Product Manager

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Job Profile

Job Title

Department

Compensation Range

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Posting End Date

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the day prior to the Posting End Date above.

Job End Date

At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.

Job Summary

The University of British Columbia ("UBC") is a global centre for teaching, learning and research, consistently ranked among the top 20 public universities in the world and recently recognized as North America's most international university. UBC is a diverse environment, with almost every industry vertical represented from healthcare, education, food and beverage, legal, media, real estate, etc. and with more than 70,000 members of the community UBC's service providers need to be able to meet a variety of stakeholder needs with both robust and mature operational capabilities combined with the agility and innovation required to meet the ambitious objectives laid out in its new Strategic Plan: Shaping UBC's Next Century.

The Integrated Service Centre ("ISC") maintains, continuously improves and enhances the systems and processes that support operational functions of UBC, including human resources and finance (and student services, in the future). Team members within this unit will work cross-functionally with other departments/units across UBC. The vision for the ISC is to provide integrated services that create an enriched user experience for UBC faculty, staff and students.

The Product Manager ensures user needs related to HR, Finance, Payroll or Student product are identified and prioritized within the ISC products and services and leads the enhancement of their respective product understanding all functionality, features, performance, applicability for UBC.

As the product expert for the HR, Finance, Student function within the ISC, this position partners across the UBC community as required to prioritize enhancement roadmaps and backlog ensuring alignment with ISC strategy, policy, and practices. This role is responsible for managing a team of Business and Configuration Analysts that engage with business stakeholders to elicit requirements, ensure enhancements and issue resolutions are in alignment with the business owners, resolve application issues, configure enhancements, and/or collaborate with configuration analysts on system configuration, drives changes through CAB, and partners across the ISC to continually improve the functionality of Workday.

Organizational Status

The Product Manager reports to the Senior Product Manager and is responsible for leading the Business and Configuration Analysts and engages as part of the ISC governance structure to ensure alignment with ISC vision, goals, practices and policies. Oversees and leads the performance development of a team of Business and Configuration Analysts.

The Product Manager makes key decisions surrounding all related to specific area product / service inquiries, escalating matters as required. Leads the Business and Configuration Analysts team within the ISC to deliver an integrated solution for all stakeholders, continuously improving upon related product solutions.

Partners across Vice President Finance and Operations portfolio, Vice President Human Resources, Enrolment Services portfolio and the wider UBC community to ensure alignment with organizational vision, goals, policies and practices.

Work Performed

• Develops, mentors, and provides leadership, including all aspects of the team member lifecycle (e.g., hiring, training, coaching, etc.)

• Leads the team performance conversation process with team of Business and Configuration Analysts team members.

• Provides career planning advice to team; creates development plans to help team members achieve their career goals, including assigning work which leverages their skills and provides them with opportunities for learning.

• Manages performance development and evaluation in partnership with HR and, where applicable, the Senior Manager or Director.

• Leads the overall technical management regarding their specific product area delivery and sustainment within the ISC. As the leader for ongoing and future product enhancements, leads the development and implement of innovative service, business solutions, and programs, provides technical leadership and oversight on projects, and collaborates with others on integrated solutions and initiatives across other administrative/academic areas. Anticipates and analyzes trends in technology and assesses the impact of emerging technologies on the business. Acts as the product leader to ensure alignment with ISC vision, goals, policies and practices.

• Provides recommendations to senior management for changes to policies and procedures related to improved financial control or accountability and strategic financial planning initiatives.

• Translates short- and long-term strategic HR, Finance, Payroll or Student requirements into operational plans.

• Acts as the product expert of respective area for the ISC, understanding all functionality, features, performance, and applicability for UBC.

• Ensures the business requirements gathered reflect the university and user needs and optimize experience.

• Develops a release/enhancement roadmap and backlog for Workday functionality. Collaborates with other product leaders to prioritize backlog activities into a single ISC log.

• Contributes to and translates the ISC vision and strategic direction and oversees the development of system specific strategies, tactical plans and initiatives.

• Establishes targets and key performance indicators that will drive a culture of best practices and improvement in the day-to-day operations of the team.

