Product Manager, Annuity Application

Thrivent•Minneapolis, MN

About The Position

The Product Manager for Annuity Application owns the long-term strategy and vision for back-office and back-end service products within the broader Insurance and Operations portfolio. This role partners closely with adjacent product teams and business stakeholders to prioritize and sequence work that strengthens operational efficiency while improving the end customer experience. The Product Manager is accountable for defining and maintaining a roadmap that reflects customer needs, stakeholder priorities, and clear, measurable KPIs. They are responsible for delivering outcomes aligned to those KPIs and ensuring the products drive meaningful business results. Product Managers work closely with several key partners including business capability owners, other Product Managers and Product Owners within their product group who articulate, translate, and execute the product strategy and vision through tactical strategies and solutions. Product Managers are expected to mentor and guide Product Owners in developing their skills. A strong collaborative relationship, including the right alignment and regular, transparent communication between Product Manager and Product Owner, will help ensure both roles deliver on their goals. The Product Manager typically has more experience in product management, and as such likely manages a complex product portfolio with greater scope and impact. DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES: Responsible for the long-term product roadmap as part of a larger business strategy. Develops a compelling product strategy through analysis of personas, use cases, customer benefits, and solution value propositions Consistently and iteratively ensures that business strategies are being executed through product roadmaps Leads team collaboration to manage and prioritize product roadmap and releases across multiple products Collaborates to resolve conflicts in a constructive manner when they arise Accountable to ensure that product teams understand the business outcomes needed, and that business outcomes are tied to a broader business goal or objective Identifies and tracks Key Performance Metrics; accountable to ensure that KPIs are delivering the necessary business value Ensures outcomes on the roadmap fit within capacity constraints, and are prioritized and sequenced in order to maximize value to the customer Engages with customers and users on a regular basis to uncover implicit and explicit needs, and translate to product hypothesis which are tested and refined to deliver solutions Collaborates across product teams to develop and roll out operational plans Researches and identifies industry best practices and trends to increase effectiveness Acquires , maintains and applies advanced knowledge of the business, its products and processes, and an academic understanding of Product Management Models Thrivent’s leadership competencies – courage, collaboration, and commitment by demonstrating resiliency, working together to make the best decisions, and holding yourself and others accountable Supports and/or develops an environment in which Thrivent employees and colleagues are focused on continuous improvement, exceptional employee engagement, and an unwavering commitment to our clients. Shapes and/or supports a culture that represents the Thrivent purpose, promise and values, ensuring that Thrivent’s trust and reputation remain strong with its clients.   No direct personnel supervisory responsibility, however, supervises large complex product teams with cross-functional team members.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience
7-9 years relevant business experience, including in product owner role or similar
Understand fundamentals of iterative development, software development process and procedures
Expertise in the principles of Agile Product Management, stakeholder management, market and user research, technology management, and process design
High level of organization and attention to detail
Passion and understanding of new technology and trends
Excellent communication, collaboration and influence skills among all organizational levels; strong facilitation and executive communications skills

Nice To Haves

4-6 years Product Experience in Financial Services and/or Insurance Industry
AI E xperience delivering solutions using predictive models to complete complex analysis supporting high risk business functions
Certified Product Manager or similar certification
Has prior experience leading projects
Experience developing business cases, roadmaps, and business unit strategy
Ability to effectively manage and resolve conflicting priorities
Experience in developing and delivering product strategy, articulated in terms of value and outcomes with relevant and compelling metrics and measurements
Experience with foundational product management tools, techniques and principles across discovery, design, build, release, and measure cycle
Experience in leading projects or initiatives
Experience with user interface design and best practices for usability
Experience working in large, complex organizational initiatives
Experience in MS Office Suite with particular emphasis on Excel and PowerPoint
Experience using Product Management tools for building roadmaps, managing backlogs, gathering customer feedback
Adept at financial management to administer budgets across multiple products and ensure the product meets its requirements for return on investment

Responsibilities

Responsible for the long-term product roadmap as part of a larger business strategy.
Develops a compelling product strategy through analysis of personas, use cases, customer benefits, and solution value propositions
Consistently and iteratively ensures that business strategies are being executed through product roadmaps
Leads team collaboration to manage and prioritize product roadmap and releases across multiple products
Collaborates to resolve conflicts in a constructive manner when they arise
Accountable to ensure that product teams understand the business outcomes needed, and that business outcomes are tied to a broader business goal or objective
Identifies and tracks Key Performance Metrics; accountable to ensure that KPIs are delivering the necessary business value
Ensures outcomes on the roadmap fit within capacity constraints, and are prioritized and sequenced in order to maximize value to the customer
Engages with customers and users on a regular basis to uncover implicit and explicit needs, and translate to product hypothesis which are tested and refined to deliver solutions
Collaborates across product teams to develop and roll out operational plans
Researches and identifies industry best practices and trends to increase effectiveness
Acquires , maintains and applies advanced knowledge of the business, its products and processes, and an academic understanding of Product Management Models
Thrivent’s leadership competencies – courage, collaboration, and commitment by demonstrating resiliency, working together to make the best decisions, and holding yourself and others accountable
Supports and/or develops an environment in which Thrivent employees and colleagues are focused on continuous improvement, exceptional employee engagement, and an unwavering commitment to our clients.
Shapes and/or supports a culture that represents the Thrivent purpose, promise and values, ensuring that Thrivent’s trust and reputation remain strong with its clients.