Senior Product Owner

Operating in the UAE for over 50 years, CBD manages the financial requirements of some of the largest corporates and businesses operating in the country, driving the UAE economy. Over the years, CBD has transformed into a progressive and modern banking institution winning multiple awards for its digital initiatives, credit cards, bank accounts, mobile app features and services.

CBD has been recognized as the number one bank in the UAE on the Forbes list of The World’s Best Banks 2022.

As we continue to build upon our successes, we are looking for ambitious individuals who are passionate about the banking and finance industry and the markets in which CBD operates. Just as important to us is your ability to demonstrate a talent for dealing with people - your colleagues and our customers - and delivering service that really goes the extra mile.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• The Senior Product Owner will have accountability across the Agile Product Lifecycle and ultimate responsibility for delivery of Cards products and services across Digital Channels.
• Product Strategy and Roadmap: Define product vision, roadmap and growth opportunities. Develop and maintain a clear and actionable product strategy and roadmap that aligns with the overall business strategy and objectives of the bank. Own the product requirements and roadmap, prioritize and manage the product backlog, ensuring that it reflects user needs, business priorities, and aligns with the overall bank strategy.
• Value Creation: Assess value, develop cases, and prioritize stories, epics and themes to ensure the bank focuses on those with maximum value, customer impact and return on investment.
• Cards Domain Expertise: Provide subject matter expertise across Cards products and services, including Visa products, card lifecycle management, digital card servicing and related customer journeys.
• Requirement Gathering: Collaborate closely with stakeholders, including customers, internal teams (such as Products, Operations, Technology, Risk, Compliance and Information Security), and external partners to gather and prioritize requirements.
• Backlog Management: Prioritize and maintain the product backlog, ensuring that it reflects the priorities and needs of various stakeholders and is groomed and refined regularly.
• Feature Definition: Define clear and concise user stories and acceptance criteria based on business requirements and user feedback, ensuring that the development team understands the scope and goals of the product features.
• Release Planning and Coordination: Plan and coordinate product releases, including defining release goals, coordinating with cross-functional teams, and ensuring timely delivery of features and enhancements.
• Product Development Oversight: Act as the primary point of contact for the development team, providing guidance, clarification and support throughout the development lifecycle to ensure successful delivery of product features.
• Digital Channels & Security: Drive the delivery of Cards capabilities across Mobile Banking, Online Banking and other customer channels while ensuring alignment with security, fraud prevention and regulatory requirements.
• Market and Competitive Analysis: Conduct market research and competitive analysis to identify opportunities for product innovation and differentiation, staying informed about industry trends, card scheme developments and best practices.
• User Experience and Quality Assurance: Collaborate with UX/UI designers and QA analysts to ensure that the product meets high standards of usability, accessibility and quality.
• Performance Monitoring and Optimization: Monitor product performance and KPIs, conduct data analysis to identify areas for improvement, and drive continuous optimization and iteration based on user feedback and data insights.
• Stakeholder Management and Communication: Work closely with stakeholders, customers and development teams to define and communicate detailed product requirements, user stories and acceptance criteria. Lead and manage business analysts, assigning tasks, providing guidance and ensuring effective communication within the team. Communicate product updates, progress and strategy effectively to stakeholders at all levels of the organization, including senior leadership.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Cards Experience: 10+ years of experience in Cards, Payments, Digital Banking or Financial Services, with substantial responsibility for end-to-end Cards delivery.
• Techno-Functional Expertise: Proven ability to bridge business and technology teams, understand solution architecture and processing flows, define detailed Visa
• Knowledge: Strong knowledge of Visa products, scheme rules, mandates, certification processes and the end-to-end card transaction lifecycle.
• Platform Knowledge: Strong hands-on functional or techno-functional experience with VisionPLUS.
• Cards Processing: Deep understanding of card lifecycle management, authorization, clearing and settlement, transaction processing, card controls, limits, fees, disputes and chargebacks.
• Channels: Proven delivery experience integrating card platforms with Mobile Banking, Online Banking, APIs, middleware, payment switches, digital wallets and self-service channels.
• Security: Strong understanding of PCI DSS, 3D Secure, tokenization, strong customer authentication, device binding, multi-factor authentication, fraud prevention and card risk controls.
• Agile Delivery: Strong knowledge of Agile delivery methodologies, backlog management, user-story definition, acceptance criteria, release planning and tools such as JIRA or Azure DevOps.
• Stakeholder Management: Demonstrated ability to work effectively with senior stakeholders, cross-functional teams, card schemes, processors and technology vendors.
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Business, Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering or a related discipline. Relevant Cards, Payments, Agile or security certifications are advantageous.
• Market Experience: Experience within UAE or GCC banking and familiarity with the regional regulatory environment are preferred.