Product Owner III

Position Summary:

The Product Owner III is responsible for driving the strategy, development and delivery of the technological solutions that support both our internal and external strategic partners. This role ensures product enhancements and new capabilities align with regulatory requirements, operational efficiency goals and exceptional client experience.

This position partners cross-functionally with Engineering, Operations, Compliance, Sales, Accounting, external clients and business stakeholders to define priorities and assist in managing the product roadmap.  They lead Agile teams to deliver scalable, compliant, revenue driven solutions.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Lead cross-functional engineering teams in enhancing and scaling F&I platforms, including eContracting, product rating, lender integrations, remittance, and reporting tools.
• Define and manage the F&I product roadmap aligned with dealership workflows, compliance requirements, and revenue objectives.
• Collaborate with Compliance and Legal teams to ensure adherence to federal, state, and lender regulations (e.g., disclosures, audit requirements, and data security standards)
• Drive cross-organizational meetings with Sales, Operations, Implementation, and external partners to prioritize features and resolve issues.
• Own backlog management, including writing and refining user stories with clear acceptance criteria.
• Ensure high-quality deliverables with an emphasis on intuitive UI/UX tailored to dealership F&I managers and back-office users.
• Partner with integration teams to support seamless connectivity with DMS providers, lenders, payment processors, and third-party administrators.
• Manage scope, risk, and release planning to ensure predictable delivery and accurate development estimates.
• Support go-to-market initiatives by collaborating with Sales and Training teams on product launches and enhancements.
• Provide direction to Quality Assurance teams to ensure robust test coverage, particularly for financial calculations, regulatory validations, and integration workflows.
• Continuously monitor industry trends in automotive finance, digital retailing, compliance changes, and emerging technologies.

Education and Work Experience:

• 5 years of experience leading development teams in delivering high-quality software products.
• 3 years of experience in the automotive F&I, fintech, or financial services industry preferred.
• Strong understanding of F&I products such as vehicle service contracts, GAP, ancillary products, and eContracting solutions.
• Experience working with lender integrations, DMS systems, or dealership technology platforms highly desirable
• Bachelor’s degree in information technology, Computer Science, Business, or a related field preferred (equivalent experience considered)
• Extensive experience in Agile/Scrum environments.
• Proven ability to write detailed product requirements, user stories, and process documentation.

Knowledge and SKILLS:

To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies to perform the essential functions of this position.

• Strong business acumen with the ability to balance compliance, revenue growth, and operational efficiency
• Deep understanding of regulated financial product environments and risk mitigation principles
• Demonstrated ownership of the full product lifecycle from concept through launch and continuous improvement
• Ability to translate dealership and lender requirements into scalable technical solutions
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, particularly around financial calculations and transaction workflows
• Excellent stakeholder communication skills across technical and non-technical audiences
• Agile certification (CSPO, SAFe, or equivalent) preferred.

Work Schedule: This is a full-time, exempt position requiring 40 hours per week. Additional hours may be required to support releases, production issues, or business needs.

Physical Demands:

An employee must meet the physical demands described here to perform the essential functions of this job successfully.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to talk or hear, sit, use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; reach with hands and arms; and occasionally required to stand, walk, and climb stairs.  The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 pounds.  Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus.

Work Environment:

An employee must meet the work environment characteristics described here to perform the essential functions of this job successfully.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. This position operates in a professional office environment with a moderate noise level.