SENIOR PRODUCT OWNER

We are seeking a highly skilled and engaged Senior Product Owner to lead backlog strategy, customer discovery, and delivery execution for a software development team operating within an Agile delivery model. This role is ideal for a strong practitioner who can model best-in-class Product Ownership while serving as a change agent to improve delivery discipline, customer focus, and Agile maturity across the portfolio. The Senior Product Owner will:

• Own the delivery team backlog.
• Ensure work is clearly defined, prioritized, and ready for delivery.
• Represent the customer and end user.
• Drive consistent delivery of high-value business outcomes.
• Align product priorities with business and portfolio objectives.
• Collaborate closely with customers, business partners, architects, developers, and testers.
• Spend regular onsite time with customers, business partners, and delivery teams., 1. Backlog Ownership & Delivery
• Own, maintain, and continuously refine the delivery team’s backlog.
• Align backlog priorities with business objectives and highest-value outcomes.
• Translate business and portfolio priorities into clear, actionable user stories and acceptance criteria.
• Ensure backlog items are sufficiently detailed, understood, and ready before sprint execution.
• Lead backlog refinement sessions.

• Actively participate in:

• Sprint planning
• Sprint reviews/demos
• Retrospectives
• Other Agile ceremonies
• Serve as the content authority for the delivery team.
• Provide timely answers, clarification, direction, and decisions.
• Identify and manage upstream and downstream dependencies.
• Drive alignment with adjacent product teams.
• Collaborate with architects to ensure backlog items comply with enterprise architecture requirements.

1. Customer Discovery & Validation * Engage directly and regularly with customers and end users. * Understand real-world workflows, pain points, and operational needs. * Spend meaningful onsite time at customer worksites. * Observe how work is performed and identify opportunities for improvement. * Serve as the voice of the customer within the delivery team. * Ensure product development remains aligned with actual business value. * Validate completed work with customers. * Gather customer feedback to confirm solutions meet intended needs. * Use customer feedback and delivery results to refine future backlog items. * Conduct continuous discovery activities, including:

• Customer interviews
• Surveys
• Workflow observation
• Feedback sessions
• Identify evolving customer needs and translate them into product opportunities.

1. Agile Leadership & Collaboration * Build strong collaborative relationships with:

• Developers
• Testers
• Architects
• Business stakeholders
• Customers
• Model strong SAFe and Agile Product Owner behaviors.
• Help improve Product Owner capability and Agile maturity across the portfolio.

• Promote:

• Backlog discipline
• Transparency
• Customer engagement
• Continuous improvement
• Maintain an Agile team culture aligned with organizational values and modern delivery practices.
• Lead, direct, and empower team members without formal management authority.
• Identify risks, unclear requirements, and delivery issues early.
• Proactively resolve or escalate delivery challenges.

1. Strategic Thinking & Decision Making * Apply a data-driven approach to prioritization and trade-off decisions. * Make informed product and delivery decisions based on business value. * Influence stakeholders at all organizational levels, including senior leadership. * Define and deliver against measurable OKRs and KPIs. * Work effectively with ambiguous requirements. * Collaborate across multidisciplinary teams. * Adapt quickly in a fast-paced, collaborative, and continuously changing environment., Product Ownership | Agile | SAFe | Backlog Management | Product Strategy | Customer Discovery | User Stories | Acceptance Criteria | Sprint Planning | Backlog Refinement | Sprint Reviews | Customer Validation | Stakeholder Management | Agile Leadership | Continuous Improvement | OKRs | KPIs | Dependency Management | Enterprise Architecture | Software Development | Azure DevOps | SAP WORK ENVIRONMENT This is a hybrid position requiring regular onsite engagement with customers, business partners, and software delivery teams. Required Personal Protective Equipment

• Steel-toe boots
• Hard hat
• Safety glasse

• Proven experience as a Product Owner in a software development environment.
• Senior-level Product Ownership experience preferred.
• SAFe Product Owner/Product Manager (POPM) certification preferred.
• Certified Product Owner certification preferred.
• Demonstrated success owning and continuously refining Agile delivery team backlogs.
• Experience working directly with customers and end users.
• Strong facilitation and communication skills.
• Excellent stakeholder management and relationship-building abilities.
• Ability to lead, direct, and empower team members without formal management authority.

• Experience collaborating with:

• Software developers
• QA/testers
• Architects
• Business stakeholders
• Large enterprise experience preferred.
• SAP experience desired but not required.
• Azure DevOps experience preferred.

The ideal candidate understands Product Ownership as a strategic, customer-centered discipline, rather than simply backlog maintenance or requirements intake. The successful candidate continually asks:

• Who is the customer?
• What problem are we trying to solve?
• Do we understand the customer’s real workflow?
• Is the work clear enough for the delivery team?
• What does success look like?
• Did the delivered solution truly solve the customer’s problem?