Institutional Services Senior Product Owner (Workflow)

Location: Hybrid within footprint, open to remote outside of the M&T footprint

Overview:

The Wilmington Trust Institutional Services (IS) division is experiencing rapid business growth and has initiated a strategic digital transformation program. The goals of the program are to grow revenue through new and transformed digital-first trust and agency service products, to move from a product-centric to client-centric operating model, to move from market-specific to global solutions, and to dramatically lower the cost to serve.

Aligned with our business strategy, we are seeking an entrepreneurial and highly analytical Senior Product Owner to set the strategic direction for technology that enables critical workflows across Institutional Services.  This person will lead the Institutional Services workflow products and capabilities, representing the voice of the customer and stakeholders to establish a comprehensive product vision aligned with business strategy. The Senior Product Owner will shape the strategic direction of workflow capabilities, ensure alignment across business and cross-product platforms, and guide investment and prioritization decisions. The SPO will communicate strategic intent, remove barriers to delivery, and partner closely with senior leadership, key stakeholders, and agile teams to identify and advance new opportunities.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Vision and Strategy – Collaborate with stakeholders, engineering, and business architects to create a compelling vision that aligns with the company’s goals and values while aligning with core platforms and capabilities. Understand the needs, goals, and pain points of internal and external customers, and incorporate into overall strategy. Demonstrate a strong understanding of the business environment and needs within the area of responsibility. Understand technical, business and operational impacts of a project or problem.
• Team Leadership – Coach the team to achieve excellence in quality product management artifacts (roadmaps, backlogs, requirements) and data-driven decision making. Lead by example, exhibiting the company’s core values. Establish trust while fostering transparency, collaboration, and excellence by demonstrating empathy and authenticity. Use a matrixed influencing approach to work with essential business partners throughout the organization often at a senior level and irrespective of hierarchy or divisions, advocating for the benefit of the customer.
• Digital Transformation – Analyze industry trends, emerging technologies, and customer needs to advance workflow capabilities and drive process transformation across Institutional Services. Champion the importance of great customer experience and collaborate cross-functionally with UI designers, engineers, and business experts to ensure our digital products are relevant, fast and easy to use.
• Requirements and Roadmaps – Collaborate with stakeholders to understand the problems to be solved and align on long-term business priorities and success measures. Balance short and long-term goals to regularly deliver value and address pain points while working toward target state. Document digital product discovery and design for both current and future state using Institutional Services business architecture framework and standards (e.g., BPMN).
• Agile Practices – Prioritize a feature backlog, in partnership with other Digital Product Owners. Manage and remove blockers and help with prioritization of team backlogs. Participate in all appropriate team activities and agile ceremonies. Focus on outcomes over outputs, incorporating design thinking methods and analytics to inform product design. Manage and lead the analysis of feasibility, cost, or other aspects of planned or potential programs.
• Risk & Audit – Understand and adhere to the Company’s risk and regulatory standards, policies and controls in accordance with the Company’s Risk Appetite.  Design, implement, maintain and enhance internal controls to mitigate risk on an ongoing basis.  Identify risk-related issues needing escalation to management. Maintain M&T internal control standards, including timely implementation of internal and external audit points together with any issues raised by external regulators as applicable.
• Complete other related duties as assigned

Managerial/Supervisory Responsibilities:

The Senior Product Owner manages a team of Product Owners, including people, budget and planning, and manages activities through influence, accountability and ownership, functioning in an agile environment. Exercise usual authority of a manager concerning staffing, performance appraisals, promotions, salary recommendations, performance management and terminations.

Education and Experience Required:

• Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 10 years’ business, analytical, technical and/or product experience, or in lieu of a degree, a combined minimum of 14 years’ higher education and/or work experience, including a minimum of 10 years’ business, analytical, technical and/or product experience
• Proven business expertise with experience in setting clear priorities, understanding business value impacts and independent decision-making
• Prior experience prioritizing across competing priorities and quickly-changing landscape
• Prior experience actively seeking out multiple opinions, yet making independent decisions and influencing positive outcomes

Education and Experience Preferred:

• Understanding of Design Thinking principles
• Knowledge of product design and development best practices
• Knowledge of Agile and Lean principles and practices
• Experience working in partnership with user experience teams on product design
• Experience developing/managing digital capabilities
• Strong verbal and written communication skills

Location