IT Officer, Business Solutions I (Product Owner)

IT Officer, Business Solutions I (Product Owner) Job #: req34149 Organization: World Bank Sector: Information Technology Grade: GF Term Duration: 2 years 0 months Recruitment Type: Local Recruitment Location: Sofia,Bulgaria Required Language(s): English Preferred Language(s): Closing Date: 9/12/2025 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

Description

Established in 1944, the World Bank Group (WBG) is one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries; a unique global partnership of five institutions: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the International Development Association (IDA), the International Fnance Corporation (IFC), the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). With 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide, the WBG works with public and private sector partners, investing in groundbreaking projects and using data, research, and technology to develop solutions to the most urgent global challenges.  
ITS Vice Presidency Context: 
Information and Technology Solutions (ITS) enables the WBG to achieve its mission of ending extreme poverty by 2030 and boosting shared prosperity in a sustainable manner by delivering transformative information and technologies to its staff working in over 130 client countries. ITS is one of three Vice Presidencies (VPUs) that have been brought together as the World Bank Group Integrated Services (WBGIS), to provide enhanced corporate core services and enable the institution to operate as one strategic and coordinated entity.  
ITS’ vision is to transform how the Bank Group accomplishes its mission through information and technology. In this fast-paced, ever-changing world, the formulation and implementation of the ITS strategy is an ongoing, iterative process of learning and adaptation developed through extensive consultations with business partners throughout the World Bank Group.  
ITS shapes its strategy in response to changing business priorities and leverages new technologies to achieve three high-level business outcomes: business enablement, by providing Bank Group units with innovative digital tools and technologies to transform how they deliver value for their clients; empowerment and effectiveness, by ensuring that all Bank Group staff are connected, able to find information, and productive to accelerate the delivery of development solutions globally; and resilience, by equipping the Bank Group to provide risk-based cybersecurity and robust data protection for a global network and a growing cloud platform.   ITSFD Technical Product Owner Position 
Fiduciary Solutions (ITSFD) is a unit within the Operations and County Engagement Department (ITSOE) that provides state-of-the-art information and technology applications to support the business needs of World Bank Operations. The unit focuses on modernizing the product processing platform through enhanced business alignment, process simplification & integration, and improved team productivity. The ITSFD’s application portfolio spans different business processes including Environmental and Social, Financial Management, and Operational Procurement as well as other client engagement applications. We collaborate with our business partners to define product vision, strategy, roadmap, and business processes aligned with business objectives while ensuring a stronger product culture and value proposition. We are committed to delivering business solutions that deliver business value for money while we continue to excel at the basics. And we contribute to providing the Bank with an integrated digital platform that connects policies, processes, people, and knowledge across the institution in a holistic and staff-centric manner. 
The Information and Technology Solutions Fiduciary Operations unit (ITSFD) is recruiting a Product Owner with a strong and broad working knowledge of agile software product management to fill a Product Owner / Product Manager role in Sofia (Bulgaria). The selected candidate will lead and contribute to building and maintaining applications and services that support the implementation of the World Bank’s Operations Procurement work program. 
Responsibilities 
Communication & Collaboration
• Communicate the product vision and roadmap clearly to stakeholders and teams.• Facilitate collaboration between business, technical teams, and external vendors.• Work closely with Scrum Masters, Business Analysts, and development teams, collaborating with users and other vendors.• Collaborate with team members and clients to manage dependencies and risks.• Responsible for documenting and distributing meeting minutes and weekly status reports.
Product Development & Agile Execution
• Translate business needs into actionable user stories and technical specifications.• Define and refine User Stories and Enablers, ensuring clarity and alignment with product objectives.• Define and prioritize MVP features and backlog items based on value and dependencies.• Manage the product lifecycle using agile, data-driven planning.• Align team backlogs with the ART’s Program Backlog and PI objectives.• Participate in PI Planning, Iteration Planning, Reviews, and Stand-ups.• Attend Iteration Planning, Iteration Review, and Daily Stand-ups.• Support System Demos and Inspect & Adapt workshops.• Lead technical discussions with architects and developers to validate design decisions• Lead end-to-end delivery of IT solutions, including LCNC application platform, custom developed products. • Lead UAT and approve technical designs per Definition of Done.• Oversee product development, leading User Acceptance Testing (UAT).• Apply user-centered design thinking to better understand user needs and improve product outcomes.• Conduct research to identify use cases and unmet needs, establishing business requirements.
Data & Metrics
• Make informed decisions on technical trade-offs, scalability, and integration strategies in collaboration with architects and developers• Validate data accuracy and consistency to ensure reliable input for product and business decisions• Make data-driven decisions to guide product strategy and feature prioritization.• Use business and technical metrics to prioritize backlog items effectively.• Continuously build data literacy skills to interpret, validate, and apply data in product decision-making.• Ability to understand and model system interactions, dependencies, and data flows.
Technical Agility & Growth
• Quickly learn new technical and domain knowledge to adjust product strategies and effectively address changing stakeholder needs.
The Technical Product Owner's key deliverables include:
• Document and distribute meeting minutes and weekly status reports.• Refined and prioritized Product Backlog.• User stories and Acceptance Criteria for features.• Product Vision Boards, Roadmaps, and MVP feature ranking.• Input to PI Objectives and ART Roadmaps.• Regular progress reports to stakeholders.• LCNC solution documentation and user guides.• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and their tracking.• Active participation in SAFe ceremonies.

Selection Criteria

• A master’s degree in business, Computer Science, or a related field with at least 5 years of relevant experience, or a bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 7 years of product management experience. • Minimum of 4 years’ experience developing and implementing technical product strategies and managing the full product lifecycle. • Demonstrated ability to understand the capabilities, limitations, and architecture of Low code No Code Application Platform, and translate business needs into feasible technical solutions.• Experience working directly with developers and architects to shape technical solutions.• Proven experience in successfully delivering technology-centric or AI-enabled products including defining MVPs, user stories, and product roadmaps. • Strong background in translating business goals into actionable product requirements, clear product vision, and strategic roadmaps. • Strong stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate effectively across multicultural teams. • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including proficiency in preparing concise reports, presentations, and user stories. • Proficiency in data analytics to track product metrics, client satisfaction, and team performance.