South Africa: Product Operations Lead (Product Owner) (CH1185) posted by Capital H Staffing and Advisory Solutions

The Product Operations Lead ensures smooth execution, operational support, and lifecycle management of all customer-facing components within the Product Portfolio. This role bridges delivery, stakeholder engagement, and operational escalation, driving clarity across BA and ops teams, coordinating OEM lifecycle activities, and ensuring that customer-facing product experiences are stable, compliant, and aligned with business expectations. Additionally, the Product Operation Lead supports Agile execution, manages inbound queries, and ensures product outcomes meet business and customer needs. The role also includes leading and mentoring a team of Business Analysts and operational personnel to foster excellence in delivery and performance.

Qualification and Experience:

• Relevant IT degree/diploma or Diploma / Degree in Business Administration or related
• Certified Product Owner (CPO) Highly beneficial
• Minimum 5-years in product operations, delivery or product ownership
• Experience in a software development team that is diligently applying Agile/ Scrum principles, practices, and theory is preferred

Functional Competencies:

• Relationship Building
• Attention to detail
• Exceptional communication
• Conflict resolution skills
• Leadership
• Product Lifecycle & Customer-Facing Coordination
• OEM Lifecycle & Partner Management
• SLA Adherence & Time Management
• Operational Escalation Analysis & Resolution
• Analytical & Facilitation Skills

Key Performance Areas:

Vision, Goals and Measurement

• Align product goals with business objectives and performance metrics
• Own and communicate product vision across teams and stakeholders
• Ensure customer-facing product components reflect agreed business outcomes

Risk Mitigation

• Identify and escalate risks early to prevent delivery disruption
• Propose mitigations and maintain operational stability across customer-facing flows
• Ensure adherence to agreed SLAs across operational workflows
• Implement corrective actions when SLA breaches occur, and escalate where necessary

BA & Ops Team Leadership

• Lead and mentor BA and operations staff
• Ensure high-quality requirements and effective cross-functional handoff
• Triage and resolve operational escalations into the product area, especially those impacting customers
• Analyse recurring operational escalations and present actionable requirements or solutions to prevent recurrence
• Maintain clear documentation of escalation patterns and resolution strategies

Stakeholder Management

• Collaborate across business, IT, and other product teams
• Build trust and facilitate decision-making with stakeholders
• Manage dependencies and ensure alignment across functions
• Communicate effectively across technical and non-technical audiences, ensuring clarity, alignment, and trust
• Deliver concise, actionable updates to stakeholders on SLA performance and operational risks

OEM Lifecycle Management

• Own onboarding, configuration, and deprecation of OEMs
• Manage Trustonic integration and device provisioning logic
• Respond to inbound queries from repair centres and external partners
• Maintain OEM roadmap and ensure backend alignment with customer-facing logic

General

• We are committed to fair and inclusive hiring. All suitably qualified applicants are welcome to apply.
• Preference may be given in line with our clients Employment Equity plan and applicable legislation.
• Applicants must have the legal right to work in South Africa at the time of application.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. If you do not hear from us within 30 days, please consider your application unsuccessful.
• Please include your current remuneration (CTC), salary expectation, and notice period (optional but helpful for screening).
• By applying, you consent to the processing of your personal information for recruitment purposes in accordance with POPIA.