At CN, everyday brings new and exciting challenges. You can expect an interesting environment where you're part of making sure our business is running optimally and safely-helping keep the economy on track. We provide the kind of paid training and opportunities that long-term careers are built on and we recognize hard workers who strive to make a difference. You will be able to thrive 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 Senior Expert, Information and Technology Business Partner is responsible for defining work within a Value Stream (VS) and guiding delivery groups to ensure successful planning and execution. The role is accountable for prioritizing initiatives, projects, and resources within a specific VS to maximize business value, aligning efforts with CN's strategic goals. The role handles the VS backlog, ensures consistent benefit management, monitors VS health, and provides data-driven recommendations to protect business objectives. The incumbent collaborates with VS Tech Owner, Product Managers, Agile Release Train (ART) Business Leads, and Finance to align delivery with expected value and secure funding. Additionally, the incumbent builds relationships with various teams and leaders to align business priorities with Information and Technology (I&T) capacity.
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Main Responsibilities
Management of the VS
• Create, maintain, and communicate the VS vision and roadmap
• Represent the business for I&T activities, build and maintain business knowledge and relationships
• Act as the escalation point for the business and works with Senior Delivery Manager across ARTs to resolve impediments or delivery issues
• Lead VS reviews to update Business and I&T Owners as well as other stakeholders on progress across the ARTs
• Lead, monitor, and report allocated VS budget as well as value delivered and progress against value Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) associated with Authorization for Expenditure (AFE) and value levers
• Ensure ARTs are aligned to VS objectives in Pre-Program Increment (Pre-PI) Planning preparations and identifies dependencies and risks across ARTs
• Work with Product Management and Delivery teams to support release definition and management activities
• Partner with VS Tech Owner to align resource requirements, cross-functional impacts and address any key risks or dependencies
• Partner with Delivery Manager to ensure epics are delivered within scope, timing and budget
• Partner with the Portfolio Manager to roll-up VS progress for portfolio reviews
• Work with vendors to ensure requirements for vendor-delivered epics are understood
• Partner with Procurement to manage the multi vendor ecosystem with support from Delivery Leads and Product Managers involved in the vendor partnerships
• Establish and maintain a strong program governance and work diligently with business partners and stakeholders to ensure execution
• Prepare and maintain communication presentations and material for consumption in regular governance cadences
• Provide mentoring and consultation across the VS on standards, procedures, and templates
• Work with the Product Managers to find alternate solutions not to compromise delivery
New Demand Development within VS
• Oversee business partners and stakeholders to create Lean Business Case, budgets, scope definition, timelines, and outcomes
• Create initiatives and epics including scope, business case, and AFE with input from ART and VS Business Leads, Product Managers, and Service Leads
• Lead conversations with business to identify holistic solutions across the VS
• Partner with VS Tech Owner to align on any organizational, strategy, approach or similar impacts on the value stream as a whole
• Review features for approval during PI Planning and integration into the overall VS roadmap
• Provide visibility on available capacity and dependencies
• Identify area of resources and skills contention risk and recommend course of action to protect delivery of the business strategic goals
Working Conditions
The role has standard working conditions in an office environment with a regular workweek from Monday to Friday. The incumbent must be available to work night shifts and weekends when necessary. Due to the nature of the role, the incumbent must be able to meet tight deadlines, handle pressure, and stress in and environment with shifting priorities. The role requires minimal travel (20%) within Canada and the United States (U.S.).
Requirements
Experience
Information and Technology
• Minimum 15 years of overall work experience
• Minimum 10 years of experience demonstrating leadership qualities and overseeing deliverables
• Minimum 5 years in a business facing role, I&T product or project management, and managing significant deliverables for programs
o Demonstrated experience delivering projects and programs on time and on budget that meet business objectives
o Demonstrated experience coordinating interdependencies with other projects and programs
o Experience working with or managing support organizations
Education/Certification/Designation
• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Commerce, or related field, or combination of education and equivalent work experience
Competencies
• Applies critical thinking
• Knows the business and stays current on industry needs
• Demonstrates agility and drives change
• Sets direction and inspires others
• Communicates with impact
• Collaborates with others and shares information
• Delegates and empowers others to create accountability
• Identifies potential safety and security risks
Skills/Knowledge
• Knowledge of stakeholder and vendor management as well as negotiation skills and best practices
• Knowledge of risk, issue, and dependency management
• Knowledge of requirements gathering
• Understanding of Systems and Solutions Architecture
• Understanding of both the micro-process level and the macro-strategy level
• Knowledge of VS and ART scope mapping, ART structure adjustments and agile tools, methodologies, and metrics
• Understanding of User Experience
• Knowledge of Azure Development Operations, Scaled Agile (SAFe), Waterfall, and Hybrid Methodology, Tableau, PowerBI, as well as other data visualization tools
• Highly familiar with agile methodologies (e.g., Lean Portfolio Management, Scrum), Development Operations (DevOps), Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Delivery (CD)
• Knowledge of Microsoft Project Professional Server
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint)
• Fluently bilingual, both written and verbal (English, French)
Any knowledge for any of the above would be considered as an asset
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.