Product Owner I (Remote in WA, OR, ID)

GESA CREDIT UNION•Richland, WA

5d•Remote

About The Position

At Gesa, we believe in the power of our people. Coming from all walks of life, our team members’ individual stories and unique experiences are our most valuable asset. But it’s how we come together, igniting our collective compassion and commitment to empowering our communities, that makes us succeed. Because we know we go further when we go together. Here you can join a team who is passionate about serving others, has a desire to do good, and shares a deep love of people. You can engage in meaningful work that impacts your community. You can challenge yourself and grow in your career. And, you can rest assured that your wellbeing and prosperity are our priority. The Product Owner I position has the ability to work fully remote from Washington, Oregon or Idaho. Role Summary: The Product Owner I is responsible for the technical life cycle of the products they have been assigned, including coordinating development efforts, configuration changes, and support. The position will be documenting technical requirements, building product roadmaps, and budgeting associated with the products they oversee. The Product Owner I will collaborate with internal stakeholders, developers, and vendors regularly to deliver new products and enhance existing products that meet the documented business objectives of the products they support. Additionally, this position will coordinate the lifecycle of their product through the Agile Practices.

Requirements

Ability to understand complex business problems and identify and interpret business needs
Ability to create a product strategy that aligns with measurable business outcomes
Strong problem solving and analytical skills
Demonstrated ability to communicate complex technical information in a condensed manner to various stakeholders verbally and in writing
Demonstrated facilitation and influencing skills to drive decision making among stakeholders with diverse perspectives and priorities
Experience working in an Agile Environment, either Kanban or Scrum
Strong organizational skills
Ability to complete tasks effectively independently, as well as collaboratively
Knowledge of product management tools like Azure DevOps or Jira
Ability to travel to complete assigned responsibilities and attend professional seminars and education as approved
Minimum of one (1) year of product ownership/management experience in an Agile Environment. At least three (3) years of business management experience may be substituted in lieu of product owner experience
Bachelor's degree in Business Administration or a related field or equivalent of specialized courses, training, and/or related experience may be substituted
High School diploma required
Knowledge of the Financial Industry, products, and services

Nice To Haves

Credit Union experience preferred
Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO), Professional Scrum Product Owner I (PSPO I), or equivalent foundational level certification. (Preferred)

Responsibilities

Understands business and end-user needs; and can identify and prioritize features to be delivered to meet those needs
Actively participate in Agile ceremonies to ensure development efforts remain aligned with business objectives, the product vision, and user needs
Demonstrate accountability by facilitating stakeholders’ inspection & reviews of delivered functionality, leading planning sessions to clarify priorities, and maintaining transparent communication throughout the development lifecycle
Negotiate deliverables based on team capacity and learning and adapt plans iteratively to reflect evolving priorities and validated outcomes
Develop near term rolling-wave product roadmaps in close collaboration with business owners to ensure alignment with business objectives and related outcomes. Continuously refine the roadmap based on stakeholder input, delivery data, and validated learnings from actual product outcomes versus hypothesized value
Define and track key product success metrics to evaluate value delivery, inform prioritization, and communicate outcomes to stakeholders. Use data and feedback to validate hypotheses, guide decision-making, and continuously improve product performance and valuable outcomes
Leverage understanding of product strengths and weaknesses to maximize value delivery, identify opportunities for enhancement, and inform stakeholders of potential process improvements and strategic possibilities
Analyze end user feedback and operational metrics, to identify and understand product needs
Direct and oversee the lifecycle of one (1) or more products by independently managing and prioritizing their respective product backlogs in collaboration with business owners and technical stakeholders to balance functional and non-functional needs. Operate with oversight, ensuring a steady flow of user stories ready for development one (1) to two (2) weeks in advance
Collaborate with business owners and technical stakeholders to develop and document user stories from the user’s perspective, enabling the product development team to deliver high-value outcomes. Define features and epics to communicate alignment with business objectives and to establish the scope of development that supports strategic goals
Collect and understand technical requirements for new implementations and enhancements to ensure sufficient technical runway, minimize technical debt, and maintain the product’s relevance and stability over time. Proactively prioritize non-functional backlog items—such as performance, scalability, and maintainability—to support sustainable development and long-term product health
Manage vendor relationships to the extent of assisting with the review of contracts alongside the business stakeholder
Ensure respective product is compliant with regulatory and security requirements
Ensure upgrades are planned and completed, maintaining compliance with standards and control procedures