Product Manager, Innovation (contract)

Our retail client is looking for a Product Manager for their innovation lab to primarily support the design, development and release of a Data-Driven Solution Offering. We are looking for someone with early-stage product development experience – with demonstrated success taking an idea, to prototype to production. This candidate will manage all the relevant aspects of the product; business strategy, product marketing, concept design and technical delivery. This role requires someone to lead and manage the project team through the various phases of the product lifecycle.

Responsibilities
Plan and successfully deliver large, highly visible IT projects
Support prototyping and design activities for innovation-driven projects
Lead a team to take products from idea to MVP
Own and align product backlog to business goals and business value; drafting, refining, and prioritizing user stories for the team.
Provide extensive communications to senior management as required
Implement efficient communication practices to ensure the that the project team operates efficiently and effectively
Identify, secure and lead large multi-stream project teams
Provide leadership to the project team
Build business proposals and plans
Manage project schedules and budgets to ensure project completion on time, on budget, and within scope and agreed performance metrics
Analyze project risk and execute risk management strategies
Develop project charters ensuring alignment with business goals and properly defined project scope, deliverables, risk analysis and resource requirements
Manage both departmental and cross-functional projects as required

Requirements
5+ years of product management focused in software delivery
Experience driving innovation-based projects in domains such as AI, data science, and more
Experience building prototypes and bringing ideas to MVP
Retail experience highly preferred
Experience managing roadmaps and delivering complex, high-visibility projects within an enterprise organization
Has experience managing diverse stakeholders across all management levels
Practical knowledge and experience with Agile roles and artifacts, and Scrum processes
Possess a good sense of how business needs can be met through innovative technology solutions;
Demonstrated excellence in communication and leadership
Experience in creating project plans using formal PM methodologies
Knowledge of business process analysis and design
Solid understanding of project management processes, principles, tools, and methodology.
Formal Project Management training
A university degree or equivalent combination of education and experience

Job 60933