Director, Product Owner

EAB (Education Advisory Board); Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 105,000 - 142,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a dynamic Director, Product Owner to drive technical projects and support product growth. In this pivotal role, you will lead an engineering team, collaborate with stakeholders, and manage product roadmaps. This position offers the chance to work in a fast-paced environment, where your contributions will directly impact the education sector. With a commitment to diversity and inclusion, the company fosters an environment where every team member is valued. If you are passionate about leveraging technology to enhance education, this opportunity is for you!

Benefits

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

20+ days of PTO annually

401(k) retirement savings plan

Employee assistance program

Wellness programs

Paid parental leave

Discounted pet health insurance

Fertility treatment coverage

Dynamic professional growth opportunities

Access to employee resource groups

Qualifications

• 6-8+ years of experience managing projects and teams in a technical environment.
• Proven experience in Agile methodologies and technical project management.

Responsibilities

• Lead projects to discover new features and solutions in collaboration with Product Management.
• Manage team in an Agile environment and promote continuous improvement of Agile practices.

Skills

Project Management

Agile Methodologies

Technical Communication

Solution-focused Problem Solving

Team Leadership

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Professional Certification (CSM, PMP)

Tools

Scrum

KANBAN

Job description

Director, Product Owner

Location: Washington, D.C.
Number: 602745
Job Category: Product Management
Job Department: Technology
Job Family: Product Management Engineering
Job Type: Full Time
Level: Director

At EAB, our mission is to make education smarter and our communities stronger. We work with more than 2,800 institutions to drive transformative change through data-driven insights and best-in-class capabilities. From kindergarten to college to career, EAB partners with leaders and practitioners to accelerate progress and drive results across enrollment, student success, institutional strategy, data analytics, and advancement.

This role may be based out of EAB’s Washington, D.C. office; Richmond, VA office; or open to remote work within the continental U.S.

The Role in Brief:

Director, Product Owner

EAB is seeking a talented, passionate, and highly entrepreneurial team player to take on a Product Owner role driving the engineering team to support growth of our EAB products. You will be responsible for planning and execution of highly visible technical projects, while working closely with creative engineers to help design and develop technologies that improve the education industry.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Lead projects in supporting the discovery of new features and solutions in close partnership with Product Management and senior executives
• Provide input to further develop and maintain appropriate prioritization of the Product Roadmap in partnership with Product Manager
• Lead technology feasibility and diligence activities during product planning
• Build and manage team in an Agile software development environment, using appropriate techniques and tools and empowering the Team to self-organize
• Establish collaborative partnerships with key stakeholders to assess and recommend optimal business and technical solutions
• Discover, plan, and manage for project level risks through the creation of key milestones, and monitoring progress
• Create, maintain, and help prioritize epics and user stories in the product backlog to support the development, and best achieve goals
• Promote continuous improvement of Agile practices and principles, and coaching team members on the effective use of Scrum and Agile
• Take part in scrum events including daily stand-ups, grooming sessions, and sprint planning
• Lead organization-wide improvements spanning beyond Engineering where applicable to help develop a world-class technology organization
• Provide mentorship, coaching and training to more junior staff on the team
• Is a leader within the Product Owner team, and assists in establishing best practices and improving processes to elevate the Product Management organization

Basic Qualifications:

• Possess 6-8+ years’ experience in at least four of the following:
  • Managing people and project teams
  • Project management
  • Client support/communications
  • Demonstrated experience managing multiple technical projects from 1 month in duration to over 12 months
  • Exposure and/or experience utilizing Agile methodologies for delivering projects
  • Prior experience leading collaboration across teams spanning Development, Marketing, Support/Services, and Sales
  • Ability to communicate technical information to technical and non-technical audiences
• Solution-focused problem solving
• Technical aptitude for learning new technologies
• Ability to travel up to 10%

Ideal Qualifications:

• Experience working with offshore contractor development teams
• Deep experience using Agile methodologies such as SCRUM and KANBAN
• Experience as a Scrum Master or Agile coach
• Professional certification e.g. Certified Scrum Master (CSM or CSP), PMP, or PgMP
• Experience working in education industry
• Commitment to valuing diversity, practicing inclusive behaviors, and contributing to an equitable working and continual learning environment in support of EAB’s DE&I Promise

If you’ve reached this section of the job description and are unsure of whether to apply, please do! At EAB, we welcome diversity of background and experience. We would encourage you to submit an application if this is a role you would be passionate about doing every day.

Compensation:

The anticipated starting salary (base) range for this role is $105,000 - $141,500 per year. Actual salary varies due to factors that may include but not be limited to relevant experience, skills, and location. At EAB, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the starting salary range for their role.

This hire will additionally be eligible for discretionary bonus or incentive compensation. Variable compensation may depend on various factors, such as individual and organizational performance.

Consistent with our belief that our employees are our most valuable resource, EAB offers a competitive and inclusive benefits package. Our benefits currently include:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance plans; dependents and domestic partners eligible
• 20+ days of PTO annually, in addition to paid firm and floating holidays
• Daytime leave policy for community service and flextime for fitness activities (up to 10 hours per month each)
• 401(k) retirement savings plan with annual discretionary company matching contribution
• Health savings account, healthcare and dependent care flexible spending account, and pre-tax commuter plans
• Employee assistance program with counseling services and resources available to all employees and immediate family
• Wellness programs including gym discounts, incentives to promote healthy living, and family access to the leading app for sleep, meditation, and relaxation
• Fertility treatment coverage and adoption or surrogacy assistance
• Paid parental leave with phase back to work program for birthing and non-birthing parents
• Access to milk shipping service to support nursing employees during business travel
• Discounted pet health insurance coverage for dog and cat family members
• Company-provided life, AD&D, and disability insurance
• Financial wellness resources and membership in a robust employee discount program
• Access to employee resource groups, merit-based advancement, and dynamic professional growth opportunities

At EAB, we believe that to fulfill our mission to “make education smarter and our communities stronger” we need team members who bring a diversity of perspectives to the table and are committed to fostering a workplace where each team member is valued, respected and heard.

To that end, EAB is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and we make employment decisions on the basis of qualifications, merit and business need. We don’t discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status or any other basis covered by appropriate law.