Lead Development Product Owner - AI Product Solutions

USAA•Charlotte, NC

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Lead Development Product Owner – AI Product Solutions will join AI enablement teams in USAA’s Technology organization and support AI delivery from pilots through production. The role serves multiple AI domains and partners with peers to manage dependencies and risks across the AI value chain, working with delivery teams and stakeholders throughout the development lifecycle. The Product Owner is accountable for understanding and communicating business needs, managing work backlogs, and guiding Data Scientists and AI Engineers in writing and refining features and stories, prioritizing work, and managing delivery risks. The role ensures development adheres to applicable internal software development lifecycle controls and uses expert critical thinking, problem-solving, and technical knowledge to plan and predictably deliver business value across multiple delivery methodologies. This role requires working in the office four days per week and may be based in San Antonio, Texas; Plano, Texas; Phoenix, Arizona; or Charlotte, North Carolina. Relocation assistance is not available. The position is not eligible for visa sponsorship.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree, or four years of relevant education and/or experience.
Eight years of experience in process improvement, project delivery, business or requirements analysis, or work directly related to supported business operations or product lines.
Expert knowledge of the AI development lifecycle, including data science pilots and engineering productionalization and hardening, with a track record of managing products through the full product lifecycle.
Expert experience analyzing business requirements, process flows, and use cases to identify process-streamlining opportunities consistent with risk management frameworks and regulatory requirements.
Expert understanding and demonstrated use of Process Engineering methodologies and Change Management practices to translate business requirements into actionable functional specifications.
Expert ability to independently gather business requirements, process flows, and use cases; develop business capabilities within approved methodology; write user stories; and follow development through story acceptance.
Advanced experience analyzing and translating business requirements and identifying process-streamlining opportunities consistent with risk management frameworks and regulatory requirements.
Technical fluency in AI concepts and their business value, all phases of the AI lifecycle, data requirements, technical trade-offs and challenges, and the effect of technology deliverables on stakeholder needs.
Proven ability to decompose features into iterative stories, prioritize backlog items, align work to sprint cadence, and plan incremental releases.
Proven success managing release processes, including testing documentation and assessment, product-requirement validation, demos, post-release validation, and completion documentation.
Proven ability to communicate AI development verbally and in writing to executive leaders, directors, business users, IT partners, and development teams.
Experience engaging and influencing cross-functional teams and leaders, including data scientists and engineers, across geographically distributed environments.
Demonstrated initiative in addressing ambiguous development challenges or stakeholder needs, planning a path forward, and generating buy-in for impactful action.
US military experience through military service or as a military spouse/domestic partner.

Nice To Haves

Eight or more years of experience delivering successful AI or Machine Learning products.
Five or more years of experience in enterprise technology, Data Science, or AI/ML product or program management at a major financial institution.
Five or more years of experience managing delivery-team backlog and workflow in systems of record such as JIRA and Clarity.
Five or more years of experience managing execution and delivery of code development from story writing through production.
Five or more years of experience managing development-team or program-level risks and dependencies across large technology organizations, including identifying, assessing, mitigating, documenting, and presenting their status.

Responsibilities

Understand business strategy and vision with business partners and Subject Matter Experts, then write, refine, accept, and prioritize stories, features, or epics for effective and compliant solutions while balancing investment and business value.
Own and maintain a prioritized backlog for one or more Agile teams or a program, ensuring stories or features have acceptance criteria and are consumable and testable.
Review and accept development output to verify that specified acceptance criteria have been met.
Collaborate across business and system domains and lead development across multiple teams at program and Epic level.
Represent the business directly to delivery teams throughout the product delivery cycle.
Work with cross-functional partners—including user experience, design, business analysis, development, and testing—to develop, execute, solution, and release work aligned with road maps.
Partner with sponsors, stakeholders, and IT to define and document business processes and understand improvement-area needs, measures, risks, and controls.
Participate in portfolio-, program-, and project-level planning for schedule, scope, and resources.
Prepare the business for change and provide tactics and metrics for benefits, adoption, and risk; use change management routines as needed.
Seek opportunities to improve and advance the business development and execution discipline.
Coach and mentor less experienced Product Owners, including Senior Product Owners.
Identify, engage, influence, and lead business stakeholders and Subject Matter Experts across programs.
Ensure business-activity risks are identified, measured, monitored, and controlled in accordance with risk and compliance policies and procedures.
Manage risks and dependencies across development teams and programs, including documenting and communicating their status to leaders and stakeholders.
Manage delivery of code development from story writing through production and support predictable, timely delivery.
Manage release processes, including documenting and assessing testing, determining whether code meets product requirements, demonstrating working technology, conducting post-release validation, and documenting completion.
Decompose features into iterative stories, prioritize and align backlog work to sprint cadence, and release planned stories for incremental delivery.
Communicate AI development effectively to executive leaders, directors, business users, IT partners, and development teams.
Engage and influence cross-functional, geographically distributed teams—including data scientists and engineers—to deliver working technology.
Take informed initiative to clarify ambiguous development challenges or stakeholder needs, plan a path forward, and build support for timely action.

Benefits

Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans
401(k)
Pension
Life insurance
Parental benefits
Adoption assistance
Paid time off
Paid holidays
16 paid volunteer hours
Wellness programs
Career path planning
Continuing education assistance
Employees may be eligible for pay incentives based on corporate and individual performance and at the discretion of the USAA Board of Directors.