ET Consultant (Product Owner)

Job Posting Organization:
The World Bank Group is a prominent global partnership consisting of five institutions dedicated to addressing the most pressing development challenges faced by countries around the world. Established with the mission to end extreme poverty and promote shared prosperity, the World Bank Group operates in 189 member countries and has over 130 offices globally. It serves as a significant source of funding and knowledge for developing nations, collaborating with both public and private sector partners to invest in innovative projects that leverage data, research, and technology to create sustainable solutions. The organization is committed to fostering a culture of inclusivity and equal opportunity, ensuring that its workforce reflects the diversity of the communities it serves.

Job Overview:
The ET Consultant (Product Owner) position at the World Bank is a critical role within the Information and Technology Solutions (ITS) Vice Presidential Unit. The primary focus of this position is to leverage strong data analysis skills to enhance the effectiveness of the World Bank Group's financial operations. The Product Owner will be responsible for managing the product backlog, ensuring that user stories are well-defined and prioritized, and leading agile ceremonies such as sprint planning and reviews. This role requires a deep understanding of the product vision and roadmap, aligning it with the organization's strategic goals. The Product Owner will engage with various stakeholders across the World Bank Group, ensuring that their needs are accurately captured and reflected in the product backlog. Additionally, the role involves coordinating user acceptance testing, analyzing financial data for corporate reporting, and identifying opportunities for process improvement and automation in reporting workflows. The successful candidate will also develop interactive dashboards and visual reports to communicate financial insights effectively to diverse audiences.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The duties and responsibilities of the Product Owner include:

• Agile Product Ownership and Backlog Management: Own and maintain the product backlog, ensuring user stories are well-defined, prioritized, and sprint-ready.
• Product Vision and Roadmap: Define and communicate the product vision and multi-year roadmap, ensuring alignment with the World Bank Group's corporate strategy.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Serve as the primary liaison between the Corporate Reporting Agile Team and stakeholders, managing competing priorities and ensuring business needs are captured.
• User Acceptance and Quality Assurance: Coordinate user acceptance testing and validate that features meet stakeholder expectations prior to release.
• Financial Data Analysis and Reporting: Collect, process, analyze, and present financial data to support corporate reporting.
• Reporting Automation and Process Improvement: Identify opportunities to streamline and automate financial reporting processes.
• Data Visualization and Communication: Develop interactive dashboards and visual reports using tools like Power BI and Tableau.
• Performance Monitoring and Continuous Improvement: Monitor product performance and adoption metrics to drive continuous improvement.
• Change Management and Communications: Support organizational change management related to new reporting capabilities.

Required Qualifications:
Candidates must possess a Master's degree with at least 5 years of relevant experience, or a Bachelor's degree with at least 7 years of relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Additionally, candidates should have 5-10 years of direct experience with SAFe methodologies, preferably within a financial institution. Required certifications include SAFe Practice Consultant (SPC), with Advanced SPC (ASPC) or SPC Trainer (SPCT) preferred. Additional certifications in SAFe Release Train Engineer (RTE), SAFe Agile Product Manager (APM), and Scrum or Kanban methodologies are also preferred. Candidates must demonstrate strong facilitation, coaching, and executive communication skills, along with proficiency in data analysis tools such as SQL and Python, and familiarity with financial reporting platforms like SAP and Oracle.

Educational Background:
The educational background required for this position includes a Master's degree in a relevant field, such as Information Technology, Finance, Business Administration, or a related discipline. A Bachelor's degree may also be acceptable if accompanied by significant relevant experience. The candidate should have a solid understanding of financial accounting principles and reporting standards, as well as experience with data analysis and visualization tools.

Experience:
The position requires a minimum of 5 years of relevant experience for candidates with a Master's degree, or 7 years for those with a Bachelor's degree. Candidates should have substantial experience working in agile environments, particularly with SAFe methodologies, and experience in financial institutions is strongly preferred. The role demands a proven track record of managing product backlogs, engaging with stakeholders, and delivering high-quality financial reporting solutions.

Languages:
The mandatory language for this position is English. Proficiency in additional languages is considered a plus, although not explicitly required.

Additional Notes:
This position is a local recruitment opportunity with a term duration of 1 year. The World Bank Group emphasizes a culture of inclusivity and equal opportunity, and it is committed to creating a diverse workforce. The role is based in Washington DC, USA, and candidates should be prepared to engage with a global team and contribute to the organization's mission of ending extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity.