Technical Product Owner

This position is responsible for implementation and enhancement of vendor software and/or hardware package applications, providing overall business function knowledge to projects and support, incorporating scaled agile framework. This position collaborates with vendors, company customers, IT colleagues, and other stakeholders to understand customer requirements and system interfaces, assess available technologies/vendor packages, and present solutions. Position will allow for flexible remote schedule within our six state footprint (MI, IN, IL, OH, KY or WI). Travel frequency to Grand Rapids MI office as needed. Relocation assistance is not provided. Immigration sponsorship is not provided. What You'll be Doing: - Coordinates, Implements and configures vendor software applications. - Develops interfaces to vendor software applications and assists in deployment of solutions. - Optimizes packages to meet SLA/functional requirements. - Provides high-level technical consulting support on vendor applications and interfaces. - Coordinates with ITS Security and Infrastructure teams to ensure secure deployment of vendor applications. - Assists product owners in systems analysis and creation or updating of documentation for all business processes. - Interfaces with the Product Owner and IT partners to develop acceptance criteria for projects features and user stories and ensures acceptance criteria are met. - Works within the SAFe Agile framework and utilizes ITIL best practices. - Participates with other IT members, customers and other stakeholders in new product reviews, tests and pilots. - Performs feasibility studies/proofs of concept, to evaluate solutions. - Assists in production support and maintenance of applications in accordance with ITIL as needed. - Actively participates in all team Agile ceremonies. This job role may also provide facilitation of activities for Agile teams within Meijer ITS as acting Scrum Master. - Serves as the product owner/subject-matter lead for the Order Management System, owning the backlog for ordering and fulfillment capabilities. - Partners with engineering to define acceptance criteria for order-lifecycle features (order intake and downstream fulfillment handoff). - Analyzes and documents end-to-end order flows, state transitions, and integration points across OMS services and upstream/downstream systems (e-commerce, store, delivery, and fulfillment partners). - Triage and drive resolution of order failures (stuck/failed orders, dead-letter queue messages, exceptions) with engineering, using observability tools such as Observe. - Defines and monitors SLAs/KPIs for order throughput, latency, and fulfillment success, and prioritizes performance and reliability improvements. - Coordinates event-driven integration changes (Kafka topics, message contracts) and validates the impact on consuming services. - Plans and validates releases, regression, and peak-season readiness (e.g., holiday volume) for the OMS platform and its Kubernetes-hosted services. - This job profile is not meant to be all inclusive of the responsibilities of this position; may perform other duties as assigned or required. What You Bring with You (Qualifications): - Bachelor's or equivalent. - Any SAFe certification (SSM, SASM, SA, SPC, SPMPO). - ITIL Foundations Certification. - Prefer experience in business application design, development, installation, and modification. - Knowledge of project management techniques is required (cross-functional experience is highly desirable). - Familiarity with business systems. - Experience as a team member on project teams in a cross-functional environment. Experience on Agile teams is preferred. - Strong business knowledge, with hands-on experience managing vendor packages for the business. - 3+ years of experience as a product owner, business analyst, or technical lead on an Order Management System (e.g., IBM Sterling OMS, Manhattan, Fluent, or custom/microservice-based OMS) in retail or e-commerce. - Strong understanding of the order lifecycle: order capture, validation, payment/promotions, sourcing and allocation, release, fulfillment, shipment, returns, and cancellations. - Working knowledge of omnichannel fulfillment models (ship-from-store, pickup, delivery, DC fulfillment) and inventory/availability concepts. - Familiarity with event-driven and microservice architectures, including Kafka messaging, REST/API integrations, and error-handling patterns (retries, dead-letter queues). - Experience using observability/APM tools (Observe or similar) to trace transactions and analyze logs and incidents. - Experience writing user stories and acceptance criteria for complex, multi-system workflows, and driving UAT. - Preferred: experience with grocery/retail operations, Kubernetes-based platforms like GKE, CI/CD, and Google cloud - Strong verbal and written communication skills with an ability to express complex technical concepts in business terms. - Analytical, problem-solving and conceptual skills. - Knowledge of secure code design principles and practices. - Working knowledge of SAFE agile framework preferred. - Solid teamwork and interpersonal skills. Ability to work well on cross-functional project teams and foster team commitment to tasks. - Knowledge of agile practices in a cross-functional environment preferred. - Ability to effectively adapt to rapidly changing technology and apply it to business needs. - Ability to establish and maintain a high level of customer trust and confidence. - Ability to provide high level of quality and productivity. We are committed to offering competitive pay that reflects market standards and ensures consistency within our organization. The pay range for this position is listed below. $88,500.00 - $138,000.00 This pay range represents the minimum and maximum base pay for the position, which is determined by factors such as market data, the qualifications required, the level of responsibilities associated with the role and other roles at this same level. Your specific pay rate within this range will be based on your experience, qualifications, and skills compared to the internal team you'll be joining. We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, life insurance, a 401(k) plan with employer match, disability leave, and paid time off (PTO). In addition to these core benefits, we are committed to supporting your overall well-being and career growth. Our offerings include a variety of programs designed to support your personal and professional development, such as paid parental leave, paid education assistance (including free education), a childcare subsidy and more. We are dedicated to creating a work environment that promotes work-life balance, long-term health and financial security, and continuous professional development The interview process is intended to learn more about your personal skills and experience. To this end, we ask that candidates do not use AI tools during the hiring process. Please note: - Cameras must be turned on during all virtual interviews. - AI tools may not be used during any part of the interview process.