Expert, Procurement & Supply Product Management

At CN, we work together to move our company—and North America—forward. Be part of our Information & Technology (I&T) team, a critical piece of the engine that keeps us in motion. From enterprise architecture to operational technology, our teams use the agile methodology to automate and digitize our railroad ensuring our operations run optimally and safely and our employees can focus on value-added tasks. You will be able to develop your skills and career in our close-knit, safety-focused culture working together as ONE TEAM. The careers we offer are meaningful because the work we do matters. Join us!

Job Summary

The role of Expert Product Management is to translate business requirements into formal product roadmaps. The Expert works closely with the Business and I&T stakeholders to operationalize these roadmaps for initial development and evolution of the product. The Expert supports the full lifecycle of the product and as such seeks regular customer feedback related to the product to understand and improve customer satisfaction. This person ensures the product and related enhancements meet business needs based on market trends.

Product management is the discipline and business process governing a product from its inception to customer delivery and service to generate the largest possible value to CN business. A product is a deliverable that has a value and provides an experience to its users. It can be a combination of systems, solutions, materials, and services delivered. This role provides leadership to activities such as portfolio management, strategy definition and product development.

The position ensures that the product and these evolutions meet CN's Regulatory and Cybersecurity requirements, have good market practices and modernization objectives. The incumbent also oversees the operationalization of this roadmap.

Main Responsibilities

Customer Partnering

· Create a trusted relationship with customers and support leads, ensuring clear communication channels

· Translate customer and Business needs into solutions through formal product roadmaps

· Collaborate with other departments to define and improve requirements for products and solutions

· Lead the evolution pipeline or the creation of new products demand

· Work with the Business to capture, translate and enrich business requirements for current product enhancements and related services

· On major projects provide support to Business Analysts in defining requirements,

· Work with the Delivery Manager to ensure the clarity and accuracy of major project requirements

· Work with Architecture to allow them to design solutions aligned with the needs

· Work with Project Manager on establishing the support model RACI in collaboration with Service Offering Managers

· Review the pipeline with Service Offering Managers to take the operational reality into account

· Build business cases (including the need for change / objective, strategic alignment, benefits, high-level implementation plan, financial analysis, risks, etc.) and promote Business sponsorship

· Support the annual budget process and service health assessment process

· Measure and handle customer satisfaction

· Based on satisfaction results, develop an action plan to address issues and escalate to leadership, as appropriate

Evolving Product Roadmaps

· Provide an overview of innovative technologies that could impact the product portfolio and add value to CN Business

· Lead and organize the Product Governance (POD) to formally approve the Product Roadmap and review with the Service Offering Managers the proposed initiatives as input for the financial planning processes

· Pay close attention to product lifecycles and enable steady alignment as part of Product Management in collaboration with the internal technical Subject Matter Expert (SME)

· Engage with key stakeholders to achieve a shared vision of product goals and priorities

· Engage with Cybersecurity to assess security risks and factor the risk response plans into the Product Roadmap

· Work with the Delivery Management group to monitor the execution of projects vis-à-vis the Product Roadmap

· Work with the Architecture group to align the product roadmap with Architecture strategies and positions

· Run roadmap priorities and facilitate the definition and tracking of key metrics related to products (e.g., performance and financials)

· Work with other Product Management experts and stakeholders to identify and handle interdependencies to ensure consistency between various products

· Engage with vendors to understand and influence their product evolution based on CN's strategic needs

· Ensure teams deliver products that meet requirements

· Monitor and analyze technical components to identify potential issues and new capacity requirements for future demands of the Business

· Maintain a product lifecycle perspective, and facilitate the balancing of short-term achievements with long-term goals

Working Conditions

The role has standard working conditions in an office environment with an hybrid regular workweek from Monday to Friday. Employee to work onsite three days per week, Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays with the option to work remotely on the other two days.

Requirements

Experience

· Relevant Work Experience

· Minimum 10 years of overall work experience

· Minimum 5 years of experience in a Product Management or related role

· Minimum 5 years demonstrating technical leadership qualities or overseeing deliverables.

· Strong experience in the Digital Workspace areas (e.g., PC and Toughbooks in a Windows OS landscape, Software Packaging and Distribution, Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), Printers, etc.)

· Experience in Product Management

· Experience in Procurement & Supply Management*

· Experience shaping, building, scaling and sustaining products

· Experience with requirements analysis

· Experience in transportation logistic companies*

· Experience of engaging senior leaders and other stakeholders to support business decisions

· Experience working with complex technology systems in large organizations*

· Experience in diverse roles and increasing responsibilities across Business and I&T, although a business-only career is acceptable if business roles included sufficient technology focus

· Experience working in or with Design Thinking and Lean / Agile software delivery teams

· *Any experience for these above would be considered as an asset

Education/Certification/Designation

· Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Administration, Finance or equivalent

Competencies

· Procurement & Supply Management Business acumen, and the ability to communicate with executives, business domain stakeholders and technical staff alike

· Excellent leadership, influence, communication, presentation and facilitation skills

· Effective planning and organizational skills

· Excellent analytical and technical skills

· In-depth knowledge of the Product Management discipline

· Ability to develop a product vision and execute to make that vision a reality, with a passion for building great products

Technical Skills/Knowledge

· SAP Products (ECC/S4 - Material Management, Cloud solutions Ariba & Fieldglass)*

· Knowledge of Design Thinking principles, Agile and Safe delivery concepts

· Knowledge of key principles of Cybersecurity Governance Risk and Compliance

· Strong command of Microsoft Office (PowerPoint, Word, Excel)

· Knowledge of Confluence and Service Now*

· *Any knowledge for any of the above would be considered as an asset

Organizational Impact

Decision Making and Impacts

The Expert, Product Management is responsible for making recommendations that influence CN Strategy, Architecture and technology roadmaps. The incumbent works with the Architecture team, specifically to make decisions related to new technologies. The role also establishes product evolution priorities. Working closely with the delivery teams, the role follows the project lifecycle and phases, and escalates to I&T stakeholders when required.

This position is posted as a grade LEVEL 7. For internal candidates, note that the grade level of the position may adjust based on the employee's experience.

About CN

CN is a world-class transportation leader and trade-enabler. Essential to the economy, to the customers, and to the communities it serves, CN safely transports more than 300 million tons of natural resources, manufactured products, and finished goods throughout North America every year. As the only railroad connecting Canada's Eastern and Western coasts with the Southern tip of the U.S. through a 19,500 mile rail network, CN and its affiliates have been contributing to community prosperity and sustainable trade since 1919. CN is committed to programs supporting social responsibility and environmental stewardship. At CN, we work as ONE TEAM, focused on safety, sustainability and our customers, providing operational and supply chain excellence to deliver results.

At CN, we are dedicated to building North America's safest, most inclusive and sustainable railroad, which includes reflecting the communities in which we operate. Research shows that candidates from underrepresented groups often don't apply unless they feel they fit the job posting at 100%. Even if you don't see yourself in every job requirement listed in a posting, we still encourage you to apply. If you require an accommodation for the recruitment process (including alternate formats of materials, accessible meeting rooms or other accommodations), please reach out to our team at cnrecruitment@cn.ca.

As an equal employment opportunity employer, all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, and other protected status as required by applicable law. We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only candidates under consideration will be contacted. Please monitor your email on a regular basis, as communication is primarily made through email.