Lead Associate Principal, Product Owner (Financial Risk)

The Options Clearing Corporation; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 130,000 - 185,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work

Tuition reimbursement

Student loan repayment

Tech stipend

PTO & parental leave

401k match

Health benefits

Job summary

The Options Clearing Corporation is seeking a Product Owner to maximize product value by aligning business needs with technology delivery. You will lead cross-functional teams in a hybrid agile setting, maintain the product vision, and ensure backlog readiness and regulatory alignment.

You will collaborate with stakeholders, model risk, and drive prioritization to deliver secure, compliant solutions for risk management and derivatives markets.

Qualifications

• Previous experience as a Product Owner in a hybrid agile environment.
• Strong understanding of agile product management and development processes.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and presentation skills.
• Experience in financial services with options/derivatives is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Maximize value of products by representing business interests and prioritizing work.
• Maintain product vision and roadmap aligned with regulatory drivers.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams and stakeholders to refine the backlog.
• Ensure processes, controls, and compliance with delivery practices.

Skills

Product ownership

Agile product management

Stakeholder management

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication

Data analysis

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree ( Accounting, Finance, CS, MIS, Engineering )

Tools

Jira

Confluence

Tableau

MS Excel

Job description

What You\'ll Do

The Product Owner at the OCC will be responsible for maximizing the value of the Products delivered to our stakeholders by representing business interests, working with our technology teams to determine requirements, creating a product roadmap for development, and prioritizing the work.

The Product Owner will work in a hybrid agile methodology collaborating with cross-functional teams. The Product Owner must ensure that the technology teams understand and are aligned with the Product vision and that OCC leadership is kept aware of Product progress and status.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

• To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each primary duty satisfactorily.


• This person will work with key stakeholders to understand current systems and capabilities and participate in recommendations to enhancements needed to be at the leading edge of risk management solutions.


• The projects related to those enhancements would be led by this individual to ensure successful implementation and conclusion.


• This person will ensure that the OCC\'s processes and controls are followed and consistently improved.

Stakeholder Engagement and Management

• Act as a primary point of contact for Financial Risk Management and other stakeholders regarding the product backlog and product development.


• Interact with internal and external stakeholders to understand their needs and ensure that they are reflected in the product backlog.


• Elicit, Interpret, lead requirement workshops with vendors, stakeholders, and/ or product owners; assist in the development of backlog items and acceptance criteria.


• Maintain direct communications with senior and middle management.


• Coordinate preparation of materials for Management Committee, Board of Directors and Regulatory meetings as needed.

Product Leadership

• Maintain Product Vision and Roadmap.


• Understand regulatory requirements and drivers impacting development goals and plans.


• Evaluate product changes and recommend needed process and system changes.


• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define and prioritize the product backlog.


• Refine the product backlog to ensure that it is ready for development.


• Seek to optimize product delivery in the most cost-effective manner.

Product Delivery

• Collaborate with technology partners and teams to drive strategic plans for OCC\'s system development, integration and deployment.


• Work with the Project Owners/Managers, Technology Lead, and Scrum Master to ensure that the teams are following the hybrid agile methodology and that any issues are addressed in a timely manner.


• Collaborate with Model Risk Management and Quantitative Risk Management staff to ensure all models and methodologies are appropriately validated as part of any change management or annual validation activities.

Product Integrity

• Ensure that the product backlogs are transparent, visible, and understood by all stakeholders.


• Ensure there is a clear traceability of requirements to deliverables.


• Ensure the product complies with all non-functional requirements.


• Comply with all product delivery controls and procedures.

Quality Management

• Continuously monitor and evaluate the product backlog to ensure that it is meeting stakeholder needs and delivers value.


• Identify scope gaps and missing requirements by acquiring an in-depth understanding of current state capabilities (i.e., legacy system) and future state needs.


• Proactively identifies and escalates risks and issues to the leadership team.


• Monitor vendor performance (where applicable) against statements of work.


• Meet complex business needs in an efficient, flexible, and ever-improving manner.

Team Leadership

• Indirectly supervise product team members matrixed from across business and internal technology teams.


• Foster a diverse and inclusive workplace.


• Perform other duties as assigned.


• Light travel may be required.

