Senior Manager - IT Product Owner (HR/ Share Services), Lotus's

We are seeking an experienced and highly strategic Senior Manager – IT Product Owner (HR/ Share Services) to lead large-scale, cross-functional technology initiatives across our retail organization. This role oversees complex programs that impact store operations, supply chain, merchandising, omnichannel experiences, and enterprise IT platforms.

The Senior Manager – IT Product Owner is responsible for end-to-end project planning, execution, governance, stakeholder communication, and delivery assurance. The ideal candidate combines deep project management expertise with a strong understanding of retail operational cycles, system dependencies, and fast-changing market demands. This individual must excel in developing clear, concise, and executive-ready communications, often under tight timeframes.

This role requires strong leadership, the ability to guide diverse teams, and the flexibility to adapt plans to evolving priorities. Extended or irregular work hours may be required during critical retail events, deployments, or system cutovers.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead complex, high-impact IT initiatives across store systems, e-commerce, supply chain, analytics, finance and digital retail platforms.
• Develop and manage multi-phase project roadmaps aligned with retail business goals and strategic priorities.
• Drive structured execution through rigorous planning, tracking, and issue/risk management.
• Ensure deliverables meet scope, quality, and timeline expectations across multiple business units.
• Deliver clear, consistent, and accurate communication tailored for C-level executives, senior business leaders, technical teams, and store operations.
• Prepare executive-level presentations, dashboards, and status reports with minimal notice.
• Facilitate complex discussions, decision-making sessions, and project steering committees.
• Coordinate with IT architecture, engineering, store operations, merchandising, supply chain, and external vendors.
• Manage dependencies and integrations across multiple retail platforms (POS, ERP, OMS, WMS, e-commerce, loyalty, etc.).
• Build strong relationships and influence stakeholders across all levels of the organization.
• Establish and enforce project governance frameworks, standards, and best practices.
• Identify gaps, propose solutions, and drive improvements in project execution, documentation, and communication processes.
• Mentor junior project managers and support PMO capability development.
• Manage project timelines around retail seasonality (e.g., peak seasons, promotions, product launches).
• Support critical milestones that may require extended or unusual work hours (e.g., cutovers, store rollouts, major releases).

Requirements:
• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Business, Computer Science, or related field.
• 7–12 years of IT project management experience, with at least 5 years in retail or consumer-facing environments.
• Proven success managing large, complex cross-functional IT projects or programs.
• Deep understanding of retail systems (POS, ERP, OMS, WMS, e-commerce platforms, Data Platform, CRM/ loyalty, etc.).
• Exceptional communication skills, capable of producing concise, accurate, executive-ready content.
• Strong adaptability and decision-making in fast-paced, rapidly changing retail environments.
• Expertise with project management tools (MS Project, Jira, Confluence).
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, negotiation, and conflict-resolution skills.
• Ability and willingness to work extended hours during critical phases of retail operations.

Preferred Qualifications

• PMP, PRINCE2, Agile/Scrum, or equivalent certifications.
• Experience managing multi-region or multi-country retail technology programs.
• Familiarity with Agile-at-scale frameworks (SAFe, LeSS, Nexus).
• Experience working with cloud-based or SaaS retail solution providers (AWS, Azure, Salesforce, Oracle ERP).
• Background in PMO governance or process improvement.