Product Manager, Information Technology

Product Manager, Information Technology at University of Ottawa

The Faculty of Engineering at the University of Ottawa strives to provide a learning environment that promotes excellence and innovation, ethical practice, and responsibility towards society. Our workplace will challenge, energize, and motivate you to be your very best while providing opportunities for career growth and professional development. Our work makes a world of difference in the lives of our students, who will become the next generation of leaders and change makers of our society. Our dynamic community is dedicated to building innovations that will not only help the advancement of technology, but solutions that will revolutionize the industry. We look forward to making the future TOGETHER!

We operate in a hybrid environment, with three days per week on campus.

Position Purpose:

Manages the endeavors that support the strategic operations of a designated Faculty/Service and share this information with technical and non-technical university staff. Provides leadership and guidelines in the implementation of application solutions. Works with business owners to identify potential data sources and business rules and is responsible for the design of conceptual and logical data models for the data warehouse environment. Supports and maintains operational applications and plays an important role in the design, testing, and improvement of the applications that support various endeavors. In that capacity, is responsible for the selection and implementation of appropriate technologies and tools to manage the implantation of new releases.

Key Responsibilities:

• Project Planning and Business Case Preparation: Works with client manager to identify business and strategic needs, as well as opportunities for IT solutions to be applied to solve business problems and increase administrative efficiency and lower administrative costs, improve service, etc. Evaluates the technical, economic, and operational feasibility of different approaches to solving business problems. Develops project proposals, analyzes and documents risks, and risk mitigation strategies. Ensures licensing management, provisioning, and liaisons with vendors.
• Project management: Organizes inter-disciplinary project teams according to the needs of each project, leads and supervises their work. Negotiates with stakeholders to ensure that project teams are appropriately staffed. Ensures that appropriate controls and progress reports are prepared regularly. Ensures that risks are monitored and that risk mitigation strategies are implemented when necessary.
• Team lead: Leads a team of professionals involved in multiple system development projects and/or system maintenance and support activities. Provides advice to staff regarding project planning and management, system development methods, design alternatives, and technical options. Depending on the context, or a particular project, manages and evaluates the employees’ performance and sets up their objectives.
• Business process analysis and design: Designs complete solutions to complex business problems using expert knowledge of technology, business process analysis techniques, business process re-engineering, workflow analysis, etc.
• Change management: Ensures that appropriate change management strategies are in place for all supported applications. Ensures that appropriate communication strategies are put in place with respect to new projects and business process changes. Ensures that appropriate maintenance and support services are available for supported applications. Addresses client concerns.
• Methods, tools, techniques, and standards: Stays abreast of new technology, work methods, and techniques associated with all aspects of computing. Proactively researches technologies and tools that are of potential interest to the University; conducts formal evaluations of new products and builds business cases for the acquisition of new tools where appropriate. Defines or participates in the definition of the methodology and standards for systems development. Ensures that staff understands and follows the methodology and standards.
• Communication: Coordinates communication among all stakeholders. Is a key point of contact for all project related questions. Manages all documentation relating to technical subjects, business processes for management, users, and all stakeholders.
• Data Security: Responsible for ensuring confidentiality, security, and accessibility of institutional data. The incumbent complies with and promotes any controls put in place to protect and secure data and exhibits due diligence in following the established information security and privacy policies as well as related standards.

What you will bring:

• University degree in Computer Science, Management Information Systems (MIS), or a related field.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in project planning, risk analysis, and project management in a complex and diverse IT environment.
• Demonstrated recent, hands-on experience in application development, with a focus on designing and implementing IT business standards and processes to deliver a web environment built on complex infrastructure.
• Proven familiarity with AI-assisted development tools and practices, including code generation, test automation, documentation, and workflow optimization.
• Knowledge of computing principles and computer applications development methodologies.
• Knowledge of business processes and management systems that are used by the University and/or the designated client group.
• Knowledge of the University’s and/or clients business operations and priorities to provide the appropriate advice and support.
• Knowledge and experience in the use of software development methodologies, tools, and techniques and the software development life cycle.
• Experience in managing multiple, cross-functional systems development projects.
• Experience in creating estimates, in leading project planning, risk analysis, and in formulating risk mitigation strategies.
• Demonstrated experience applying architect concepts, including modeling and technology selection and implementation.
• Ability to negotiate and influence clients in accepting solutions that align both the strategic goals of the University and short and long-term client requirements.
• Ability to proactively keep abreast of new/emerging technologies.
• Bilingualism - French and English (spoken and written).

Key Competencies at uOttawa:

• Planning: Organize in time a series of actions or events in order to realize an objective or a project. Plan and organize own work and priorities in regular daily activities.
• Initiative: Demonstrate creativity and initiative to suggest improvements and encourage positive results. Is proactive and self-starting. Show availability and willingness to go above and beyond whenever it is possible.
• Client Service Orientation: Help or serve others to meet their needs. This implies anticipating and identifying the needs of internal and external clients and finding solutions on how to meet them.
• Teamwork and Cooperation: Cooperate and work well with other members of the team to reach common goal(s). Accept and give constructive feedback. Able to adjust own behaviour to reach the goals of the team.

Diversity & Inclusion:

The University of Ottawa embraces diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We are passionate about our people and committed to employment equity. We foster a culture of respect, teamwork, and inclusion, where collaboration, innovation, and creativity fuel our quest for research and teaching excellence. While all qualified persons are invited to apply, we welcome applications from qualified Indigenous persons, racialized persons, persons with disabilities, women, and LGBTQIA2S+ persons. The University is committed to creating and maintaining an accessible, barrier-free work environment. The University is also committed to working with applicants with disabilities requesting accommodation during the recruitment, assessment, and selection processes. Applicants with disabilities may contact hrtalentmanagement@uottawa.ca to communicate the accommodation need. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

Key skills/competency

• Project Planning
• Project Management
• Risk Analysis
• Application Development
• IT Business Standards
• AI-assisted Development Tools
• Business Process Analysis
• Change Management
• Data Security
• Stakeholder Communication