Prioritize features and enhancements that deliver maximum value to business stakeholders in Chennai, Washington DC, and globally ensuring alignment with the World Bank s strategic objectives and the evolving needs of the lending business.
Own and manage the product backlog, translating high-level business requirements into detailed user stories with clear acceptance criteria and Definition of Done (DoD).
Continuously refine and prioritize the backlog based on business value, user feedback, risk, and technical feasibility, ensuring that the most critical needs are addressed first.
Lead iteration/sprint planning sessions, ensuring that the development team understands the business context and priorities.
Accept or reject deliverables based on rigorous reviews against user story acceptance criteria and DoD, ensuring quality and business alignment.
Develop and execute user acceptance testing (UAT) plans, engaging business users in validating solutions. Champion change management, ensuring that new features and changes are well-communicated, adopted, and deliver intended business outcomes.
2. Domain Expertise in Lending Operations
Function as the subject matter expert (SME) for development bank lending operations, with deep understanding of loan origination, disbursement, debt servicing, and financial books closing & reporting processes.
Lead or participate in business process mapping, fit-gap analysis, and solution design sessions, ensuring that system enhancements are grounded in real-world lending practices and regulatory requirements.
Build strong relationships with business stakeholders, acting as their advocate within IT and vendor teams. Facilitate workshops, interviews, and feedback sessions to capture evolving business needs, pain points, and opportunities for process improvement.
Ensure that all product features and changes comply with World Bank policies, lending regulations, and data governance standards.
Proactively monitor changes in the regulatory landscape and assess their impact on the lending platform. 3. Agile Leadership and Continuous Improvement
Foster an agile mindset within the team, promoting iterative delivery, continuous feedback, and adaptive planning. Lead retrospectives and process improvement initiatives, driving higher team performance and product quality. Support project planning, progress monitoring, and reporting. Manage risks, dependencies, and resource allocation in collaboration with business and technical leads.
Define and track key performance indicators (KPIs) for the product, such as user satisfaction, business process efficiency, and system reliability.
Use data-driven insights to inform prioritization and demonstrate the value delivered to the business. 4. Technical Oversight and Solution Quality
Bridge the gap between business and technical teams, ensuring that business requirements are translated into robust, scalable, and maintainable technical solutions.
Collaborate with architects and developers to ensure solutions are aligned with WBG enterprise architecture, security, and integration standards.
Review technical specifications, test plans, and deliverables to ensure they meet business needs and quality standards.
Lead root cause analysis and resolution of complex system issues, leveraging domain knowledge to guide troubleshooting and solution design.
Respond to day-to-day operational queries and system issues. Troubleshoot and resolve issues across application layers, coordinating with technical experts and support teams as needed.
Stay abreast of emerging technologies and market trends. Experiment with new tools and solutions that align with organizational goals and recommend process improvements for efficiency and quality.
Ensure compliance with WBG data governance and information security standards. Consult with Information Security (OIS) during all stages of software development and support incident response as required.
Mentor business analysts and team members in both product management and lending domain best practices. Promote a culture of knowledge sharing, continuous learning, and professional development within the team. Coordinate with external vendors and partners onsite and remote teams, providing the required guidance, ensuring that their deliverables meet WBG standards and business expectations.
Negotiate priorities, timelines, and deliverables, holding partners accountable for quality and value. Master s degree with a minimum of 3 years of relevant experience or Bachelor s degree with minimum of 5 years of relevant experience.
Minimum 2 years Experience as a technical lead responsible for system design and implementation of Development Bank s Lending applications.
Strong experience in implementing and supporting custom developed mission critical solutions on enterprise platforms such as SAP (on-prem), Azure, .Net, and Camunda platforms and integrating with upstream and downstream applications.
Proven experience as a Product Owner or similar role in the lending domain, preferably within development banks or financial institutions.
In-depth understanding of development bank lending platforms, business processes such as Loan Origination, Disbursements, Billing, Receipts, Hedging and Accounting
Demonstrated technical and functional expertise in SAP Financials, specifically with General Ledger and Special Purpose Ledgers.
Proven ability to create detailed technical documentation, including low-level design documents, unit test plans, and test cases.
Hands-on experience in full software development lifecycle for financial applications, including design, development, system integration and operational support.
Skilled in optimizing code and ensuring compliance with the bank s coding standards. Capable of supporting various testing phases, such as unit, integration, and user acceptance testing. Able to assist with the preparation of documentation and artifacts required for OIS (Office of Information Security) and ICFR (Internal controls for Financial Reporting) clearance.
Demonstrated experience in agile delivery and management using tools such as ADO, project management, and cross-functional team leadership.
Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.
Ability to prioritize and manage multiple demands from a large and diverse user base.
