Lead Product Owner

Union/Affiliation: Administrative and Professional Staff (APSA)
Pay range: $107,656 to $128,454 annually
SFU Department Descr: Academic Management Systems
Position Grade: 13
# of openings: 1
Biweekly Hours: 72
Who We Are

Simon Fraser University is a leading research university, advancing an inclusive and sustainable future. Our purpose – the essence of SFU – is to create and connect knowledge, learning and community for deeper understanding and meaningful impact. We are committed to fostering excellence, innovation, belonging and community in all that we do.

Academic Management Systems, part of IT Services at SFU, partners with Faculties and Faculty Relations to deliver systems that support academic operations. We are agile, cross-functional teams of analysts, developers, and QA specialists who thrive on collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement. Our focus is building user-centered IT solutions that simplify processes, improve efficiency, and enhance the SFU experience for faculty and staff.

SFU is embarking on a three-year digital transformation through the Integrated Faculty Management System (IFMS) program. This initiative will modernize and unify workflows across faculty and administrative domains, supporting long-term improvements in academic administration and advancing the university’s mission.
About The Role

The Lead Product Owner is responsible for driving the design and delivery of new modules within eTRACS as part of SFU’s Integrated Faculty Management System (IFMS) program. This role owns the product backlog, leads discovery and roadmap planning, and ensures business needs are translated into effective, scalable solutions. Working across academic and administrative units, the position plays a critical role in aligning user needs, technical delivery, and institutional priorities within a cross-functional Agile environment.

The ideal candidate combines deep product ownership experience with a strong understanding of complex systems design and academic operations. A background in delivering enterprise solutions - particularly those supporting administrative workflows - is essential. Success in this role requires the ability to translate business requirements into system capabilities, prioritize work across diverse stakeholders, and guide delivery teams toward high-impact outcomes that support long-term institutional goals.

Qualifications

Master’s degree in Business Administration, Management Information Systems, Human Resources, Computer Science or a related discipline, including an advanced Product Owner certification (e.g., ACSPO) and eight years of related experience working with academic enterprise applications, preferably in post-secondary education or public domain, or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.

• In-depth understanding of policies governing academic and human relations, collective agreements, academic planning, reporting, budget management, research and teaching in order to lead academic systems development and data services.
• Strong knowledge of enterprise system development and management, business analysis, IT project management, and system design.
• Strong understanding of Agile principles and practices; experience working in Agile frameworks (Scrum, Kanban) and familiarity with software development processes, tools (e.g., JIRA, Trello, Confluence, MS Teams).
• Strong business analysis skills.
• Strong product ownership skills, with proven ability to successfully manage a backlog.
  
  

What We Offer

At SFU, our goal is to ensure our people are valued and supported by promoting a healthy work-life balance, professional growth and development, as well as a safe and respectful workplace. We offer temporary employees who belong in the Administrative & Professional Staff Association (APSA):

• An additional 7% pay in lieu of benefits & 8% vacation pay
• Employer paid extended health & dental plans
• Professional development funds (minimum contract period of 1 year)
• Hybrid-work program for eligible positions
  
  

Additional Information

The assignment end date is March 31, 2029.

Please include your cover letter and resume in one attachment.

SFU is an equity employer and strongly encourages applications from all qualified individuals including women, Indigenous Peoples, visible minorities, people of all sexual orientations and gender identities, persons with disabilities, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of the university.

We are committed to facilitating accessibility within our application and interview processes. If you require any assistance or accommodations, please contact people_strategies@sfu.ca.