Job Description

If you're passionate about helping a Fortune 100 company drive their strategy forward through innovative product development and advancing strategic partnerships to protect customers (and their pets), then Nationwide's Strategy and Corporate Development Office might be the place for you!

* Key role within Strategic Partnerships leading digital product management for Partnership Platform.
* Leads development of vision and roadmap for digital products within Partner Platform.
* Serves as digital product owner for driving and maturing multiple capabilities within platform.
* Uses research-based methods to identify personas and prioritize business needs for digital product solutions.
* Leads business stakeholders to formulate business documentation, conduct planning, and problem solve to ensure solutions meet customer needs.
* Utilizes relationship-building and communication skills to work effectively across a complex set of stakeholders.
* Provides priorities to IT and works collaboratively with IT on iterative development and implementation.
* Leads development of new platform capabilities for new strategic partners
* Experience owning product or solution from concept to implementation preferred
* Prior experience leading technology projects preferred

Job Description Summary

JOB SUMMARY: Directs the strategic alignment and success of major corporate programs and initiatives for assigned business units. Prioritizes, approves and ensures the completion of new product development, design of new processes, adoption of new strategies and/or programs within time, budget, and specification constraints. Provides a single point of contact integration for individual projects into larger program management on a corporate-wide basis.

Job Description

Reports to: Officer / VP. May manage project managers through direct of indirect reporting relationship.

Key Responsibilities:
1. Directs the evaluation of proposed business development efforts including the coordination of initial program/project proposals (i.e., high level scope, deliverables, cost estimates and return on investment analysis) and charters. Determines and recommends to senior management if program/project strategically aligns with the organization?s strategy and objectives.

2. Consults with senior leadership and assigned project teams to identify scope/specifications and business needs, writes proposals, prepares risk assessments and establishes budgets and timeframes for major programs and team based activities, with the goal of ensuring alignment with corporate strategy and objectives.

3. Directs the allocation and funding for programs/projects and their initiatives.

4. Directs the development of business perspective work plans to determine needed resources (process, functional, product and distribution channels) to deliver program/project charters, requirements, user acceptance testing strategies, training, and system implementation.

5. Monitors and assesses all projects and strategic initiatives and communicates status to senior leadership. Ensures and manages the communication to and incorporation of feedback from customers on proposed, developing and completed projects and strategic initiatives. Evaluates all related vendor deliverables.

6. Manages the interfaces between projects, acting as a liaison between project managers and directors, to ensure collaboration and coordination between business unit leadership, program/project development staff, senior management, Technology Services, customers, and if necessary, vendors and outside consultants.

7. Identifies technology and human resource commitments across the organization. Provides feedback and makes recommendations to senior management to assist in prioritization, formation of cross-functional and/or customer integrated teams and the reallocation of resources when necessary.

8. Identifies gaps, overlaps, conflicts, and time as well as budgetary and resource barriers, which effect programs and projects individually and as a whole. Facilitates resolution, mitigation, and appropriate elevation. Maintains a log of common issues, risks, and changes to promote organizational learning and proactive response.

9. Identifies endangered and misaligned programs, projects, and initiatives, and represents senior management in leading resulting recovery, revision, or shutdown efforts that may be required.

10. Develops, implements, and maintains a consistent program/project management framework such as methodologies and standards for use in the assigned business unit leadership and associated business units.

11. Consults and coaches leadership and team members throughout business units on new project/program management trends, practices and procedures, and tools.

12. Acts as a liaison to program management staff in other areas of Nationwide and integrates the workflow in these areas in support of company and business unit strategy.

13. Performs other duties as assigned.

JOB REQUIREMENTS:

Education: Undergraduate degree in business, insurance or related field. MBA or equivalent desired. Project Management Certification strongly preferred.

Experience: Ten years of general management experience including insurance operations, program/project leadership, and involvement/interaction with multiple functional areas such as HR, finance/accounting, systems, legal, and communications.

Knowledge: Proven knowledge of project management tools, concepts, and methodologies (such as PMI and SEI CMM concepts, PERT, CPM Network, MS Project, PIMS, etc). Knowledge of industry, customers and businesses as demonstrated by CPCU, CLU, and/or ChFC highly desired. Must have familiarity with Nationwide?s strategic vision, directions, and values.

Skills/Competencies: Demonstrated competency in key competencies of effective program/project management such as scope, definition, time management, cost analysis and allocation, human resource management, risk assessment and management, procurement, communication and integration management. Must be able to work and manage large, complex programs/projects.

Values: Regularly and consistently demonstrates the Nationwide Values and Guiding Behaviors.

Staffing Exceptions to the above minimum job requirements must be approved by: Business Unit VP and HR VP.

JOB CONDITIONS:

Overtime Eligibility: Not Eligible (exempt).

Working Conditions: Normal office environment. Occasional travel. Non-standard or extended work may be required based on project needs.

ADA: The above statements cover what are generally believed to be principal and essential functions of this job. Specific circumstances may allow or require some people assigned to the job to perform a somewhat different combination of duties.

Job Evaluation Activity: 1/28/04 SJB