Product Manager

Did you know that Countrywide Financial is now ranked America's #1 home loan lender.* We're also ranked 122nd among America's largest companies in the Fortune 500**. Consider joining our best-.in-class team that made this possible.



*As ranked for 2005 by Inside Mortgage Finance (Jan. 27, 2006) ? 2006


**Fortune, April 2006




Did you know that Countrywide Financial? is now ranked America's #1 home loan lender?* We're also ranked 122nd among America's largest companies in the Fortune 500**. Consider joining our best-in-class team that made this possible.

*As ranked for 2005 by Inside Mortgage Finance (Jan. 27, 2006) ? 2006
** Fortune, April 17, 2006

Product Manager
The Business Transformation Group (BTG) is Countrywide?s internal management consulting group charged with executing projects and managing programs that drive measurable results and advance corporate priorities. BTG leads organizational change by driving a culture of continuous improvement and project management through common methodologies, tools, and training that promote positive change and enable employee empowerment.
BTG projects provide significant business transformation to the company, yielding step-level change in how the business units operate. BTG utilizes a hypothesis-driven approach to project work, starting our efforts by reaching for the ?big changes/answers? followed by the detailed analyses, economics, process flows, etc. to prove or disprove what is right for Countrywide?s business.
BTG is a ?fast track? environment. Our associates are ambitious, results-oriented, collaborative, and driven to excel. We have high exposure to the various business units at the senior management level. All BTG associates are expected to become experts in Countrywide?s proprietary project management methodology, FASTER PM.
The Product Manager will be responsible for all aspects of business-side management of an enterprise-wide project management software tool, as well as occasional deliverables that support Countrywide's standard project management methodology, FASTER PM.
Primary responsibilities include:
- Manage the ongoing rollout of project management software and other tools designed to support the company's enterprise-wide project management methodology, FASTER PM. Work closely with single points of contact from divisions to ensure successful implementation of tools.
- Identify product enhancements and validate enhancements requested by user community. Ensure enhancements support the enterprise-wide project management methodology (FASTER PM). Prioritize enhancements working in conjunction with product steering committee. Draft business requirements for new enhancements and ensure that project deadlines for implementation are met. Coordinate User Acceptance Testing activities.
- Produce deliverables that support the enterprise-wide project management methodology. Deliverables may include new templates, policies, processes, maintenance of internal website content, etc.
- Deliver regular communications to product stakeholders, including monthly updates, meeting minutes, intranet site updates, and other general product announcements.
- Monitor internal helpdesk support activities and adjust model as necessary.
- Maintain and report on product metrics (cost, number of users, projects, programs, divisions, % of users by division, helpdesk metrics, etc.).
- Provide input to internal product training resources on course curriculum. Serve as primary contact for product training questions.
- Assist with the development and updating of the long-term product strategy.
- Participate in monthly product steering committee meetings.
A successful candidate will have:
- Undergraduate degree. MBA is a plus but not required.
- 5 to 8 years of experience with product management/development and/or project management preferably on the business side.
- MS Project, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Visio experience.
- Solid quantitative and analytical skills.
- Comfortable speaking in front of people at all levels.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills.
- Ability to effectively engage with and present to all levels of management.
An ideal candidate may also possess:
Experience with Computer Associates' Clarity software.
- Financial services industry experience.




609712