IT Product Owner

Job#: 3032341

Job Description:
IT Product Owner

Location: Des Moines, Iowa (Onsite)
Employment Type: Contract

Role Overview

This position will provide support for multiple groups within the Information Technology organization. The Product Owner is responsible for supporting work related to the functional areas supported by assigned platforms. The Product Owner bridges the desires of the business and the capabilities of the technology, removing barriers to software delivery.

Key Responsibilities

• Collaborate with business leaders, subject matter experts, and users to understand and anticipate their needs and translate them into a vision, strategy, features, and prioritized backlog.
• Understand the agile application development methodology and assist with its adoption across the organization.
• Serve as the conduit between user needs, technical capabilities, and development requirements, along with developing application roadmaps with IT Architecture.
• Lead backlog refinement with delivery teams in relation to ongoing and future initiatives, projects and enhancements.
• Work with vendor partners as necessary to plan work and ensure they are prepared to meet requested deliverables.
• Ensure that the product backlog is visible, transparent, and clear to all, and shows what the delivery or project team will work on next.
• Participate in team meetings related to the product sprints.
• Ensure the delivery or project team understands items in the product backlog to the level needed.
• Remove product level impediments, and implement process changes to enable higher quality software delivery.
• Negotiate, and build consensus on trade-offs between features, quality and dates in order to provide the best solution.
• Ensure business leadership is aware of key issues and changes, and provide them with the correct information and recommendations to resolve issues.
• Work with Architects, Tech Leads and Developers to identify non-functional requirements.
• Work with Quality Assurance and project/enhancement team members to identify test cases for manual and automated testing, along with helping coordinate the review/updates to the regression test suite.
• Coordinate with business users to conduct product user acceptance testing (UAT).
• Report product status, roadmaps, decision, and impediments as needed.

Required Qualifications

Education: BS or MS degree in Computer Science or Business or equivalent job experience is required.

Experience: 5+ years of experience managing product backlogs and requirements for delivery teams in a Product Manager or Product Owner capacity. 3+ years of experience with product & technology roadmap development through influence of key business and technology partners to identify business priorities. Experience delivering products using agile methodology.

Skills: Excellent communication skills (verbal and written) as well as interpersonal skills. Effective in a culture of teamwork, collaboration and accountability. Ability to work both independently and as part of a team. Highly organized with the ability to plan and prioritize multiple tasks. Results-oriented and self-motivated.

Compensation & Benefits

The pay rate for this position is between $60.00 and $70.00 per hour. Benefits may be available to eligible employees.

This employer is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.

Apex uses a virtual recruiter as part of the application process. Click for more details.

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Everforth Apex is a world-class IT services company that serves thousands of clients across the globe. When you join Everforth Apex, you become part of a team that values innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning. We offer quality career resources, training, certifications, development opportunities, and a comprehensive benefits package. Our commitment to excellence is reflected in many awards, including ClearlyRated's Best of Staffing in Talent Satisfaction in the United States and Great Place to Work in the United Kingdom and Mexico. Everforth Apex uses a virtual recruiter as part of the application process. Click for more details.

Everforth Apex Benefits Overview: Everforth Apex offers a range of supplemental benefits, including medical, dental, vision, life, disability, and other insurance plans that offer an optional layer of financial protection. We offer an ESPP (employee stock purchase program) and a 401K program which allows you to contribute typically within 30 days of starting, with a company match after 12 months of tenure. Everforth Apex also offers a HSA (Health Savings Account on the HDHP plan), a SupportLinc Employee Assistance Program (EAP) with up to 8 free counseling sessions, a corporate discount savings program and other discounts. In terms of professional development, Everforth Apex hosts an on-demand training program, provides access to certification prep and a library of technical and leadership courses/books/seminars once you have 6+ months of tenure, and certification discounts and other perks to associations that include CompTIA and IIBA. Everforth Apex has a dedicated customer service team for our Consultants that can address questions around benefits and other resources, as well as a certified Career Coach. You can access a full list of our benefits, programs, support teams and resources within our 'Welcome Packet' as well, which an Everforth Apex team member can provide.