Product Owner I

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Join an award-winning, equal opportunity employer, where you'll find more than a job - you'll find a supportive community. Enjoy competitive benefits, take part in meaningful volunteer projects, and help shape the future alongside talented colleagues across all backgrounds. At Farmers, helping others is at the heart of what we do.

Ready to make your mark? Discover our vibrant culture and explore career opportunities at www.Farmers.com/careers/corporate. Connect with us on Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok, and let's build something incredible together!

Job Summary

• Takes the lead in several areas of product development by following the principles of Agile to manage the team backlog, anticipate and prioritize needs, oversee development stages, act as a primary liaison and evaluate product progress.
• Serves as the customer proxy; works collaboratively with business owners and other stakeholders to accomplish these tasks.
• Utilizes basic understanding of the business vision and requires frequent support and direction from the Product Manager and/or Product Owner II or III.

Essential Job Functions

• Applies basic scientific practice within iterations in order to routinely plan, do, check and adjust.
• Manages team backlog items and prioritizes based on business value.
• Outlines dependencies and informs stakeholders the necessary sequence of development to ensure optimized performance and outcomes.
• Holds a significant role in quality control and is the primary team member empowered to accept stories as done.
• Utilizes basic business knowledge and communication skills to anticipate problems, address them accordingly while working cross functionally in a self-organizing manner to accomplish tasks and effectively manage the backlog.
• Effectively applies critical thinking to identify flexibility in determining how and when each iteration and product element will be developed.
• Acts as primary communicator and connection between stakeholders, end users and teams determining if each story meets their shared e xpectations.
• Ensures collaboration from all stakeholders on decisions and strategy providing clear instructions and deliverables for developers.
• Takes ownership for each stage of the process and final product to ensure the goal and vision are correctly aligned with the work items on the backlog.
• Provides ongoing refinement of team backlog, coordinates dependencies and manages the inspection and evaluation of product progress through each iteration.
• Participates in PO and/or ART sync meetings in addition to the system demo to show critical aspects of the solution
• Participates in Inspect & Adapt workshop to work across teams to define and implement improvement stories to increase program quality.
• A key member of the Agile team who utilizes perspective to define iteration goals and drives execution and delivery.
• Partners with the business owner to understand needs, manage scope and add/eliminate user stories.
• Communicates requirements to Agile Team in a clear and collaborative manner to determine new requirements, negotiate teams and dependencies.
• Regularly interacts closely with the Product Manager in order to discuss goals and vision of the business/value stream, actively gaining knowledge on the matter.
• Heavily involved in the Program Increment (PI) planning, story definition and assists team with story estimates and sequencing.
• Oversees the development of the product to include planning, refinement, review, and execution.
• Partners with stakeholders to identify and organize steps required for next iteration.
• Works to gain clarity on queries and participate in the demo of committed items.
• Participates in ceremonies within the team to coordinate efforts with team to refine the process, identify areas for improvement and support the execution of tasks.
• Continuously keeps the end-user needs in mind to ensure the solution meets expectations and the development delivers expected outcomes from the accepted stories.
• Lead the identification, evaluation, and implementation of AI-driven solutions that enhance customer experience, operational efficiency, and service delivery across the Farmers Contact Center.
• Partner with Contact Center Operations, Technology, Data & Analytics, and Business leaders to develop and execute an AI roadmap aligned with strategic business objectives.
• Research emerging AI technologies, industry trends, and customer service innovations to recommend scalable solutions that improve agent productivity and customer satisfaction.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Physical Environment

• The following are standard requirements for all positions. When applicable, some positions may have additional requirements essential to a specific job:
• This position operates in an open office working environment which will include normal and customary distractions, noise, and interruptions.
• Sits or stands for extended periods of time, up to a full work shift.
• Occasionally reaches overhead and below the knees, including bending, twisting, pulling, and stooping.
• Occasionally moves, lifts, carries, and places objects and supplies weighing 0-10 pounds without assistance.
• Listens to, interprets, and differentiates auditory information (e.g. others speaking) at normal speaking levels with or without correction.
• Visually verifies and reads information. Visually locates material, resources and other objects.
• Ability to operate a computer for extended periods of time, up to a full work shift.
• Physical dexterity sufficient to use hands, arms, and shoulders repetitively to operate keyboard and other office equipment up to a full work shift.

Education Requirements

• Bachelors degree preferred. SAFe Product Owner Certification (obtained within 180 days of hire) required.

Experience Requirements

• One year experience in an Agile environment or 2+ years of experience in a project environment.

Special Skill Requirement

• Possesses strong product knowledge.
• Possesses business and functional knowledge in the supported value stream.
• Demonstrated written communication skills.
• Ability to effectively write user stories and break down features into user stories.
• Strong verbal communication and listening skills.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Possesses flexibility to work in a fast paced, dynamic environment.
• Develops and delivers effective presentations.
• Excellent collaboration and team building skills.

Benefits

• Farmers offers a competitive salary commensurate with experience, qualifications and location.

o CA Only: $81,375 - $137,940

o CO & ME: $76,275 - $119,350

o HI/IL/MN/VT Only: $76,275 - $127,490

o MA Only: $76,275 - $127,490

• o MD & VA: $76,275 - $137,940

o DC/NJ/NY/OH Only: $76,275 - $137,940

o Albany County, NY/Cleveland, OH: $81,375 - $119,350

o WA Only: $80,168 - $144,875

• Bonus Opportunity (based on Company and Individual Performance)
• 401(k)
• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Health Savings and Flexible Spending Accounts
• Life Insurance
• Paid Time Off
• Paid Parental Leave
• Tuition Assistance
• For more information, review "What we offer" on https://www.farmers.com/careers/corporate/#offer

Job Location(s): R_US - United States

Workplace: Hybrid, Remote

Salary Grade: Grade 35

Hiring Manager: Piers Nash

Recruiter Name: Elizabeth Ventura

Anticipated application deadline: At Farmers, the recruitment process is designed to ensure that we find the best talent to join our team. As part of this process, we typically close open positions within 8 to 21 days after posting. If you are interested in any of our open positions, we encourage you to submit your application promptly.

Want to learn more about our culture & opportunities? Check out www.Farmers.com/careers/corporate and be sure to follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok.