At Vokal, our Product Owners are passionate about building great digital experiences. They champion the product and define its vision, strategize on future enhancements or new products and execute on the delivery. Product Owners are expected to become experts on the product, “wear the t-shirt” of our clients, empathize with both stakeholders and users, conduct research throughout all phases, and provide clear goals for the product and scrum team to maximize the value Vokal brings to our clients. By using domain knowledge and research, creating product roadmaps, delivering those products, and strategizing on behalf of the client, the Product Owner is expected to grow long-term client relationships and add value to their businesses.
This is a highly collaborative role, working with clients, designers, developers, sales, and engagement managers. As a thought leader, the Product Owner will bring fresh ideas, perspectives and tools to individual projects and Vokal’s methodologies.
Position Responsibilities
- Champion the products we deliver for our clients; define and communicate product vision, and don’t let anything compromise that vision
- Lead strategy, kickoff and product-definition activities in order to develop a robust definition of the product; groom and communicate the product backlog and acceptance criteria
- Own product-related decisions during agile development, including accepting/rejecting user stories (i.e. features); ensure effectiveness of kickoffs, iterations and retrospectives
- Define KPIs and definitions of success for each product to measure client deliverables, and influence future development plans
- Support Engagement Management to ensure timely deployment of applications and websites. Monitor and report on current deployments, including recommendations for roadmap updates and new projects
- Conduct and assist with facets of research (client, industry, usability, user)
- Contribute and develop new tools and processes that increase Vokal’s capabilities and capacity to deliver great digital experiences
- Serve as key point of contact for clients and stakeholders, ensuring they are aligned on key decisions, and that the implications of these decisions are understood
- Support the Sales team by defining project plans that are customized for each client, working with Design and Development to identify the specific tools and methodologies best suited for each project
- Contribute and lead on innovation and design thinking sessions, creating new thoughtful ideas and products for clients and prospects
Required Experience
- 4+ years of applicable experience including leading strategic planning including market assessments, competitive evaluations, business modeling
- Product management experience in a technology-focused market, ideally in software and mobile, ioT. E-commerce, financial services, manufacturing, healthcare industries a plus
- Experience using agile/scrum methodologies. Experience leading, teaching and mentoring in agile a plus. Experience with Jira, Confluence, Design Thinking
- Demonstrated capabilities in being tech-, business- and ux-savvy
- Experience leading, coaching and mentoring teams that are spread across functions, and working on multifaceted projects for extended times
- Experience in client-service settings. Agency/Consulting experience a plus
Traits
- You are comfortable with, and able to manage constructively: change, ambiguity, debate, conflict, playfulness, experimentation, informed risk taking
- Demonstrated excellent written and verbal communicator
- You are decisive and open to new ideas
- You are a self-starter, entrepreneurial, positive, but not afraid to say “No”
- You are a quick learner and naturally curious
- You appreciate diversity in people and opinions