Product Specialist - Sandton at Discovery Limited

PRODUCT SPECIALIST JOB FUNCTION

The successful candidate will be responsible for, but not limited to, the following job functions.

• Be involved in executing the Vitality strategy by innovating and leading delivery of projects relating to new benefits, customer experience, growth, avoid and steer and engagement initiatives in line with the Vitality strategy
• Be product lead of multiple concurrent cross functional teams for large-sized projects and successfully leading the project from conceptualization through to implementation, operationalization, and post-implementation management ensuring they continue to achieve business objects and engagement targets within Vitality.
• Maintain and be knowledgeable about customer experience, digital and gamification trends, and innovations in this field to act as a consultant in guiding and improving Vitality's new and existing product suite, features, customer experience, growth, engagement, and avoiding and steering functions to achieve strategic outcomes.
• Maintain awareness of trends and innovations in health and wellness
• Collaboration with numerous stakeholders both internal (e.g. marketing, systems, graphics, data analysts, compliance, legal and usability specialists) and external is required to develop projects that are engaging and provide a memorable customer experience.
• Manage work priorities and ensure that work within each stream is completed on schedule and within budget.
• Ensure that work is delivered in accordance with the larger picture of Vitality's strategic outcomes in terms of maximum ROI and value.
• Ensure all projects are designed to optimize self-servicing and are operationally efficient
• Ensure that the system's solution is efficient in terms of ROI and that it does not require more system effort than is required to satisfy both short-term and long-term sustainability goals for the same project or program, as well as the Vitality eco-system in general.
• Develop an understanding of Vitality's overall products/features/initiatives and projects, as well as the influence of your project on the Vitality business.
• Determine the critical project components that must be delivered for the project to succeed and Vitality's overall strategic success.
• Contribute to formal and informal research to aid in the design and improvement of engagement, growth, customer experience, avoid and steer, products, and features
• Create business cases, presentation decks, product, and customer experience specifications as well as reporting and content specifications for large-scale initiatives, covering new and existing product suites, features, customer experience, growth, engagement, and avoiding and directing functions to reach strategic results.
• Present to various internal and external stakeholders to acquire project buy-in and approvals.
• Participate in feasibility, solutioning, and other relevant forums to co-create a project solution.
• Approve system’ user specifications
• Approve marketing content and user experience / member journeys to ensure they are in line with the project's strategic goals. Approve testing plans when projects are initiated to ensure that all eventualities are addressed. Accept Beta plans.
• Ensure that the customer experience is optimized by conducting UAT using actual devices and in-store visits, and by scheduling frequent mystery shopping.
• Ensure that projects are designed to be operationally efficient and are fully operationalized at launch
• Liaise with other business leads from departments such as marketing, systems, operations, service, project office, and finance to ensure their specifications meet the projects strategic and functional objectives.
• Proactively monitor and manage a set of specified projects, innovating where necessary to ensure that they continue to engage our members and fulfill Vitality's goals.

SUPPORT THE HEAD OF VITALITY MEMBER EXPERIENCE

The chosen candidate will assist the Head of Vitality Customer Experience in the following, including but not limited to:

• Strategise, invent, plan, and oversee the implementation of initiatives within the Customer Experience, Digital Growth, Vitality Engagement, Avoid & Steer, and Vitality product/feature pillars to ensure that projects advance the strategic objectives of the pillars and the organization's strategic objectives.
• Ongoing management of various projects, initiatives, pillars, or strategies as required
• Perform other functional, innovation, research, project, product or related duties as assigned
• Maintain operational processes for assigned products, projects or functions where strategic input determines the direction

QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum of a bachelor’s degree.
• Minimum of five years' expertise in one or more of the following fields is preferred customer experience, digital product development, project implementation, digital product strategy, customer interaction, product ownership and growth strategy formulation and implementation.
• Post graduate degree or business diploma is preferable but not essential

EXPERIENCE AND COMPETENCIES

The successful applicant must have proven experience and competencies in the following areas:

• A positive attitude, who takes the initiative to accomplish the task, possesses the motivation to complete the assignment in a reasonable period, and inspires others to do the same, without focusing on the unavoidable obstacles that emerge in any employment.
• Demonstrated adaptability and flexibility in performing responsibilities in a constantly evolving workplace
• A demonstrated capacity to establish solid, trustworthy, and reliable relationships and partnerships
• A demonstrated aptitude for providing regular, timely, and high-quality communication and conversation with leaders and stakeholders, with the ability to modify communication style to the needs of various leaders and stakeholders.
• Competent facilitation abilities. Should have the ability to manage group discussions.
• Result-oriented. Should be capable of following up on feedback to guarantee positive, timely results.
• Demonstrable aptitude for anticipating and planning ahead while paying close attention to detail. Must be capable of producing precise written documents.
• Proven expertise in agile product ownership and implementation, presenting to stakeholders to secure buy-in and approval of projects, negotiation, and leading various stakeholders in managing and delivering on several concurrent projects in a fast-paced and dynamic environment.
• A proven understanding of digital trends, customer experience, growth and engagement activities, and strategy formulation.
• A drive to continue learning, discovering, and comprehending new advancements and field-specific information in the context of an ever-changing workplace and customer demands.