Software Product Owner

Position Purpose

The Software Product Owner (SaaS) is responsible for leading the definition prioritization and successful delivery of software features and system enhancements that meet operational and business goals. This role serves as the key liaison between business stakeholders clients and the software development team ensuring that all enhancements are well-defined technically feasible and aligned with business value.

The Product Owner owns the full lifecycle of feature development from identifying and documenting requirements through coordinating development efforts and validating delivered solutions. This position requires strong analytical and communication skills a deep understanding of both business processes and software systems and the ability to lead cross-functional collaboration across departments.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Partner with internal stakeholders and clients to define and document functional requirements for new features enhancements and system changes.
• Collaborate with management to prioritize enhancement requests based on business impact resource availability and strategic objectives.
• Translate complex business needs into clear specifications use cases and functional documentation that development and QA teams can execute.
• Prioritize enhancement requests based on business impact resource availability and strategic objectives.
• Collaborate with development QA and SBAs project teams throughout the project lifecycle to ensure solutions are developed according to requirements.
• Review test plans and participate in testing activities to validate that deliverables meet business and operational expectations.
• Build deep domain knowledge of the insurance and premium financing industry to provide effective solutions aligned with client and regulatory needs.
• Provide subject matter expertise and support for mid- to high-level technical issues ensuring they are resolved efficiently.
• Track evaluate and refine ongoing enhancements based on user feedback production performance and evolving business needs.
• Serve as the central point of contact for feature scope status updates and post-release performance analysis.

Performance

The performance of the Software Product Owner (SaaS) will be evaluated based on their effectiveness in meeting the following KPIs on an ongoing basis:

• Timely and accurate delivery of enhancements and feature requests
• Quality and clarity of requirements documentation
• Reduction in change requests or revisions after documentation approval
• Internal and external stakeholder satisfaction
• Alignment with our Core Values: Integrity Respect Flexibility Self-Evaluation Knowledge and Compassion

Qualifications

To be successful in this position the individual must be able to perform each essential function. The requirements listed below represent the knowledge and skills required for this position.

Education and Experience/Knowledge Requirements

• Bachelors degree in Business Computer Science Information Systems or related field is required
• 7 years in product ownership business analysis or related roles within software development or product design environments
• 7 years experience in requirements elicitation documentation and stakeholder communication with a focus on translating business needs into clear actionable specifications
• Proven experience working with SaaS platforms or enterprise software products including cross-functional collaboration with development QA and client-facing teams
• Proficiency with tools commonly used in product development and documentation workflows including Jira Confluence Postman MS Word and Excel
• Strong Experience with business process modeling workflow mapping or systems analysis in a software development environment
• Domain knowledge in insurance premium finance or financial services is strongly preferred

Physical Requirements

• Sitting: Ability to sit for extended periods often up to 8 hours a day since most of the work is done at a desk using a computer.
• Typing and Computer Use: Frequent use of a computer keyboard and mouse. This requires good hand-eye coordination manual dexterity and the ability to type quickly and accurately.
• Speaking and Listening: Clear verbal communication is essential. This involves speaking clearly over the phone and listening attentively to understand and respond to customer inquiries.
• Hearing: Ability to hear and understand conversations over the phone which may involve different accents and varying levels of background noise.
• Vision: Ability to read and interpret data on a computer screen including reading small print and using a computer monitor for extended periods.
• Reaching and Handling: Occasionally reaching for items such as a headset phone or reference materials. Handling various office supplies and equipment as needed. Must be able to lift up to 15 lbs.
• Travel: Depending on the role there may be occasional travel required for attending job fairs university recruiting events or other off-site meetings.
• Mobility: Some physical activity may be required such as moving between desks filing documents or attending in-person meetings or career fairs.

Competencies

• Ownership Mindset: Takes full responsibility for the success of assigned features and enhancements.
• • Proactively follows up on issues or delays even if they originate outside their direct area.
  • Owns end-to-end delivery of a feature: from requirements to post-launch monitoring.
  • Communicates risks or roadblocks early and proposes solutions.
  • Volunteers to take on complex ambiguous initiatives and sees them through.
• Requirements Definition: Excellent ability to collect organize and translate business needs into clear complete specifications.
• • Produces requirement documents or use cases that need minimal rework.
  • Uses structured formats (e.g. acceptance criteria diagrams) to support developer understanding.
  • Proactively clarifies vague requests by asking targeted questions.
• Stakeholder Communication: Strong written and verbal skills to manage cross-functional discussions and expectations.
• • Facilitates clear constructive discussions between technical and non-technical audiences.
  • Summarizes complex project updates in concise stakeholder-friendly formats.
  • Actively listens and adjusts messaging based on the audience.
  • Resolves disagreements by aligning on shared goals.
• Analytical Thinking: Capable of understanding and analyzing complex systems and business rules.
• • Breaks down a system issue into logical parts to identify root cause.
  • Identifies patterns across different user behaviors or feature gaps.
  • Anticipates downstream effects of system changes.
  • Provides input to improve workflows based on data or process evaluation.
• Technical Acumen: Understands software development and testing processes; able to troubleshoot mid- to high-level issues.
• • Uses tools like Postman or Jira to replicate or investigate reported issues.
  • Collaborates effectively with developers by speaking their language.
  • Catches technical inconsistencies during test case reviews.
  • Suggests technically feasible options during solution discussions.
• Customer Focus: Committed to understanding client needs and delivering high-impact solutions.
• • Actively seeks user or client feedback when scoping features.
  • Pushes back on low value requests and focuses on real impact.
  • Incorporates empathy and user journeys into planning.
  • Prioritizes usability and long-term satisfaction over short-term fixes.