SENIOR PRODUCT MANAGER

Position Purpose

The Sr. Product Manager is responsible for assessing market needs and inspiring cross‑functional product teams to find the fastest way to achieve value around those needs. The role focuses on delivering business value to drive sales, improve efficiency, and improve customer satisfaction through the production of quality products. Within their designated enterprise product line, Sr. Product Managers work closely with teams of developers, designers, and business partners. They support in-depth business reviews, communicate and present across all levels of the organization and support cross‑functional product teams. Importantly, the Sr. Product Manager, must be able to work at the strategic level (generating innovative ideas for growth, change management) and at the tactical level (analyzing data, solving problems, being a force multiplier and leader of their teams). The Sr. Product Manager is often responsible for products that are higher‑profile and/or that are larger in scope.

Key Responsibilities

• 50% Strategy & Planning:
• Seeks to empathize with and understand the end user deeply and use that knowledge to determine the fastest path to deliver value
• Translates business goals and end user needs into product strategy; communicates direction and product priorities to the development team, other matrixed teams, and third‑party partners
• Identifies goals, metrics and analytics to determine product value; continually makes recommendations and refinements to the product backlog based on learnings
• Manages and grooms the product backlog; makes future decisions based on the value that will be delivered
• Partners with Finance to understand financial needs and assist in the creation of business plans for new opportunities
• Monitors research as well as the competitive landscape to recommend the best solutions and ensure that products remain or become best in class
• Ensures that product directions balance both the user needs and business goals of driving sales, improving efficiency and enhancing customer satisfaction
• 20% Delivery & Execution:
• Formulates, tests and refines assumptions and hypotheses through user research and testing
• Documents, reviews and ensures that all quality and change control standards are met
• Creates, prioritizes and accepts user stories; incorporate them into release planning
• Makes product decisions that drive value on a daily basis
• Identifies and considers pros, cons, issues, obstacles, dependencies and value associated with features and enhancements
• Participates in standups, iteration planning sessions, product demo, and retrospectives
• Condenses complex technical concepts into non‑technical language for stakeholders
• 30% People:
• Fosters collaboration with team members (Engineering, UX, etc.) to drive value and identify and resolve impediments
• Acts as a proponent of modern software development practices
• Advocates for the end user and stakeholder by becoming associated with the product, empathizing with and understanding user needs
• Works with the product team to continuously assess progress, disseminate lessons learned, and understand next steps
• Manages cross functional team and stakeholder expectations to execute on product strategy and provides education to requestors to determine prioritization based on tangible benefits and/or user experience
• Guides more junior team members in strategy, alignment, analysis and execution tasks
• Participates in and contributes to learning activities around modern software design and development core practices (communities of practice)
• Participates in talent acquisition, development and retention activities in support of team

Direct Manager/Direct Reports

• Typically reports to the Product Management Manager or Sr. Manager.

Travel Requirements

• Typically requires overnight travel less than 10% of the time.

Physical Requirements

• Most of the time is spent sitting in a comfortable position and there is frequent opportunity to move about. On rare occasions there may be a need to move or lift light articles.

Working Conditions

• Located in a comfortable indoor area. Any unpleasant conditions would be infrequent and not objectionable.

Minimum Qualifications

• Must be eighteen years of age or older.
• Must be legally permitted to work in the United States.

Preferred Qualifications

• 3-6 years of relevant work experience
• Experience working as a Product Manager in a modern software development based enterprise environment
• Experience with modern software development product management practices and agile methodologies, specifically the extreme programming (XP) principles of paired programming, test driven development, and continuous deployment
• Proficiency in working in a fast paced, fluid environment where priorities shift on a regular basis
• Proficiency in communicating with and influencing functional and technical team members at all levels in the organization
• Proficiency in working as part of a collaborative, cross‑functional, modern software design and development team
• Proficiency in creating, prioritizing and accepting user stories
• Proficiency in conducting user research and testing to understand needs
• Proficiency in identifying goals, metrics and analytics to measure product value
• Proficiency in conducting competitive research and analysis
• Experience guiding more junior team members through Product Management fundamentals in a professional setting

Minimum Education

• The knowledge, skills and abilities typically acquired through the completion of a bachelor's degree program or equivalent degree in a field of study related to the job.

Preferred Education

• No additional education

Minimum Years of Work Experience

• 3

Preferred Years of Work Experience

• No additional years of experience

Minimum Leadership Experience

• None

Preferred Leadership Experience

• None

Certifications

• None

Competencies

• Balances Stakeholders: Anticipating and balancing the needs of multiple stakeholders
• Business Insight: Applying knowledge of business and the marketplace to advance the organization's goals
• Collaborates: Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives
• Communicates Effectively: Developing and delivering multi‑mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences
• Cultivates Innovation: Creating new and better ways for the organization to be successful
• Customer Focus: Building strong customer relationships and delivering customer‑centric solutions
• Drives Vision and Purpose: Painting a compelling picture of the vision and strategy that motivates others to action
• Interpersonal Savvy: Relating openly and comfortably with diverse groups of people
• Manages Complexity: Making sense of complex, high quantity and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems
• Nimble Learning: Actively learning through experimentation when tackling new problems, using both successes and failures as learning fodder
• Organizational Savvy: Maneuvering comfortably through complex policy, process and people‑related organizational dynamics
• Situational Adaptability: Adapting approach and demeanor in real time to match the shifting demands of different situations
• Empathy: Understands the needs of multiple stakeholders and is responsive in meeting their needs with the most optimal resolution