Product Owner - Chicago IL(Locals Only)

Position’s Contributions to Work Group:

• Coordinates with product development engineers to track and communicate design, development, support, and maintenance problems and solutions.
• Identifies, documents, and reports design, reliability and maintenance problems and bugs. Gathers and consolidates feedback from customers and field staff.
• Coordinates with field support specialists and customers to address and resolve problems and expand product usage.
• Answers customer and field support questions; provides guidance and support for product integration and infrastructure issues.

Work environment: Chicago Office (2-3 days in office: Mon, Tues and Wed typically but flexible on days )

Education & Experience Required:

• Bachelor’s degree with 10 years exp in software engineering/ product owner.
• 6+ years in a Lead Product owner role

Required Technical Skills:

• Candidate needs to be have technical experience in the past, a developer transitioned into PO role. This is a technical product owner role and is this part is important.
• AWS and API webservices knowledge is a must have.

Business Analysis:

• Knowledge of business analysis and the set of tasks, techniques and tools required to identify business needs; ability to recommend solutions that deliver value to stakeholders.
• Level Working Knowledge: Analyzes the value of a business and its functions through the value estimation of assets. Applies the prerequisites to a project before starting the business analysis process. Collaborates with stakeholders, development teams, testing teams, etc., to deliver business solutions. Documents the business case to justify the requirements of time and resources of a project. Utilizes diverse analysis tools and methodologies to group different business activities based on shared characteristics or similarities.
• Decision Making and Critical Thinking: Knowledge of the decision-making process and associated tools and techniques; ability to accurately analyze situations and reach productive decisions based on informed judgment.
• Level Extensive Experience:  Differentiates assumptions, perspectives, and historical frameworks. Evaluates past decisions for insights to improve decision-making process. Assesses and validates decision options and points and predicts their potential impact. Advises others in analyzing and synthesizing relevant data and assessing alternatives. Uses effective decision-making approaches such as consultative, command, or consensus. Ensures that assumptions and received wisdom are objectively analyzed in decisions.
• Software Change Request Management: Knowledge of software change request management; ability to manage software product change requests from customers, prospective customers, vendors, and internal staff. 

Level Extensive Experience:  

• Describes methods for estimating costs for request fulfillment. 
• Defines responses for non-standard or unsupported change requests. 
• Contributes to the design and development of request process flow and templates. 
• Clarifies description, components affected, need, cost estimate, risk, resources, status. 
• Manages all aspects of the change request process. 
• Researches new tools and techniques for monitoring product efficacy. 
• Software Engineering: Knowledge of software engineering; ability to deliver new or enhanced fee-based software products.

Level Working Knowledge: 

• Identifies considerations for product integration with multiple platforms and systems.
• Works with development or delivery of a software package or component.
• Describes phases, activities, deliverables and processes for a specific methodology.
• Works with structured documents for developing features, functions, plans and schedules.
• Describes software design practices, technologies, and considerations.
• Software Problem Management: Knowledge of strategies, practices and tools for resolving software problems; ability to manage software problems in installed software products. 

Level Working Knowledge:  

• Documents resolution progress and provides feedback to customers. 
• Describes issues and consideration for resolving problems involving other products or vendors. 
• Works with tracking and resolving common types of problems for a product or product group. 
• Describes actions, tools, and procedures for problem reporting, solving, and resolution. 
• Cites examples of unusual problems; follows proper notifications and escalation procedures
• Software Product Business Knowledge: Knowledge of and experience with the business aspects and operation of a software product; ability to manage install base, current uses, future plans, and product vision. 

Level Extensive Experience:  

• Participates in enhancing the sales process and expanding sales opportunities. 
• Collects, documents, and maintains product functional requirements; makes recommendations. 
• Supports and participates in major installations and customizations. 
• Maintains and disseminates information on customer use and experiences. 
• Has knowledge of all advanced business features and functions of the product. 
• Relates experiences with unusual or non-traditional uses; assesses opportunities and challenges. 
• User Acceptance Testing (UAT): Knowledge of UAT activities, tasks, tools and techniques; ability to design, implement and evaluate acceptance tests for end-users. 

Level Extensive Experience:  

• Compares and contrasts features and benefits of major acceptance testing frameworks. 
• Critiques user acceptance plans for appropriateness and completeness. 
• Develops approaches for acceptance testing following legal or contractual agreements. 
• Monitors end-users in defining the testing environment and acceptance criteria; explains the importance of being actively involved in test designs and other testing phases. 
• Applies user acceptance testing in typical software development scenarios. 
• Consults on test strategies, components, processes, plans and approaches during the user acceptance testing process. 

Nice to Have:

• Agile Certification
• General knowledge of AWS and APIs
• Worked with Jira or Azure DevOps, ServiceNow. 

Required Soft Skills:

• Effective Communications: Understanding of effective communication concepts, tools and techniques; ability to effectively transmit, receive, and accurately interpret ideas, information, and needs through the application of appropriate communication behaviors.

Level Extensive Experience: 

• Reviews others' writing or presentations and provides feedback and coaching.
• Adapts documents and presentations for the intended audience.
• Demonstrates both empathy and assertiveness when communicating a need or defending a position.
• Communicates well downward, upward, and outward.
• Employs appropriate methods of persuasion when soliciting agreement.
• Maintains focus on the topic at hand.

Disqualifiers/Red Flags/Overqualifications:

• Consistent job hopping/ choppy tenure
• Local candidates only currently.  Those who would want to relocate, please keep them warm, but do not submit unless we state so.