Product Owner

Job Title: Product Owner

Job Summary:

The Product Owner is responsible for maximizing the value of the product by managing the product backlog, defining user stories, and prioritizing features based on customer and stakeholder needs. Working closely with cross-functional teams, the Product Owner ensures that the development team understands the product vision and delivers high-quality, impactful solutions.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Product Strategy and Vision:

Collaborate with stakeholders to understand business objectives and customer needs.

Develop and communicate the product vision and roadmap.

Conduct market research and analyze customer feedback to guide product development.

2. Backlog Management:

Create, prioritize, and maintain the product backlog based on value and strategic alignment.

Define clear and actionable user stories with acceptance criteria.

Continuously refine and adjust the backlog to reflect changes in project scope or stakeholder needs.

3. Stakeholder Collaboration:

Act as the primary liaison between the development team and stakeholders.

Gather requirements from business, technical, and customer perspectives.

Communicate progress, roadblocks, and successes with relevant stakeholders.

4. Sprint Planning and Execution:

Lead sprint planning sessions to define and prioritize tasks.

Work with the Scrum Master and development team to plan deliverables.

Ensure the team understands the goals and requirements of each story.

5. Product Development and Delivery:

Validate and test new features to ensure alignment with requirements.

Accept or reject completed user stories based on predefined criteria.

Track product performance and analyze key metrics post-launch.

6. Continuous Improvement:

Gather feedback post-release and integrate it into future iterations.

Analyze product performance to identify areas for enhancement.

Stay up to date with industry trends and competitor offerings.

Key Skills and Competencies:

Analytical Thinking: Ability to translate business needs into functional requirements.

Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills for cross-team collaboration.

Leadership: Ability to motivate and guide the development team towards product goals.

Decision-Making: Strong prioritization skills and the ability to make data-driven decisions.

Customer Focus: Understanding of customer-centric product development.

Technical Acumen: Familiarity with software development processes and Agile methodologies.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Computer Science, or a related field (or equivalent experience).

Total of 12 – 15 years of experience with proven experience of 3+ yrs as a Product Owner or in a similar role.

• Experience working with Agile frameworks like Scrum or Kanban.
• Proficiency with product management tools (e.g., Jira, Trello, Aha!).
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to adapt in a fast-paced environment.
• Certification in Product Ownership (e.g., CSPO) is a plus.

Preferred Experience:

Experience in insurance technology

Knowledge of user experience (UX) design principles

Familiarity with data analysis tools (like Tableau, Power BI) to track product metrics.

Demonstrated success in delivering customer-focused products.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):

Backlog prioritization accuracy and effectiveness.

Stakeholder satisfaction and alignment.

Delivery of product features on time and within scope.

User engagement and customer satisfaction post-release.

Reduction in defect rate and rework.

This position can be based in any of the following locations:

Current Guardian Colleagues: Please apply through the internal Jobs Hub in Workday