Senior Associate, Illustration & Policy Administration - Technical Product Owner

New York Life Insurance Co•Olathe, KS

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

New York Life Insurance (NYL) is seeking a highly motivated and detail oriented Technical Product Owner to join our high-performing team focused on continually improving our technology ecosystem and transforming our business processing capabilities that support our institutional clients in an industry-leading business unit, Institutional Life (IL). IL offers sophisticated life insurance products in the Bank Owned Life Insurance (BOLI), Corporate Owned Life Insurance (COLI), and Corporate Sponsored markets. This role sits on the Illustration & Policy Administration Systems team, which partners across the enterprise to deliver enhancements to IL’s technology ecosystem. The team supports ongoing improvements to operational processes with a strong focus on execution, quality, and collaboration. The Product Owner will work closely with technical teams and subject matter experts to help identify, document, test, and deliver features across illustration and policy administration platforms. This role supports established Product Owner practices within a SAFe Agile framework and contributes to effective backlog management and delivery execution. The position operates in a hybrid delivery model, requiring the ability to translate agile planning into structured requirements aligned with third-party vendor timelines. The ideal candidate is organized, proactive, and comfortable working within defined processes while contributing ideas to improve how work gets done. The successful candidate will help interpret business and user needs across Illustration and Policy Administration platforms and understand how those needs translate into accurate and reliable data consumed by downstream systems. A desire to continuously improve processes and deliver practical solutions for end-users is key.

Requirements

5+ years of product owner experience.
Bachelor's degree and/or equivalent experience.
Experience working in hybrid Agile/Waterfall environments, particularly with third-party vendors.
Experience working within a SAFe Agile framework preferred, including exposure to backlog management and sprint planning.
Exposure to policy administration systems (e.g., Adastar, Cyberlife) and illustration systems (e.g., Ascent) a plus.
Experience with Jira or similar Agile project management tools.
Knowledge of COLI/BOLI products a plus.
Highly organized, self-motivated, and detail oriented.
Demonstrates accountability for meeting deadlines and delivering quality work.
Ability to quickly learn new technical concepts and business processes.
Applies critical thinking to analyze issues and support problem resolution.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Demonstrates effective listening and collaboration skills.
Comfortable working within some ambiguity while following established processes and guidance.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook)

Nice To Haves

Experience working within a SAFe Agile framework preferred, including exposure to backlog management and sprint planning.
Exposure to policy administration systems (e.g., Adastar, Cyberlife) and illustration systems (e.g., Ascent) a plus.
Knowledge of COLI/BOLI products a plus.

Responsibilities

Supports the use and adoption of Product Owner best practices and operating structures within a SAFe Agile environment.
Translates agile epics into well-defined requirements by developing use cases, user stories, and acceptance criteria aligned with Product Manager direction and business priorities, including support for third-party vendor delivery timelines.
Works directly with end-users and subject matter experts (SMEs) to document existing business processes and identify product feature requirements and priorities that improve efficiency, reduce risk, and enhance the user experience.
Incorporates SME input, quality monitoring results, and compliance directives into user-focused solutions.
Participates in continuous backlog refinement and prioritization to align work with defined epics and planned delivery.
Supports sprint planning activities by helping align development and testing capacity with planned work and system maintenance.
Assists with intake process execution and partners with technology stakeholders to support downstream development efforts.
Coordinates work activities to support planned release timelines.
Reviews and tests developer output to identify defects or inconsistencies in functionality or user experience.
Drafts end-user communications to support feature releases and explain user impact.
Supports feature demonstrations and assists with training for end-users and stakeholders, as needed.
Reviews procedural, quality, and training documentation and supports sign-off activities for production releases.
Supports production issue triage by assisting with investigation, documentation, and escalation to appropriate SMEs.