Product Manager Business Applications

Location: Hengelo, Netherlands

Product Manager Business Applications

In fast changing markets, customers worldwide rely on Thales. Thales is a business where brilliant people from all over the world come together to share ideas and inspire each other. In aerospace, transportation, defense, security and space, our architects design innovative solutions that make our tomorrow's possible, today.
 
TOGETHER WE MAKE THE BIG AMBITIONS OF TOMORROW HAPPEN TODAY
In this position you will join the Thales Netherlands IS/IT team. IS/IT is at the core of the Thales digital transformation and there is a close relationship between IS/IT and business. With a team of 150 colleagues we provide IS/IT support to our 3000 NL colleagues in several Business Lines and functions. As a learning organization we fully embrace agile principles and strive for excellence by continuous improvement. We do not fear to fail as long as we can learn from it.
 
Within the Business Applications & Data domain we support hundreds of applications. You are responsible for coordinating complex IT initiatives, working with, and influencing key stakeholders within the organization for alignment on the IS/IT projects and roadmap. Together with the Product Owners you are responsible for the successful implementation of projects (Epics). You take the lead, challenge your IT colleagues as well as business colleagues, and ensure that we are spending the IT resources in line with the most urgent business demand. Besides your NL scope, you also are an active contributor to the international communities through several ‘Value Towers’ in which you influence the international roadmaps and be an advocate for the Dutch stakes and interests. 

About the job
Your typical day will look as follows:
The day starts with a brief standup of the Leadership team in which you update each other and pick up actions. Afterwards, take your time with a cup of coffee to work on some administrative tasks and questions. Then it is time to participate (as a spectator) in the standup of one of your teams. 

Afterwards, you have an international meeting to start up a new international project. Next, you have some 1-to-1 conversations with (international) IS/IT colleagues to know more about the impact of this new initiative.

After lunch and a short walk you meet with the NL Product Owners within your domain to discuss what went well, what could be improved and where they need help. You maintain an aligned vision with the Product Owners and foster collaboration between Product Owners. You contact the Local Chapter Lead and Enterprise Architect to give an update about new activities/epics to be started. After this you participate in a steerco with business stakeholders to aggregate and prioritize IT demand. At the end of the day you sit down with the CIO to discuss challenges, celebrate successes and receive coaching.

Your responsibilities include:

• Aggregating demand and enablers. You develop and maintain a running list of all the IT capabilities requested by the business and interact with the international stakeholders within Value Towers on the same.
• Evaluating demand. You work with the requestors to evaluate the business value of each requests against a common value scoring matrix.
• Leading demand decision process. You run the NL decisional meetings in which all requests are reviewed prior to sharing with the international Value Tower team. If in alignment with the NL architectural runway, as well as the plans of the international Value Tower team, a project can be approved and will be placed on the roadmaps of the executing teams.  
• Be present, approachable and visible at both Thales Netherlands level and international Value Tower level to get local demand on the international agenda.
• Challenge NL organization to reuse existing (global) IS/IT solutions.
• Keeping the roadmap up to date, in close coordination with local and global stakeholders
• Act as Chief Product Owner within your domain, fostering collaboration between squads and aligning Product Owners.  
• Responsible for execution of bigger IS/IT changes, projects and initiatives.
• As a leader in an agile organization, you exemplify agile values, principles and ways of working, as well as you foster an agile mind-set within your team.

 
About you 
We are in search for a colleague who:

• Has a Bachelor or Master degree
• Is able to organize and manage initiatives 
• Is able to work on tactical and strategic level
• Can motivate and inspire
• Has at least 10 years working experience
• Has experience with implementations within a complex business application landscape (e.g. ERP, BI, Service Mgmt, Security)
• Has excellent communication skills, and knows how to interact with different levels of stakeholders
• Develops the people around him/her, and wants to bring the discipline of Product Management to the next level
• Has experience with agile working or is open-minded to adopt new ways of working
• Is fluent in English

What's in it for you 

• Become part of a great team in a high tech, innovative international organization 
• (International) opportunities for growth in tech-, management- and commercial roles 
• Attention for personal development and own initiative 
• A pleasant workplace in a modern building, where we value a good work-life balance and flexibility
• 40 leave days per year, travel expenses and a flexible benefits à la carte package with options like purchase/sale of leave hours, internet costs, bicycle plan, company fitness, trade union contribution or relocation costs

 
Interested? 
Apply now! Click on the button below to upload your profile and show your interest. 
To ensure that we are a good match, we can ask you to participate in an assessment.
Government (AIVD) clearance will be requested.

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