Operations Shared Services: Product Owner

Since our establishment in 1918, Sanlam has been a prominent part of the South African business landscape. We have always held a long-term view of how business adapts to the demands of the environment in which it operates. Today, in a dynamic world, we see an evolving set of social, economic, political and environmental imperatives that require our skilful response. For us at Sanlam, sustainable business practice means recognising both our broader responsibilities as an organisation in society, and the new opportunities that arise from this thinking. Our Vision is: To be the leader in client-centric wealth creation, management, and protection in South Africa; To be a leading Pan-African financial services Group with a meaningful presence in India and South-East Asia; and To play a niche role in wealth and investment management in specific developed markets. Our Values are: Acting with integrity; Growing shareholder value through innovation and superior performance; Leading with courage; Serving with pride; and Caring because there is respect for one another The overall purpose of the role The Operations Shared Services: Product Owner provides operational, governance, planning, reporting and portfolio management support to the Head of Shared Services. The incumbent is responsible for coordinating strategic initiatives, maintaining governance frameworks, tracking delivery against objectives, managing reporting cycles, facilitating stakeholder engagement, and supporting continuous improvement activities across Shared Services. The role acts as a central coordination point, ensuring visibility, consistency, accountability and effective execution of business priorities while enabling leadership to focus on strategic decision-making. Key responsibilities Business Planning and Performance Management (25%) Coordinate annual business planning activities. Maintain departmental scorecards and KPI tracking. Consolidate monthly, quarterly and annual performance reports. Monitor delivery against strategic objectives. Identify risks to delivery and escalate where appropriate. Support preparation of Executive, MANCO and SteerCo submissions. Governance and Risk Coordination (20%) Coordinate governance deliverables across Shared Services. Maintain annual governance calendar. Track policy reviews and governance actions. Coordinate BCM, TCF, DPR and other compliance activities. Track audit findings and management actions. Prepare governance reporting packs. Portfolio, Project and Initiative Tracking (20%) IT product ownership Maintain the Shared Services project and initiative portfolio. Track progress of strategic initiatives. Coordinate updates from initiative owners. Monitor benefits realization. Prepare status reporting. Financial and Operational Administration (10%) Support budget tracking and expenditure monitoring. Assist with business case preparation. Monitor vendor and contract administration. Track resource allocation and capacity information. Stakeholder and Executive Support (15%) Coordinate management meetings and workshops. Track actions and decisions. Prepare presentations and briefing packs. Facilitate communication across business units. Support stakeholder engagement activities. Continuous Improvement and Automation Support (10%) Identify opportunities for process simplification. Maintain the improvement opportunity register. Support automation and AI initiatives. Track realization of operational benefits. Qualifications and Experience Qualifications Degree or Diploma in: Business Management Commerce Operations Management Project Management Industrial Psychology Similar field Experience 3-5 years business support or business management experience. Experience in financial services advantageous. Experience in: Reporting Governance Project administration Business planning Stakeholder coordination Knowledge and Skills Technical Advanced Excel PowerPoint Power BI (basic to intermediate) SharePoint MS Teams Power Automate (advantageous) Reporting and dashboard creation Behavioral competencies Cultivates Innovation - Creating new and better ways for the organisation to be successful. Client Focus - Building strong customer relationships and delivering customer-centric solutions. Drives Results - Consistently achieving results and meets deadlines, even under tough circumstances. Collaborates - Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives. Resilience - Rebounding from setbacks and adversity when facing difficult situations. The closing date for the job advert is 14th September 2026