Product Owner

⁠⁠⁠The Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources is responsible for the delivery of Commonwealth Grant and Incentive Programs across Government. The delivery of these programs is undertaken as part of the Business Grants Hub – a whole-of-government shared services initiative that is streamlining Commonwealth grants administration.

The Business Grants Hub Branch is responsible for establishment and management of grants in partnership with other Commonwealth departments. Working closely with policy agencies to ensure successful delivery of outcomes across government, as well as driving improvements in program delivery and operations.

The Systems and Support Section is responsible for the strategic and day-to-day operations of grants management and other enabling systems from a business prospective and providing support to users. The team is the nexus between users and technical teams, working collaboratively to ensure our systems effectively support the delivery of the Department’s outcomes.

System Product Owners (in consultation with users and key stakeholders) consider desired future state and business needs for system enhancements, define and prioritise business requirements and approve solutions.

As Assistant Manager and Product Owner you will report to the Manager, Systems and Support, to undertake complex work under broad direction. You will have responsibility for representing the experiences and needs of the business in the IT development process to ensure that systems and platforms are fit for purpose. You will:
• Taking a long term view, identify future system needs and, based on business needs, identify priorities and plan a program of work to address these
• Engage with program areas to develop an understanding of their needs and ensure feedback from users and other evidence informs the Product Backlog and Product Roadmap
• Develop and maintain the Product Backlog and ensure it is prioritised such that it maximises value and is traceable to the Product Vision
• Support business change activities to encourage adoption of the system
• Develop requirements for systems enhancement and work with the Department’s IT team throughout the development process
• Manage user testing activities to assess the effectiveness of system or platform changes from the user’s perspective
• Keep senior staff informed, escalating issues and proposing solutions on the basis of good judgment and an understanding of priorities
• Support, mentor and coach members of the section to develop their capability, build a positive and productive culture, and facilitate the production of high quality work.

Experience in the following is essential:
• Experience in guiding IT projects by representing the end user.
• Experience in backlog management and prioritisation.

The successful candidates must:
• Have Australian citizenship
• Have a baseline security clearance.