Sr. Product Owner

Vector Solutions•Cincinnati, OH

just now

About The Position

The Senior Product Owner is the connective tissue between product vision and engineering execution. In this role, you are the day-to-day driver of delivery, translating the Product Manager's vision into clearly defined, actionable work and holding the line on what gets built, when, and why. You do not wait for direction to materialize; you create clarity where it is absent, resolve ambiguity before it becomes a blocker, and push the people and processes around you to keep commitments on track. Working directly alongside the Product Manager and Technical Owner, the Senior PO operates at the intersection of strategy and execution within Program Increment (PI) timelines. The Product Manager sets the direction and you help make it real. You translate initiative-level goals into a prioritized backlog, partner with the Technical Owner to sequence work in a way that is technically sound and deliverable and drive the team to hit release targets without sacrificing quality. When priorities shift or roadblocks emerge, you are the first to identify the problem and the one accountable for resolving it. This is a high-ownership, cross-functional role. You will regularly work across engineering, design, architecture, QA, security, and business stakeholders. At times, you will be stepping into territory that is undefined or underdeveloped. You are expected to bring structure to ambiguity, advocate for the right outcomes even when it is uncomfortable, and communicate with clarity up, down, and sideways. Whether you are writing user stories, escalating a critical bug, untangling a cross-team dependency, or presenting status to a senior stakeholder, you are the person others look to when things need to move. This position does not have direct supervisory responsibilities. However, there are opportunities and expectations that Senior team members will mentor team members and act as a point of contact for questions and guidance.

Requirements

5+ years of experience as a Product Owner, Product Manager, or equivalent in a SaaS, B2B, or technology-driven company
Demonstrated experience delivering software against PI or release timelines across cross-functional teams
Track record of building software from planning through customer delivery, including writing user stories with acceptance criteria
Deep proficiency with Scrum and Agile methodologies
Exceptional written and verbal communication. Able to engage engineers, designers and executives, with equal effectiveness
Strong influencing skills with the ability to drive outcomes and hold people accountable without relying on formal authority
Proven ability to prioritize ruthlessly, manage a complex backlog, and make trade-off calls under pressure
Technical acumen sufficient to engage meaningfully in architecture, API, and integration discussions
Comfort with ambiguity; can step into undefined territory, create structure, and move work forward
Experience with Jira, Confluence, and similar product and project management tooling
Familiarity with modern web technologies (APIs, databases, front-end frameworks) and mobile application development
Ability to track and communicate delivery metrics with accuracy and consistency

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of SAFe is a strong plus
Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO), Professional Scrum Product Owner (PSPO), or similar certification preferred

Responsibilities

Build trusted working relationships across product, engineering, design, architecture, and business functions to deliver end to end solutions
Drive delivery against PI commitments by tracking progress, surfacing risks early, and escalating when timelines are at risk
Own the release plan for your initiatives; coordinate with the Technical Owner and engineering team to keep delivery on schedule
Identify and resolve cross-functional blockers (technical, organizational, or process-related) before they stall progress
Influence stakeholders, partners, and team members to maintain pace and hold commitments
Facilitate sprint ceremonies including backlog refinement, sprint planning, standups, demos, and retrospectives
Own a prioritized, well-groomed backlog that reflects both business value and technical sequencing
Write clear, actionable user stories with acceptance criteria that meet the Definition of Ready before entering a sprint
Break down complex initiatives and epics into deliverable increments that the engineering team can execute within a sprint
Continuously refine and re-prioritize the backlog based on changing business needs, customer feedback, and technical realities
Ensure all work in the backlog is traceable to a business outcome or strategic objective
Triage incoming bugs and defects; assess business impact and prioritize accordingly against active development work
Escalate critical or high-impact bugs through the right channels with the urgency and context needed to drive fast resolution
Partner with QA, engineering, and the Technical Owner to ensure defects are addressed within appropriate timelines
Track open defects and their resolution status; communicate impact and timeline to affected stakeholders
Serve as the primary point of contact for stakeholders seeking updates on project status, scope, and delivery timelines
Communicate changes, risks, and decisions with clarity; translating technical context into language stakeholders can act on
Set and manage expectations proactively; do not wait for stakeholders to ask what is happening
Present sprint outcomes, release readiness, and PI progress in reviews and demos
Contribute to PI retrospectives with concrete data on what improved, what slipped, and what will change next increment
Navigate unfamiliar territory with confidence by stepping into new product areas, technical domains, or organizational dynamics and establish clarity quickly
Mentor team members and act as a point of contact for questions and guidance
Other duties related to the role