Innovation Product Owner II

UFCU Main•Austin, TX

9d•Onsite

About The Position

The Innovation Product Owner is responsible for the day-to-day execution and progression of fintech initiatives within the Innovation Pod. Operating within UFCU's fintech strategy and organizational priorities, this role translates strategic direction into executable work, manages the pod backlog, and drives initiatives from initial hypothesis through validated pilot and, when appropriate, into implementation. This role operates in a high-ambiguity environment where speed of learning is critical. The Innovation Product Owner defines scope, sets success criteria, runs delivery ceremonies, and coordinates internal teams and cross-pod dependencies to keep work moving. The Innovation Product Owner also leads a readiness and capacity track, identifying system dependencies and signaling resource needs through quarterly planning to ensure the right technical resources are available when an initiative is ready to move forward. This role manages the lightweight, discovery-oriented intake process that initiates exploration rather than requiring full definition upfront. The Innovation Product Owner is an exempt position and reports to the Director, Fintech Strategy and Partnerships.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Business, Computer Science, or related field or equivalent years of experience
3-5 years of experience in product management, fintech operations, or roles requiring structured execution in ambiguous environments.
3+ years of experience leading cross-functional teams through discovery, pilot, or early-stage product development.
2+ years of experience defining and tracking success metrics for experimental or pilot initiatives, with demonstrated ability to translate outcomes into actionable recommendations.
Must be bondable.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree or MBA.
Experience working with fintech partners, including pilot execution and integration coordination.
Familiarity with lean startup methodology, including hypothesis-driven development and validated learning frameworks.
Working understanding of API-first integration models and middleware-based enterprise architecture.
2+ years of financial services or fintech experience.
Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) or equivalent.

Responsibilities

Manages and maintains the pod backlog, ensuring work is clearly defined, properly sequenced, and aligned with the strategic priorities set.
Runs day-to-day delivery operations including standups, backlog refinement, sprint planning, and reviews.
Translates ambiguous, early-stage ideas into testable hypotheses with clear scope, success criteria, and integration approach.
Drives initiatives through time-boxed discovery and pilot cycles, ensuring each phase produces measurable learning that informs the decision to scale, pivot, or sunset.
Defines and tracks success metrics for each initiative, grounded in speed of learning, decision quality, and validated member and business impact.
Manages the discovery-oriented intake process, working with the Fintech Partnership Lead and Director to determine which opportunities enter the pod's pipeline.
When the pod carries an initiative beyond pilot, defines the implementation scope, success criteria, and progression decisions required to move from validated learning to production readiness.
In collaboration with the Fintech Partnership Lead, prepares implementation path recommendations based on pilot outcomes, whether carried forward by the pod or transitioned to an execution pod.
Defines the handoff package for each initiative, including documentation of key decisions, integration patterns, operational requirements, and a defined support window.
Coordinates with receiving business areas and platform teams to support clean transitions and sustained ownership post-implementation.
Leads a parallel readiness and capacity track during discovery and pilot phases to identify system dependencies and required skill sets early.
Translates resource needs into targeted capacity reservations during quarterly planning, leveraging the enterprise resourcing process for capacity allocation rather than prioritization or intake.
Ensures specialized technical resources are positioned and available to begin implementation once an initiative has validated core assumptions and demonstrates a clear path to production.
Serves as the primary internal point of accountability for pod delivery, driving day-to-day alignment across engineering, QA, UX, research, and cross-pod dependencies.
Collaborates with execution pod Product Owners to assess capacity, roadmap alignment, and readiness when determining the implementation path for validated initiatives.
Provides execution data, pilot outcomes, and operational updates to support the Fintech Partnership Lead and Director in communicating progress and recommendations to leadership.
Coordinates internal blocker resolution, escalating to the Director or Fintech Partnership Lead when issues require strategic or partner-level intervention.
Partners with Research to ensure initiatives are grounded in real member behavior, feedback, and validated needs.
Works with the Fintech Partnership Lead to evaluate whether partner opportunities align with the pod's priorities and success criteria before entering the pipeline.
Leverages analytical support to inform prioritization, build business cases, and support scale decisions with measurable outcomes.
Ensures initiatives adhere to applicable industry regulations, accessibility standards, and UFCU policies throughout discovery, pilot, and implementation.
Partners with Architecture, Security, and Risk teams to maintain alignment with enterprise standards, including integration guardrails as UFCU's middleware capabilities evolve.
Defines and tracks initiative metrics and outcomes, using data to validate decisions, measure impact, and inform future pipeline planning.
Adheres to all company policies, procedures, and business ethics codes.
Completes required regulatory training as assigned.
Maintains strict adherence to and compliance with all laws, rules, regulations, and internal controls specific to the role, including but not limited to Bank Secrecy Act, Anti-Money Laundering, USA Patriot Act, OFAC and Fair Lending regulations.