Description

The goal of the Product Owner is the effective planning and oversight of the product lifecycle within designated product areas. This person provides daily coordination of developer assignments. The Product Owner works closely with the developer, quality assurance and configuration teams to remove obstacles to product delivery. This person collaborates with sales, marketing, customer-facing, and design teams to gather, understand, and prioritize product and customer requirements. This person also communicates directly with clients to coordinate business analysis and help maintain strong client relationships. The Product Owner helps to ensure the products support the company’s overall strategy, vision, and goals, and provides data and information to the product manager and executive team to support strategic decisions.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Partner with the Technical Owner on an agile software engineering squad to ensure high quality software is delivered in a predictable manner
• Participate in all aspects of the product development lifecycle from design to deployment and maintenance
• Work closely with stakeholders (Product Managers, Technical Owner/Engineers, Architects, Security, DBAs, User Experience Designers, Customers, and other Product Owners) to understand complex problems and translate them into solutions
• Participate in shaping and upholding the product vision
• Build and maintain a prioritized backlog in alignment with the company’s technical and business strategy
• Collaborate with the squad to define Epics/Stories that meet the “Definition of Ready”, and after development/testing meet the “Definition of Done”
• Lead/Manage/Participate in Scrum ceremonies (backlog grooming, sprint planning, standups, retrospectives, sprint demos)
• Play an active role in mitigating impediments impacting successful squad completion of Release/Sprint/Quarterly Goals
• Drive sprint and release plans, while tracking progress towards delivery timelines, and communicating changes to stakeholders

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

• This position does not have any supervisory responsibilities.

Requirements

• In-depth knowledge of Scrum and Agile software development methodology
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work with cross-functional teams to deliver on a common goal
• Understanding of modern web-based concepts (HTML, CSS, Angular, Databases, APIs, etc)
• Has been working in Product Owner role (or similar) for at least a few years
• Focus on constant positive change, not overnight “fix it all at once”
• Adaptable since the team is not in alignment with all other Vector teams
• Sense of humor, personable
• Strong Jira experience, help to focus on metrics
• Used to working with distributed Dev team (Indiana, Brazil, Alabama, Chicago)
• Doesn’t require high degree of technical knowledge, but interested to learn

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Required

• Software product development experience as a Product Owner, Product Manager, or Business Analyst
• Track record of building software from planning to customer delivery, including writing user stories with acceptance criteria

Preferred

• Technical background and/or understanding of systems architecture, analysis, design, and development
• Experience using Jira, Confluence, and Slack (or similar tools)

Why you will love working at Vector Solutions:

• Friendly, open, and casual work environment (ditch the suit & tie)
• Comprehensive, quality benefits package effective first of the month following your date of hire
• Matching 401(k) retirement plan
• Healthy work-life balance with flexible work arrangements and generous time off
• Educational assistance available for all employees
• Generous referral incentive program
• Company social events
• Philanthropic opportunities

 Vector Solutions is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against applicants on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, ancestry, age, sex, marital status, national origin, disability or veteran status.