Business Product Owner

pd banner 770px

Tēnei tūranga – About the role

The Business Product Owner is responsible for representing the business in all aspects and plays a vital role in the success and progress of a product. They will ensure initiative and product trajectories are aligned with the product vision, deal with issues as they arise and attend to all relevant meeting, planning and backlog/refinement sessions on a daily basis. The role requires rapid, on-the-spot decisions of authority to be made to remove roadblocks for the team and the ability to understand the wider context, ask the right questions and make decisions quickly.

This role ensures the quality and consistency of advice to the National Manager, business owner, sponsor and branch leadership teams by providing advice and support to the delivery team.

Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role

Personal specifications

  • All employees are required to comply with MBIE’s vaccination policy which seeks to protect the wellbeing, health and safety of our people, their whānau and the community. You are required to hold a valid vaccination pass to be employed at MBIE.
  • Ability to articulate ideas to both technical and non-technical audiences.
  • An understanding of managing projects and owning outcomes and benefits.
  • Proven ability to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes and benefits by balancing the needs of multiple parties and influencing without line management accountability.
  • Ability to interpret strategic and business plans to ensure that future opportunities are aligned.
  • Demonstrable experience in communicating effectively at all levels including running workshops and demonstrations.
  • Proven experience working with senior leadership teams and providing high level strategic and operational advice.
  • Design thinking skills and understanding of business process.
  • Experience delivering customer and business services.
  • The ability to deliver successful outcomes in a demanding environment.
  • The ability to gain and maintain a national security clearance as required.
  • All employees are required to comply with MBIE’s vaccination policy which seeks to protect the wellbeing, health and safety of our people, their whānau and the community. You are required to hold a valid vaccination pass to be employed at MBIE.
  • Must be a NZ citizen or hold a residence class visa.

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables

Business Management and Advice

  • Collaborate and communicate internally and externally, elaborate the product vision and desirable end state.
  • Understand and communicate how INZ’s customers and staff use the products/services developed. Advocate for great customer experience.
  • Describe product features, while being aware of return on investment and business benefits realisation.
  • Prioritise the work to be done. Ensure any additional requirements are captured and prioritised alongside other features.
  • Define acceptance criteria; work with delivery team to determine what needs to be tested or demonstrated to prove that the features are acceptable. Accept or reject work delivered by the team.
  • Determine which features are ready to release to deliver value to customers.
  • Report to business owner and stakeholders on priorities and progress, ensuring regular and open communications.
  • Authority to make decisions in line with the business owners require or direction.
  • Delivers business and advisory services to the National Manager, and wider leadership team, in order to strengthen the overall capability of INZ and ensure the quality and consistency of service provision and practices across the business.

Team and Stakeholder Management

  • Participates as an active team member and contributes knowledge and expertise needed to achieve MBIE’s outcomes.
  • Develops effective working relationships with other MBIE managers and staff in order to transfer knowledge and learning from the team to the wider organisation.
  • Builds and maintains effective relationships and partnerships with internal and external stakeholders, as necessary, in order to identify and share best practice information and to promote the Ministry, its products and services.

Wellbeing, health & safety

  • Displays commitment through actively supporting all safety and wellbeing initiatives.
  • Ensures own and others safety at all times.
  • Complies with relevant safety and wellbeing policies, procedures, safe systems of work and event reporting.
  • Reports all incidents/accidents, including near misses in a timely fashion.
  • Is involved in health and safety through participation and consultation.

Tō tūranga i roto i te Manatū – Your place in the Ministry

The Business Product Owner position reports into the National Manager within the Enablement branch. The branch sits within the Immigration New Zealand group.

The Enablement Branch provides leadership and direction while supporting and enabling INZ branches to deliver outstanding services to our users. The branch set rules for decision making that reflect and incorporate strategic priorities and mandated change while also providing centralised support for the ongoing smooth running of INZ.

More information about MBIE’s structure(external link)

To mātou aronga – What we do for Aotearoa New Zealand

Hīkina Whakatutuki is the te reo Māori name for the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. Hīkina means to uplift. Whakatutuki means to move forward, to make successful. Our name speaks to our purpose, Grow Aotearoa New Zealand for All.

To Grow Aotearoa New Zealand for All, we put people at the heart of our mahi. Based on the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi / The Treaty of Waitangi, we are committed to upholding authentic partnerships with Māori.

As agile public service leaders, we use our breadth and experience to navigate the ever-changing world. We are service providers, policy makers, investors and regulators. We engage with diverse communities, businesses and regions. Our work touches on the daily lives of New Zealanders. We grow opportunities (Puāwai), guard and protect (Kaihāpai) and innovate and navigate towards a better future (Auaha).

Ngā matatau – Our competencies

Cultivates innovation We create new and better ways for the organisation to be successful by challenging the status quo generating new and creative ideas and translating them into workable solutions.

Nimble learning We are curious and actively learn through experimentation when tackling new problems by learning as we go when facing new situations and challenges.

Customer focus We build strong customer relationships and deliver customer-centric solutions by listening and gaining insights into the needs of the communities we serve and actively seeking and responding to feedback.

Decision quality We make quality and timely decisions that shape the future for our communities and keep the organisation moving forward by relying on an appropriate mix of analysis, wisdom, experience, and judgement to make valid and reliable decisions.

Action oriented We step up, taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with purpose, urgency and discipline by taking responsibility, ownership and action on challenges, and being accountable for the results.

Collaborates We connect, working together to build partnerships with our communities, working collaboratively to meet shared objectives by gaining trust and support of others; actively seeking the views, experiences, and opinions of others and by working co-operatively with others across MBIE, the public sector and external stakeholder groups.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi

As an agency of the public service, MBIE has a responsibility to contribute to the Crown meeting its obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi (Te Tiriti). Meeting our commitment to Te Tiriti will contribute towards us realising the overall aims of Te Ara Amiorangi – Our Path, Our Direction, and achieve the outcome of Growing New Zealand for All. The principles of Te Tiriti - including partnership, good faith, and active protection – are at the core of our work. MBIE is committed to delivering on our obligations as a Treaty partner with authenticity and integrity and to enable Māori interests. We are committed to ensuring that MBIE is well placed to meet our obligations under the Public Service Act 2020 (Te Ao Tūmatanui) to support the Crown in strengthening the Māori/Crown Relationship under the Treaty and to build MBIE’s capability, capacity and cultural intelligence to deliver this.

Mahi i roto i te Ratonga Tūmatanui – Working in the public service

Ka mahitahi mātou o te ratonga tūmatanui kia hei painga mō ngā tāngata o Aotearoa i āianei, ā, hei ngā rā ki tua hoki. He kawenga tino whaitake tā mātou hei tautoko i te Karauna i runga i āna hononga ki a ngāi Māori i raro i te Tiriti o Waitangi. Ka tautoko mātou i te kāwanatanga manapori. Ka whakakotahingia mātou e te wairua whakarato ki ō mātou hapori, ā, e arahina ana mātou e ngā mātāpono me ngā tikanga matua o te ratonga tūmatanui i roto i ā mātou mahi.

In the public service we work collectively to make a meaningful difference for New Zealanders now and in the future. We have an important role in supporting the Crown in its relationships with Māori under the Treaty of Waitangi. We support democratic government. We are unified by a spirit of service to our communities and guided by the core principles and values of the public service in our work.

What does it mean to work in Aotearoa New Zealand’s Public Service?(external link) — Te Kawa Mataaho The Public Service Commission

MBIE value: Māia - Bold & brave, Pae Kahurangi - Build our future, Mahi Tahi - Better together, Pono Me Te Tika - Own it
Last updated: 26 July 2022