Product Owner

Mandatory skills Agile/Scrum (PI Planning), Data Product Management, Stakeholder Alignment (DEC, ICAM, OIS), Backlog Prioritization, Data Governance & Compliance awareness, Azure DevOps/JIRA Certification : SAFe POPM / CSPO Programme Delivery & Planning Own end-to-end delivery of WBG data platform programmes: scope, schedule, milestones, budget tracking, and outcome accountability Build and maintain programme roadmaps aligned to WBG's ITS strategic priorities and OKR frameworks Manage multi-workstream delivery across data ingestion, transformation, serving, governance, and AI/ML integration layers Drive sprint planning, PI ceremonies, and release cadences in line with WBG's Agile delivery model Produce and maintain programme artefacts: charter, RACI, RAID log, architecture decision records, and executive dashboards Technical Engagement Engage substantively in architecture reviews for Azure-native data platforms: Databricks, ADF, ADLS Gen2, Delta Lake, Unity Catalog Identify and escalate technical risks — pipeline SLA breaches, schema drift, data quality failures, Unity Catalog governance gaps Facilitate build-vs-buy and platform trade-off discussions across WBG engineering and architecture teams Support integration of AI/ML capabilities into WBG data products — MLflow, feature store, model serving pipeline governance Ensure engineering decisions are documented, reviewed, and traceable through WBG's Architecture Review Board (ARB) process Governance, Compliance & Reporting Enforce WBG data governance standards: data lineage, metadata management, access controls, and audit trail requirements Manage change control processes, CAB submissions, and production readiness reviews per WBG ITS protocols Prepare and present programme status reports (RAG, risk register, milestone tracking) to WBG senior stakeholders Ensure programme adherence to World Bank Group IT Security Policy, data classification standards, and procurement compliance Maintain transparency on delivery health; flag deviations to both WBG client leads and TechM account management Stakeholder & Client Management Serve as primary day-to-day interface between TechM delivery team and WBG ITS leadership and business stakeholders Build trusted working relationships with WBG Product Owners, Data Stewards, Procurement, and InfoSec teams Navigate WBG's multilateral governance environment — aligning delivery pace with institutional decision-making cycles Communicate programme status, risks, and decisions with clarity: engineer-level detail for technical reviews; board-level narrative for steering committees Coordinate with TechM onshore/offshore teams to ensure seamless resource continuity and knowledge transfer Required Qualifications Experience • 12–18 years of total professional experience; 8+ years in Data Engineering or Data Platform programme delivery • Proven delivery of Azure-native data transformation programmes: Databricks, ADF, Delta Lake, ADLS Gen2, Unity Catalog • Prior experience working in or with multilateral organisations, international financial institutions, or large regulated enterprises strongly preferred • Track record managing cross-functional, multi-geography teams; comfortable with distributed offshore-onshore delivery models • Staff augmentation or embedded consulting experience preferred — ability to assimilate into client culture while maintaining delivery accountability Technical Depth • Strong command of Medallion / Lakehouse architecture, Delta Lake internals (Liquid Clustering, Z-ordering, • OPTIMIZE/VACUUM), and Unity Catalog governance • Working knowledge of PySpark, Structured Streaming, Databricks Lakeflow/DLT pipelines, and MLflow model lifecycle management • Azure platform fluency: Data Factory, Event Hubs, Key Vault, Azure Monitor, Purview (data governance context) • Familiarity with data quality frameworks (Great Expectations, Deequ) and observability/alerting tooling • Exposure to AI/ML operationalisation patterns: feature store, model registry, batch vs. real-time inference pipelines Programme & Soft Skills • Strong command of Agile/SAFe, PI planning, OKR alignment, and risk management disciplines • Excellent written and verbal communication; capable of producing crisp executive briefs and technical artefacts with equal facility • High cultural intelligence — ability to operate effectively within a multilateral, multi-nationality institutional environment • Proven ability to manage ambiguity, prioritise under competing pressures, and drive consensus across diverse stakeholder groups • Client-first mindset with professionalism to represent TechM's delivery standards at a global development institution