Product Owner

Diverse Lynx - Pleasanton, CA

Full-time - Mid Level

Remote - Pleasanton, CA

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

About the position

The Product Owner position at Diverse Lynx LLC is a long-term contract role based in Pleasanton, CA, requiring in-person attendance at least once a week. The ideal candidate will possess a strong functional knowledge of Peoplesoft Financial, particularly in Sourcing and Procurement and Supplier Management. This role is pivotal in defining the strategy, roadmap, and feature set of a product or product line, bridging the gap between various functional groups including project management, product development, shared services testing, release management, and SaaS vendors. As a Product Owner, you will be responsible for communicating the product vision and roadmap to internal stakeholders, serving as the voice of the customer, and ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the end-to-end user experience. You will lead the planning of product releases, set expectations for the delivery of new features, and prioritize the product backlog based on business needs and technical readiness. Continuous improvement of features and products will be a key focus, along with obtaining strategic buy-in from both internal and external stakeholders. Your role will also involve creating product strategies and business requirements for new features, actively seeking customer and market input to drive product innovation, and acting as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) during the initial rollout of products. You will participate in technical discussions, help make design trade-offs, and identify business and technical impediments to drive product development. Additionally, you will guide the technology platform owner in managing agile user stories and work closely with functional business owners to maintain a prioritized product backlog. Liaising with IT SaaS vendors on product-related issues will also be part of your responsibilities. Excellent verbal and written communication skills are essential, as you will be preparing executive-level presentations and engaging with diverse functional stakeholders throughout the product lifecycle.

Responsibilities

• Communicate product vision, roadmap, and progress to internal cross-functional stakeholders.
• Serve as the voice of the customer and the business, understanding the end-to-end experience.
• Lead planning of product releases and set expectations for delivery of new features.
• Prioritize product features and requirements backlogs based on business needs and technical readiness.
• Define and lead continuous improvement of features and/or products.
• Obtain strategic buy-in from internal and external stakeholders.
• Engage with diverse functional stakeholders throughout the product lifecycle.
• Create product strategy and business requirements for new features or products.
• Seek customer and market input as a source of product innovation.
• Act as the SME during initial roll-out and provide support when needed.
• Participate in technical discussions and help make design trade-offs.
• Identify business and technical impediments and drive for product development.
• Guide technology platform owner in managing agile user stories with clear acceptance criteria.
• Work closely with functional business owners to maintain a product backlog according to business value and priority.
• Support functional opportunities or initiatives and drive MVPs for a unified technology and customer experience.
• Liaise and negotiate with IT SaaS vendors on all product-related issues.

Requirements

• Strong functional knowledge of Peoplesoft Financial, particularly in Sourcing and Procurement and Supplier Management.
• Proven ability to communicate product vision and roadmap to stakeholders.
• Experience in leading product releases and managing feature delivery expectations.
• Ability to prioritize product features and manage backlogs effectively.
• Experience in defining and leading continuous improvement initiatives for products.
• Strong negotiation skills with IT SaaS vendors.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with experience preparing executive-level presentations.
• Ability to participate in technical discussions and make design trade-offs.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience working in a cross-functional team environment.
• Familiarity with agile methodologies and user story management.
• Knowledge of market trends in product development and customer experience.

Benefits

• Equal Employment Opportunity employer with a commitment to diversity and inclusion.