Product Owner

Ascensus•Boston, MA

About The Position

As a Product Owner at Ascensus, you will be responsible for defining and executing the product roadmap to deliver on the vision for assigned programs (Retirement and Government Savings). You are a key member of one or more Agile teams, accountable for backlog ownership, prioritization, and execution to deliver high-value outcomes while maintaining the conceptual and technical integrity of the product. This role requires strong capabilities in complex planning, including early identification of dependencies, proactive management of risks and impediments, and clear, structured communication. Success in this role depends on the ability to present solution options, articulate trade-offs, and make informed recommendations, while building strong relationships, influencing stakeholders, and driving execution in a fast-paced environment.

Requirements

Undergraduate degree in business, technology, or a related field
Minimum 5 years of experience as a Product Owner or in a technology (development or QA) role within Agile teams
Minimum 5 years of experience in the assigned business domain (e.g., 401(k), IRA, 529, Retirement or Government Savings)
Experience leading product outcomes in a multi-team (team-of-teams) Agile environment, including cross-team planning, dependency management, and stakeholder alignment
Advanced knowledge of Agile and SDLC methodologies; demonstrated success applying Agile principles at scale
Strong planning and organizational skills, with experience managing dependencies, risks, and complex delivery scenarios
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence at all levels and clearly communicate solution options, trade-offs, and recommendations
Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, regulated environment while maintaining high quality and compliance standards
Demonstrated strengths in facilitation, conflict resolution, change management, and continuous improvement
Naturally curious and detail-oriented, with strong analytical and problem-solving skills
Experience with tools such as JIRA, Confluence, Azure DevOps, and Aha!

Nice To Haves

Aha! administration experience

Responsibilities

Create, maintain, and communicate the Scrum Team roadmap, ensuring alignment with strategic goals and business outcomes
Lead complex planning efforts, identifying cross-team dependencies early and sequencing work to optimize delivery
Prioritize and sequence the product backlog based on business value, ROI, risk, and capacity
Proactively identify, communicate, and manage delivery risks, impediments, and trade-offs; recommend mitigation strategies and paths forward
Clearly convey product vision, goals, and success metrics at the beginning of each release and sprint
Represent the customer, engaging stakeholders and end users to gather insights and ensure outcomes meet business needs
Collaborate closely with Scrum teams on feature development, backlog refinement, sprint execution, and UAT support
Work with Business Analysts and Technology partners, where appropriate, to develop BDD stories and break down epics and features into sprint-ready user stories
Participate in all Agile ceremonies including Daily Scrums, Sprint Planning, Release Planning, Reviews, and Retrospectives
Inspect progress at the end of each sprint with full authority to accept or reject completed work and adjust course as needed
Serve as the primary internal and external point of contact for product updates, risks, and feedback
Establish and maintain KPIs to measure product performance; track progress toward annual goals, objectives, and outcomes
Support organizational readiness and change activities to ensure successful launches and adoption