Product Owner/Portfolio Manager

Role: Product Owner/Portfolio Manager

Location: Des Moines, IA (Hybrid)

Interview: Either Web Cam or In Person Interview

Local candidates are more preferred.

Job Description:

Client is seeking a Product Owner/Portfolio Manager. The position involves close collaboration with business and IT management, oversight of cross-functional fusion teams, and a commitment to continuous improvement driven by performance data and user feedback.

This Product Portfolio Manager will be responsible for managing fusion teams, which typically consist of a QA, BA, PM, and a couple of developers. These teams represent the smallest functional unit for a project. The Product Owner is accountable for the overall product and serves as the central point of communication for all projects under that product. They will coordinate with the PMO, Application Development, and other stakeholders to communicate project needs, priorities, and resource requirements.

The IT Product Portfolio Manager oversees a collection of custom applications and vendor systems, will lead meetings, solve problems, facilitate and coordinate communication between the parties, manage product backlogs, document status, and ensure that the team members have the support needed to perform their work. This is an opportunity to work in a mission-driven environment supporting Iowa's public service agencies and citizen-facing services, such as those supporting the Department of Education, Department of Natural Resource, or others.

Required Skills

Product ownership, portfolio management (2+ years)

Project management: planning/managing scope, budget, timeline, resources; coordinating project activities (5+ years)

Requirement elicitation, documentation and articulation between teams (5+ years)

Proficient understanding of the software development life cycle and related methodologies (5+ years)

Experience partnering with vendor project teams, managing relationships and vendor management (5+ years)

High quality documentation: project plans, status updates, presentations, requirements, user stories, process maps, instructions (5+ years)

Demonstrated strong communication skills across technical teams and business stakeholders, specifically to leadership - setting/resetting expectations (5+ years)

Guide stages of agile software development, including user story development, sprint planning, and prioritization of the product backlog. (3+) years

IT vendor management (3+ years)