• Partners with the Senior Product Manager to support vendor management for the HR, Finance or Student product.

• Develops influential partnerships across the ISC unit and broader UBC.

• Understands the relationship/intersection between ISC products/services and UBC's application landscape

• Partners on cross-functional, cross-discipline teams across ISC to align work, priorities and practices.

• Partners across the ISC to agree and align on cross-product features, changes, enhancements and priorities.

• Ensures a two-way dialogue between the ISC and the respective UBC community of practice to align and integrate strategic visions and practices.

• Partners to move UBC's practices from "system of record" to "platform of engagement" through collaborative and innovative efforts.

• Works as a change agent within the UBC community, playing a key role in soliciting feedback and fostering an agile, innovative, and collaborative transformation experience.

• Partners with committees to embrace matters related to stakeholder engagement, adoption, sustainment, and continuous improvement.

• Participates in and contributes to the UBC Operational Excellence community of practice.

• Advocates for and ensures alignment with UBC's data governance framework, privacy and information security practices. Administers unit training budget and ensures for cost efficiencies. Negotiates for, sources and obtains financial, physical, or human resources to support short-term projects and programs.

• Performs other related duties as required.

Consequence of Error/Judgement

Decisions and recommendations may have University-wide legal, financial, contractual and operational implications. Accountable for promoting and fostering a positive, inclusive atmosphere and relationship between the University and its employee groups. Balances ISC objectives within the context of university wide human resource strategies. Focusing on partnerships and product delivery will ensure optimal functionality and customer satisfaction in support of ISC's strategic goals.

Supervision Received

Reports directly to the Senior Product Manager. Work is reviewed under broad direction; results are reviewed for achievement of overall objectives. The Product Manager is expected to partner with their leader and relevant stakeholder groups to determine strategic priorities and direction but will act with a great deal of independence throughout execution.

Supervision Given

Manages Product team (Business and Configuration Analysts). Provides leadership, guidance, and expertise to their team to ensure a consistent, high degree of customer satisfaction, technical expertise, and timeliness in delivering service is provided. Is responsible for the hiring and performance evaluation of the team to ensure that assigned responsibilities are performed efficiently and effectively.

Minimum Qualifications
Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline. Minimum of eight years of related experience, or the equivalent combination of education and experience.

- Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own

- Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion

Preferred Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline which include: Human Resource Management, Business Administration.

• Master’s degree preferred

• Previous experience in the design and implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) transformational projects is an asset.

• Experience working with Workday is an asset.

• Experience working in a complex, academic environment is preferred.

• UBC experience is considered an asset.

• Demonstrated ability to manage a broad range of general and specialized HR, Finance or Student functions.

• Working knowledge of HR, Finance or Student management products preferably within higher education environments.

• Demonstrated technical, generalist knowledge in all aspects of practices and processes.

• Demonstrated ability to apply change management methods and approaches to complex organizational contexts.

• Expert experience managing quality assurance, testing data integration, security, and report development processes.

• Demonstrated experience developing, implementing, and ensuring adherence to procedures, methods, standards and controls to foster operational efficiency, monitor compliance, mitigate risks, and achieve objectives.

• Advanced experience working with a variety of software including Jira, Confluence and ticketing systems, such as ServiceNow.

• Experience working in a matrix or dual-reporting environment.

• Demonstrated competence leading product teams in complex organizational environments (academic environments an asset).

• Demonstrated experience working on cross-functional teams and communicating to diverse audiences.

• Demonstrated understanding of technology and organizational change management methods and approaches.

• Demonstrated leadership that fosters collaboration, innovation, continuous improvement and creativity on teams.

• Proven ability to support employees through the team member lifecycle (i.e., onboarding, performance conversations, career mobility, etc.).

• Demonstrated ability to lead in a collaborative and inclusive manner, fostering equitable experiences and a respectful environment through reflection, empathy, sensitivity, and curiosity towards differences across teams.

• Excellent interpersonal skills including active listening, written and verbal communication, conflict management, and the ability to manage diversity across identities, perspectives, and behaviors.