Product Manager

Product Manager

Client: State of MD

POP: 12+ months

Location: Hybrid, Baltimore, MD

REQUIRED SKILLS

• Bachelor s Degree from an accredited college or university in Engineering, Computer Science, Information Systems, Business or other related discipline.
• Master s degree or project management certification is preferred.
• A minimum of seven (7) years of demonstrated professional experience as a Product Manager, with at least three (3) of those years delivering outcomes in complex, regulated, or large-scale environments such as government, healthcare, financial services, or other regulated industries.
• A minimum of two (2) years in a product lead capacity overseeing cross-functional delivery of digital services, platforms, or large-scale process improvements, owning product vision, roadmap, and prioritization decisions end-to-end.
• Demonstrated experience launching a new digital feature or product end-to-end, from discovery through implementation, with measurable user or business outcomes attributable to the work.
• Demonstrated ability to untangle and navigate multiple overlapping layers, functions, and constraints, including legal, regulatory, policy, operational, and technical, to drive alignment and move work forward in environments where authority is distributed across multiple stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to establish a product vision, define clear criteria for success, and maintain outcome focus while creating and maintaining roadmaps, backlogs, and prioritization frameworks. Demonstrated track record using qualitative user research and quantitative performance data in combination to address user needs while advancing organizational and program goals.
• Demonstrated track record delivering products or features in complex environments using iterative, incremental delivery practices.
• Demonstrated skill in workflow mapping, prioritization frameworks, and outcome measurement, including translating business needs into clear requirements, user stories, and acceptance criteria for engineering teams.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to adapt tone and approach for executives, frontline staff, and technical audiences. Resilient and mission-driven, with demonstrated ability to build trust, navigate ambiguity, and sustain momentum on long-horizon initiatives.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with engineering, design, business analyst, policy, and program teams.

PREFERRED SKILLS

• Knowledge of Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), SNAP, TANF, or other federal/state government benefits programs, including familiarity with eligibility determination workflows, redetermination/renewal cycles, ex parte renewal processes, and procedural termination dynamics.
• Prior experience as a Product Manager in similar organizations such as state Medicaid agencies, health insurance marketplaces, ACA-related programs, federally qualified health centers, public health agencies, civic technology organizations, or mission-driven nonprofits serving comparable populations.
• Familiarity with federal and state policy, compliance, and procurement constraints relevant to public benefits administration, including CMS guidance, federal Medicaid regulations, and state procurement practices.
• Background in agile service delivery, discovery-to-delivery cycles, or modernization projects in a regulated or government context, including familiarity with frameworks such as the U.S. Digital Services Playbook, 18F practices, or comparable government modernization methodologies.
• Experience partnering closely with human-centered design and service design practitioners on shared outcome teams, translating research insights into product decisions.
• Experience defining and managing OKRs, KPIs, or outcome-based metrics frameworks in a product context, including using analytics, A/B testing, and performance data to inform prioritization.
• Experience working with AI-assisted workflows, conversational interfaces, or automation in a regulated public-sector context, with attention to responsible AI principles and equity considerations.
• Experience managing vendor relationships and contractor teams as part of product delivery, including writing requirements that contractor teams can deliver against.
• Experience training, mentoring, or coaching internal teams in modern product management methods, including running discovery sprints, roadmapping workshops, and capacity-building sessions.
• Familiarity with accessibility standards (Section 508 and WCAG) and inclusive product design practices for diverse populations.
• Professional certifications relevant to the role, such as Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO), Pragmatic Marketing/Pragmatic Institute certifications, SAFe Product Owner/Product Manager, or equivalent credentials.

TASKS

• Serve as the Senior Product Manager on Medicaid eligibility outcomes pilot team, providing strategic leadership and cross-functional team direction across policy, operations, eligibility, and information technology functions.
• Define and steward the product vision for the assigned outcome area, aligned with Medicaid program goals, federal and state compliance constraints, and the team's measurable outcome targets.
• Establish, track, and report against Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) tied directly to beneficiary and worker outcomes, including but not limited to reducing procedural terminations, increasing ex parte renewal rates, reducing eligibility worker administrative burden, and improving renewal and retention rates.
• Drive prioritization decisions using a combination of qualitative user research, quantitative performance data, policy and compliance constraints, and engineering feasibility, balancing trade-offs transparently across diverse stakeholders.
• Facilitate stakeholder engagement with program staff, IT teams, executive leadership, beneficiary communities, and external partners; present findings, recommendations, and trade-offs to senior leadership in clear, decision-ready formats and secure alignment and buy-in for direction.
• Partner with state staff to analyze, design, and implement improvements in Medicaid eligibility, enrollment, and renewal processes, translating user needs, operational pain points, and policy requirements into product roadmaps, prioritized backlogs, and well-defined acceptance criteria.
• Drive feature delivery by partnering with engineers, designers, human-centered design strategists, policy and program subject matter experts, business analysts, and contractor teams to transform prioritized concepts into implementation-ready requirements and to actively manage the delivery process through launch, adoption, and post-launch measurement.
• Translate research findings, journey maps, and service blueprints into prototypes and into service design or technical improvements that engineering teams can execute against.
• Ensure that proposed product changes meet federal and state policy and compliance requirements, including CMS Medicaid regulations, accessibility standards (Section 508 and WCAG), and applicable privacy and security obligations, while delivering tangible, real-world improvements for beneficiaries and staff.
• Support the adoption of cross-functional, iterative, agile ways of working within state teams, contributing to knowledge-sharing and to organizational capacity-building for long-term sustainability beyond the duration of the engagement.
• Mentor and build state team capacity in modern product management methods, championing iterative discovery-to-delivery practice through visible delivery and demonstrated value.
• Adhere to all security, change control, and Project Management Office (PMO) policies, processes, and methodologies.