Qualifications

The requirements listed are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the primary functions. Previous experience as a Product Owner in a hybrid agile methodology is required. Strong understanding of Agile product management methodologies and product development processes. Excellent communication, collaboration, and presentation skills. Ability to work effectively with and lead cross-functional teams. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills. Demonstrated ability to gather, analyze, and evaluate facts, and prepare and present concise oral and written reports. Ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks and projects simultaneously. Ability to work independently in a fast-paced, dynamic environment. Must be able to work under deadlines and manage multiple tasks. Self-directed; Ability to work both independently with minimal direction or oversight in a team-oriented, collaborative environment. Experience working in the financial services industry with deep understanding of Options and Derivatives markets. Solid understanding of Risk and P&L attribution; Margins processing; Referential Data; Market Data; Timeseries. Strong knowledge in multiple asset classes (equities, interest rates, volatility, commodities, foreign currencies, etc.). Experience with central counterparty clearing & settlement of derivatives and regulated capital markets infrastructure. Willingness to roll up your sleeves and do whatever is necessary.

Technical Skills

Proficiency using Jira, Confluence, Tableau and Microsoft Office applications. Strong data analysis skills using SQL and MS-Excel, coupled with familiarity in Data Modeling concepts. Ability to work closely with Quantitative Finance, Engineering (Software, Data, Quality, Platform), UX/UI teams. Strong in tech parlance to decompose complex Product requirements to Development team. Nice-to-have: Familiarity with programming, APIs, Systems Integration, Atomic UC4 skills.

Education and/or Experience

• Bachelor\'s degree (or equivalent) in relevant fields including Accounting, Finance, Computer Science, Management Information Systems, Engineering among others. MBA, MS or equivalent graduate degree in a relevant field preferred. 10+ years of financial risk management experience leading teams and building robust business processes. 2+ years of product management experience, preferably with Risk Management products and capabilities. Demonstrated experience with ensuring effective process change management. 7+ year experience in financial services / regulated capital markets infrastructure. Experience with an exchange, regulator or clearing house preferred.

Certificates or Licenses

None Required.

About Us

The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC) is the world\'s largest equity derivatives clearing organization. Founded in 1973, OCC is dedicated to promoting stability and market integrity by delivering clearing and settlement services for options, futures and securities lending transactions. As a Systemically Important Financial Market Utility (SIFMU), OCC operates under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. OCC has more than 100 clearing members and provides central counterparty (CCP) clearing and settlement services to 19 exchanges and trading platforms. More information about OCC is available at www.theocc.com.

Benefits

• A highly collaborative and supportive environment developed to encourage work-life balance and employee wellness.


• A hybrid work environment, up to 2 days per week of remote work.


• Tuition Reimbursement to support your continued education.


• Student Loan Repayment Assistance.


• Technology Stipend allowing you to use the device of your choice to connect to our network while working remotely.


• Generous PTO and Parental leave.


• 401k Employer Match.


• Competitive health benefits including medical, dental and vision.


• Visit https://www.theocc.com/careers/thriving-together for more information.

Compensation

The salary range listed for any given position is exclusive of fringe benefits and potential bonuses. If hired at OCC, your final base salary compensation will be determined by factors such as skills, experience and/or education. In addition, we believe in the importance of pay equity and consider internal equity of our current team members as part of any final offer. We typically do not hire at the maximum of the range in order to allow for future and continued salary growth. We also offer a substantial benefits package as noted on www.theocc.com/careers. All employees may be eligible for a discretionary bonus. Discretionary bonuses are based on various factors, including, but not limited to, company and individual performance and are not guaranteed.

Salary Range $129,800.00 - $184,500.00

Incentive Range 8% to 15% This position is eligible for an annual discretionary incentive compensation award, for which the target range is listed above (see Incentive Range). The amount of such award, if any, will be based on various factors, including without limitation, both individual and company performance.

Equal Opportunity Statement

OCC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. OCC is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. OCC provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, citizenship status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, age, marital status, religion, veteran status, or any other characteristics protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws. Numerous studies have shown that people from certain groups are less likely than others to apply to jobs if they believe they do not meet 100% of the requirements. We encourage everyone to review our open positions and apply if you think your experience may be a match, even if you do not meet all of the qualifications. Your perspective may be an element we need to continue building innovative solutions to support the markets and market participants we serve. If you need a disability related accommodation for any part of the application process, please email [e-mail].