Sr. Product Owner – Operations

Job Description:

We are seeking an experienced and strategic Product Owner(s) to join our team supporting the operations portfolio. In this role, you will be responsible for defining and communicating the product vision, aligning the roadmap with the firm's strategic goals, and driving the development of a portfolio of business applications. In this role you will develop a Portfolio and Team level backlog applying the principles of a hybrid (waterfall and Agile development) methodologies to ensure that our solutions meet business needs and deliver high value to customers. Given the nature of these businesses, you will manage multiple platforms and products simultaneously, comfortable with context switching across competing priorities and shifting demands to keep the portfolio moving forward.

•        Communicate the Product Vision – Define and articulate a clear vision for the product portfolio to multiple stakeholders, development teams, and leadership seeking input from business partners and senior leaders.

•        Align Roadmap with Firm'sStrategy – Ensure the product roadmap supports the firm's overarching business objectives and aligns with industry best practices.

•       Research Industry Trends and Identify potential solutions - Continuously analyze market trends, customer needs, and emerging technologies in consultation with the Business Leader to identify innovative solutions.

•        Own a Product Portfolio – Manage a suite of related business applications, ensuring they work cohesively to provide maximum value.  Serve as the domain expert and champion representing the needs of the product portfolio.

•        Prioritize the Product and Team Backlog – Develop, maintain, and prioritize the product backlog based on business goals, customer feedback, and technical feasibility.

•        Represent the Needs of the Customer – Serve as “Voice of the Customer” ensuring product development efforts address user pain points and improve customer experience.  Champion the product portfolio with business groups soliciting feedback from focus groups, identify business needs, and prioritize backlog requests based on business value.

•        Ongoing Product education, adoption including M&A integration – Maintain on ongoing cadence for product education related to product features, reporting, and best practices to ensure end user adoption.  Own education for new hires as part of organic growth and via merger or acquisition.

•        Facilitate Agile Delivery – Work closely with Agile teams, leading backlog grooming, sprint planning, product increment planning, and user story prioritization while educating the team in Agile delivery best practices.

•        Collaborate with Cross-Functional Teams – Engage with developers, UX designers, business analysts, and other stakeholders to deliver high-quality products.

•        Measure & Optimize Product Success – Define and track key performance metrics to measure product effectiveness and drive continuous improvements.

• Experience
  • 8+ years of experience in Product Ownership, Product Management, or related role in an Agile environment.
  • Demonstrated experience managing a portfolio of related applications or platforms.
  • Experience aligning product strategy with business goals and customer needs.
  • Experience translating vision from executive stakeholders into an actionable roadmap.
  • Experience working with technical teams to deliver large scale integrations and custom functionality.
  • Experience working with external vendors and implementors.
  • Demonstrated experience managing a product backlog with ability to negotiate often competing priorities with a cross functional team of stakeholders.
  • Background in business applications (eg: WorkDay, Salesforce), enterprise software, or digital transformation projects.
  • Strong understanding of Agile methodologies, including Scrum and Kanban.

• Product Development Experience
  • 8+ years of experience in Product Ownership, Product Management, or a related role in an Agile environment.
  • Atlassian suite of products such as Jira, Confluence, and other Agile tools for backlog and workflow management.

• Soft Skills
  • Excellent communication, leadership, and ability to align stakeholder expectations based on highest business value for the firm.
  • Guide cross-functional teams and balance multiple projects concurrently.
  • Strong problem-solving, negotiation, and conflict-resolution capabilities.

• Certifications (Strongly Preferred)
  • Preferred certifications: Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO), or SAFe Product Owner/Product Manager certification.