Product Owner, 3 Senior

Description

We are looking for an experienced Product Owner to join a fast-moving Agile environment supporting operational workflow initiatives in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. This Long-term Contract position requires someone who can manage competing priorities, maintain visibility across interdependent work, and communicate risks and decisions clearly to stakeholders and leadership. The role is well suited for someone who is detail oriented and brings strong backlog management expertise, sharp organizational skills, and the ability to support both product ownership and business analysis activities within operations-focused teams.

Responsibilities:
Drive product ownership activities for an Agile team by shaping priorities, clarifying scope, and keeping work aligned with business objectives.
Create and maintain user stories, acceptance criteria, and backlog items to ensure development teams have clear and actionable requirements.
Lead backlog refinement sessions and contribute actively to sprint planning, standups, reviews, and other Agile ceremonies.
Monitor dependencies, surface emerging risks early, and escalate concerns to leadership to help keep delivery on track.
Partner with operational stakeholders to gather, analyze, and document business needs tied to process improvements and workflow changes.
Support workflow-related initiatives involving Appian and related operational tools, including efforts connected to changes in existing operating platforms.
Coordinate across cross-functional teams to translate business priorities into deliverable product increments with measurable value.
Maintain organized documentation and communication channels using tools such as JIRA and other collaboration platforms.
Provide insight into life insurance or annuity operations workflows to help ensure solutions reflect real business processes and user needs.

Requirements

Proven experience serving as a Product Owner within Agile delivery teams, including ownership of backlog health and prioritization.
Hands-on ability to write effective user stories, define requirements, and facilitate backlog refinement activities.
Strong understanding of Agile methodologies and participation in core team ceremonies across the delivery lifecycle.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to engage stakeholders and report issues clearly.
Demonstrated organizational strength and attention to detail in fast-paced, high-volume program environments.
Experience with business analysis activities, including gathering requirements and supporting operational process changes.
Familiarity with tools such as JIRA; exposure to Appian is preferred.
Background in life insurance or annuity operations is highly valued.

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