate requirements inwards to the Product Team:
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Identify and categorize stakeholders/customers/users/subject-matter experts;
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Decompose high-level requirements;
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Create and clearly communicate Product Backlog Items (PBI), partnering closely with Stakeholders and the Product Team to ensure everyone understands the items in the backlog;
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Ensure the PBIs pass the “Definition of Ready” criteria;
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Facilitate the Just-In-Time (JIT) detailed requirements delivery;
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Determine whether PBIs were satisfactorily delivered; and
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Give the Product Team clear guidance on which features to deliver next.
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Communication outwards to Stakeholders:
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Communicate estimates, dependencies and technical issues after grooming sessions, informing and negotiating with the Stakeholders;
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Make decisions, in consultation with Stakeholders, regarding the priority of PBIs;
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Inform of progress and host demonstrations to Stakeholders; and
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Be the first point of contact between Stakeholders and the Product Team.
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Decide when to deploy the product with the predisposition towards frequent releases;
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Take care of Backlog Grooming: regularly review items on the backlog to ensure the backlog contains the appropriate items, that they are prioritized, and that the items at the top of the backlog are ready for delivery;
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Participate in the Sprint Planning session; a team planning meeting that determines what to complete in the coming Sprint;
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Listen-in at the Daily Stand-up session: a 15-minute mini-meeting for the team to sync-up.
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Chair the Sprint Demo session: A sharing meeting where the team shows what was produced during the Sprint; and
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Participate in the Sprint Retrospective session: a review of what did and did not go well during the Sprint, with actions to make the next Sprint better;
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Manage the product budget (including support & maintenance costs), and prepare cost estimates based on the IT Solution Architect’s high-level effort estimates;
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Keep track of the consumption of purchased time-and-materials quotas;
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Provide guidance to vendors concerning the submission of consumption reports and invoices;
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Approve consumption reports for the insertion the corresponding Service Entry Sheets; and
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In collaboration with the TEC’s Head of Sourcing, create and renew Purchase Orders.
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When required, act as Project Manager reporting periodically on progress to the project management office, informing them of any issues/risks requiring attention. Identify and escalate issues that could affect the product outcomes, timeline or budget.
DELIVERABLES:
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A well-defined Product Vision and an up-to-date Product Roadmap fully aligned with Business Roadmaps and the needs of end-users.
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A well-managed Product Backlog, duly groomed and with Product Backlog Items (PBIs) passing the Definition of Ready criteria.
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A high level of satisfaction of the Stakeholders, IT Solution Architect, and Development Teams in relation to soft skills such as effective communication, conflict management, strategic contributions to product’s success, leadership skills, etc.
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Product Backlog well-structured in Epics, Features, and User Stories, with User Stories that pass the “Definition of Ready” as per the INVEST criteria.
QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:
Education:
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University Degree and/or advanced courses/training with emphasis in one or more of the following disciplines: Economics, Information Technology, Mathematics, Statistics, Business Administration or another related technical field.
Experience:
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Minimum 6 years post graduate, progressively responsible professional experience as Business Analyst within an organization and proven record of accomplishment in development and implementation of IT applications.
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Experience in process orientation, process adherence, and process documentation creation.
Technical Skills & Knowledge:
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Business analysis: creation and review of business, functional and non-functional requirements for IT solutions.
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IT solution development: Requirements, Design, Development, Implementation
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Research and Analysis: Best practice, Gartner, etc.
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Knowledge of Product and Project Management methodologies and tools. Ability to influence cross-functionally to manage projects within a matrix environment; Ability to manage budget, resources and risks. Ability to manage Stakeholders also at senior levels.
Language:
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Fluency in oral and written English with an intermediate knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish) or Portuguese (one of WFP’s working languages) is desirable.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS:
WFP offers a competitive compensation package, which will be determined by the contract type and selected candidate’s qualifications and experience.
Please visit the following websites for detailed information on working with WFP.
http://www.wfp.org Click on: "Our Work" and "Countries" to learn more about WFP's operations.
Deadline for applications: 16 September 2022 at 11:59pm Rome time (CET/CEST)
REF: 172621
Qualified female applicants and qualified applicants from developing countries are especially encouraged to apply.
WFP has zero tolerance for discrimination and does not discriminate based on HIV/AIDS status.
No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.
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