Chief Product Manager

A state institution is seeking a highly experienced and strategic Chief Product Manager to lead the product portfolio of government digital transformation initiatives. The successful candidate will be responsible for defining and executing product strategy across multiple national-scale projects, driving innovation in public services, and ensuring that digital products meet the highest standards of quality, compliance, and citizen impact.

Key Responsibilities:

•  Define and drive the product strategy, roadmap, and portfolio planning for government digital products; set KPIs, oversee execution, and ensure accountability;

•  Plan and manage the product portfolio budget, control expenditure, and ensure return on public investment (ROI);

•  Conduct deep analysis of business requirements from various government departments and translate them into clear, executable product objectives;

•  Model business processes (BPMN), perform value stream mapping, and identify optimization opportunities within public service workflows;

•  Analyze competitive benchmarks, track e-government trends, and identify opportunities to strengthen product positioning;

•  Establish a structured requirements management process; formalize business requirements into BRD, FRD, and SRS documents;

•  Prepare and continuously update product requirement documents, epics, and user stories in line with institutional standards;

•  Manage prioritized backlogs across multiple parallel product streams; optimize resource allocation and monitor timely delivery;

•  Oversee the complete product lifecycle from ideation to government launch;

•  Apply project management methodologies (Agile, Waterfall, hybrid) and manage project plans, risks, and dependencies;

•  Mentor and lead Product Owners within the team; foster knowledge sharing and support professional development;

•  Build and manage relationships with technology partners, external vendors, and service providers engaged in state projects;

•  Understand product technical architecture, API integrations, microservice structures, and cloud technologies; collaborate effectively with engineering teams;

•  Plan the integration of AI and machine learning technologies into government products; guide AI-based project delivery;

•  Define UX strategy for government digital services; oversee design thinking methodologies and manage prototyping processes;

•  Test product hypotheses through A/B testing, user surveys, and market research; promote a culture of continuous improvement;

•  Use data and business analytics tools to analyze complex information, derive insights, and support strategic decision-making;

•  Establish reporting systems for projects and products; prepare status, sprint, and portfolio reports and dashboards for leadership;

•  Collaborate with cross-functional government teams; plan and execute Go-to-Market strategies for public digital services;

•  Understand and promote CI/CD practices within product delivery teams;

•  Apply compliance requirements, risk models, and regulatory frameworks relevant to state institutions in product design;

•  Ensure product compliance with legislation, data protection laws (GDPR, Azerbaijan Law on Personal Data), and information security requirements; participate in audit processes;

•  Research international best practices in government product development; establish knowledge sharing and documentation standards.

Requirements:

Education

•  Bachelor's degree (required); Master's degree is preferred;

•  Preferred fields: Information Technology, Computer Science, Software Engineering, Business Administration, Economics, Mathematics, Statistics, Data Science, or Artificial Intelligence.

Experience

•  Minimum 5 years of progressive experience in product management;

•  Proven experience managing digital transformation projects within government institutions or public-sector organizations;

•  Experience working with state agencies and delivering national-scale digital government projects is strongly preferred.

Languages

•  Azerbaijani - Fluent;

•  English - Good;

•  Russian - Good.

Technical Competencies

•  Product strategy development, Go-to-Market planning, and product roadmap management;

•  User needs assessment, market research, competitive analysis, and data-driven product decision-making;

•  Defining and analytically tracking product KPIs;

•  Proficiency in Agile/Scrum/Kanban methodologies and project management tools (Jira, Confluence, etc.);

•  Requirements management, business process modelling (BPMN, UML), and structured documentation;

•  Product lifecycle management and UX/UI principles;

•  Data analytics tools: SQL, Power BI, Tableau, or similar;

•  Knowledge of API architecture, microservices, and system integrations;

•  Financial planning, budget management, and ROI evaluation;

•  Risk management, change management, quality assurance, and compliance in government contexts;

•  Foundational knowledge of AI, machine learning, and big data technologies.

  Soft Skills

•  Strategic thinking and long-term product planning ability;

•  Leadership and the ability to inspire, guide, and motivate cross-functional teams;

•  Effective stakeholder communication and collaboration across government entities;

•  Analytical mindset and data-driven decision-making;

•  Strong problem identification and solution-building capabilities;

•  Prioritization and decisive decision-making under pressure;

•  Change management and the ability to operate effectively in ambiguous environments;

•  Strategic negotiation and the ability to justify investment decisions to leadership;

•  Capacity to manage multiple products and projects simultaneously.

  Certifications & Preferred Qualifications

•  PSPO II/III or PMP certification is required;

•  Experience with AI-powered products and intelligent government systems;

•  Experience managing digital transformation projects in government or public finance institutions;

•  Experience collaborating with international organizations and multinational teams on public-sector projects.