Director - Product Owner

Gallagher•Rolling Meadows, IL

About The Position

The Director, Senior Product Owner within Gallagher Bassett’s Product Innovation team is accountable for defining and executing the vision, strategy, and roadmap for a portfolio of innovative products and strategic solutions that drive Gallagher Bassett's strategic objectives and deliver measurable business value. This role serves as the business owner of assigned products, identifying opportunities to improve operational effectiveness, customer experience, quality, decision-making, and business outcomes. The Director, Senior Product Owner works closely with global business leaders, Digital and IT teams, vendors, and subject matter experts to ensure products are successfully designed, delivered, adopted, and continuously optimized. They are responsible for ensuring products remain aligned with evolving business priorities, deliver intended outcomes, maintain strong user adoption, and create sustainable value for Gallagher Bassett, its clients, and its colleagues. This role acts as the primary steward of product success from strategy through execution and ongoing value realization.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Business, Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or related field.
10+ years of experience in Product Management, Product Ownership, Business Transformation, Technology Strategy, Operations, Consulting, or related leadership roles.
Demonstrated experience defining product vision, strategy, and roadmaps.
Experience with AI, automation, data products, digital platforms, or operational technology solutions.
Experience leading cross-functional initiatives involving business, technology, analytics, and operational teams.
Experience prioritizing and managing product portfolios with multiple stakeholders.
Bachelor's degree; 8 years of related experience
Thorough knowledge of the insurance brokerage industry

Nice To Haves

MBA or advanced degree preferred.
Insurance, claims, or risk management industry experience preferred.
Advanced degree
Consulting experience including Change Management
Business Consulting
Project Implementation disciplines

Responsibilities

Define and maintain the strategic vision for assigned AI & analytics led products and platforms.
Identify and assess opportunities to improve business performance, customer outcomes, service delivery, quality, and operational efficiency.
Partner with business stakeholders to understand challenges, priorities, and emerging opportunities.
Develop and maintain a prioritized product roadmap aligned with business objectives and strategic priorities.
Evaluate new technologies, market trends, and industry developments to identify opportunities for innovation.
Present product strategies, business cases, and investment recommendations to senior leadership.
Maintain a consolidated inventory of product initiatives, enhancements, opportunities, and future roadmap items.
Establish and maintain product governance processes to ensure initiatives are prioritized according to business value, strategic alignment, risk, complexity, and return on investment.
Assess product opportunities through structured evaluation of benefits, costs, risks, dependencies, and organizational readiness.
Facilitate decision-making forums that align business and technology stakeholders around priorities and trade-offs.
Ensure proper product lifecycle management, including roadmap planning, release alignment, adoption measurement, and product retirement where appropriate.
Define product guardrails, success criteria, and accountability frameworks.
Partner with business and IT teams to translate product vision into executable delivery plans.
Define product requirements, business outcomes, value metrics, and acceptance criteria.
Provide ongoing direction and prioritization to delivery teams throughout implementation.
Participate in key design, development, testing, and release decisions to ensure alignment with strategic intent.
Collaborate with technology teams, vendors, and external partners to support successful implementation.
Resolve prioritization conflicts and remove barriers that impact delivery success.
Ensure solutions are scalable, maintainable, secure, and adaptable to evolving business needs.
Partner with Product Insights teams to define and monitor Product Outcome Indicators and Key Performance Indicators.
Establish measurement frameworks to evaluate product effectiveness, adoption, customer satisfaction, financial impact, and operational performance.
Monitor product performance against expected business outcomes.
Lead benefits realization activities to ensure products deliver intended value.
Drive continuous improvement based on user feedback, operational data, and performance insights.
Recommend roadmap adjustments based on product performance and evolving business needs.
Lead business readiness efforts for new product launches and major enhancements.
Partner with Product Insights and business stakeholders to develop communication, training, and adoption strategies.
Ensure organizational readiness for new capabilities, processes, and ways of working.
Drive awareness and education programs to maximize product adoption and utilization.
Establish feedback loops with end users and business leaders to continuously improve the user experience.
Monitor adoption metrics and proactively address barriers to success.
Serve as the primary business representative and advocate for assigned products.
Build strong partnerships across business operations, technology, analytics, legal, compliance, finance, and executive leadership teams.
Communicate product vision, priorities, progress, risks, and outcomes to senior leaders and stakeholders.
Facilitate alignment across cross-functional teams to ensure successful product execution and value realization.
Act as a subject matter expert and trusted advisor regarding product strategy, business outcomes, and emerging opportunities.
Stay informed on industry trends, emerging technologies, AI capabilities, automation opportunities, and product management best practices.
Promote innovation that improves competitiveness, customer experience, operational effectiveness, and business outcomes.
Champion responsible and ethical use of technology, including AI governance, transparency, privacy, security, and compliance considerations.
Foster a culture of continuous learning, experimentation, and improvement.

Benefits

Medical/dental/vision plans, which start from day one!
Life and accident insurance
401(K) and Roth options
Tax-advantaged accounts (HSA, FSA)
Educational expense reimbursement
Paid parental leave
Digital mental health services (Talkspace)
Flexible work hours (availability varies by office and job function)
Training programs
Gallagher Thrive program – elevating your health through challenges, workshops and digital fitness programs for your overall wellbeing
Charitable matching gift program