Product Owner II

Job Description: The Product Owner II will be responsible for developing and executing a comprehensive approach to deliver one or more products, capabilities, services, or enhancements in accordance with the product roadmap. Works with Product Managers, Business Leaders, and a cross-functional Scrum team to deliver the product to the Client. Manages the overall effort to deliver products, capabilities, services and enhancements using the strategic vision as well as established key performance indicators. Understands the functionality and determines the release sequence. Prioritizes and maintains the product backlog and performs just-in-time story elaboration with the development team.

Top 5 Must Haves:

• Backlog & PI Planning Expertise - Ability to manage product backlog, prioritize defects, and support PI planning to align with release train goals.
• Strong Partnership with Product Management -
• Collaborates to shape product strategy, roadmaps, and KPIs; aggregates ideas to enhance product performance.
• User Story & Acceptance Criteria Skills - Translates features into clear, actionable user stories with well-defined acceptance criteria.
• Foundational Behaviors - Acts with integrity, builds partnerships, drives innovation, focuses on execution, and strives for excellence.
• Communication and Influence - Strong writing and interpersonal skills to influence stakeholders, represent customer needs, and maintain effective dialogue.

Planning:

• Supports Release Train and scrum team(s) via Product Increment (PI) planning, defect prioritization, managing the product backlog and software development details.
• Partners with Product Managers to understand and influence product strategy and roadmaps and to aggregate and conceive ideas for enhancing product performance and achieving product success/KPIs.
• Helps ensure product execution meets strategy and requirements.
• Helps refine features into user stories and story acceptance criteria.

Development:

• Partners with one scrum team to build, enhance and manage one or more products, capabilities or services.
• Facilitates solution optioning with Engineering.
• Coordinates with other Agile Product Managers to deliver on a vision that crosses multiple delivery streams or release trains.

Sales and Client Engagement:

• Partners with sales, sales operations, client solutions, and client marketing teams to communicate product performance and value for in-market products.

Technical/Functional Skills

• Analytical Thinking – Working knowledge of and ability to apply effective analytical techniques and tools. Analyses issues, determines root cause, and creates/compares alternative solutions that are in the best interest of the business. Approaches situations by defining the issue, determining its significance, and identifying the forces, events and people impacting and impacted by the situation at hand. Uses logic and intuition to make inferences about the meaning of data and draws conclusions.
• Project Administration & Management – Working knowledge of and ability to use methods, practices, and tools for managing projects. Utilizes project management tools for estimation, dependency identification, conflict identification, task assignments, documentation, and reporting. Documents project meetings, including status reports on deliverables and next steps. Skilled in cost-benefit analyses, tracking and reviewing actual versus planned costs. Ensures project-related problems are surfaced, documented, and reported to appropriate team members, and have ownership for resolution.
• Requirements Analysis – Working knowledge of and ability to elicit, analyze and document required business requirements. Engages with the customers, users, and other stakeholders to gather requirements. Utilizes appropriate methods, tools, and techniques for requirements analysis. Challenges, and manages conflicts and expectations associated with requirements analysis.
• System and Technology Integration – Working knowledge of technology system features and facilities and the ability to integrate and communicate among applications, databases, and platforms. Works with existing interfaces as well as integration and migration plans within own area and across aligned/associated areas. Explores major issues and considerations for successful system integration. Plays an active role in current and planned integration efforts.
• Technology Savvy – Working knowledge of technology and its ability to improve work processes and results (e.g., enhance productivity, efficiency, collaboration, quality, or customer satisfaction). Skilled in using technology to solve work-related problems and create new business opportunities. Pursues opportunities to develop knowledge and experiments with emerging technology solutions that can help accomplish work goals. Serves as a resource to help others understand and anticipate the impact of technology on current processes, products, and services.

Foundational Skills

• Acts with Integrity - Acts in accordance with own values, standards, and beliefs even when under pressure. Adheres to ethical and professional standards, regulations, and organizational policies. Shares information about oneself with others, acknowledging strengths as well as vulnerabilities.
• Builds Partnerships - Proactively builds, nurtures, and maintains business-focused, long-term working relationships with partners inside and outside of the organization. Demonstrates flexibility when forming and adjusting partnerships to achieve broader goals. Shows willingness to work across boundaries to achieve outcomes addressing business, customer and partner goals and expectations.
• Drives Innovation – Skilled in exploring alternative ways to view and solve problems to achieve results. Tries unique ways of doing things and tests promising ideas. Takes risks in the interest of finding a better way.
• Focuses on Execution – Skilled in establishing challenging goals that are designed to deliver exceptional business results. Tracks and broadcasts progress and accomplishments. Works tenaciously to overcome obstacles and meet or exceed goals
• Strives for Excellence – Skilled in establishing criteria and/or work procedures to achieve a high level of quality, productivity, and service. Dedicates required time and energy to assignments or tasks to ensure that no aspect of the work is neglected. Accepts responsibility for outcomes (positive or negative) and admits mistakes, refocusing efforts when appropriate.

Education, experience and Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in related field.
• Minimum of 2 years of related work experience.
• Working knowledge of Product specialty/job area principles concepts, practices.
• Working knowledge of SAFe Agile Methodology.
• Demonstrated ability to translate data into quantifiable actions/deliverables.
• Strong writing ability.
• Work experience in design, development and implementation of product plans.
• Experience in full product lifecycle methodologies.
• Experience in creating, prioritizing and recommending epics and features.
• Experience in a collaborative, cross-functional team environment.