Manager, IT Product Owner

GBU Life; Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental Vision

401(k) + match

Pension Plan

LongTerm & ShortTerm Disability

Life Insurance and AD&D

PTO and VTO

Job summary

GBU Life seeks a Manager, IT Product Owner, Digital Solutions to lead strategic product vision and roadmaps for key digital solutions like Pega, SmartComm, DMS, and RM. You will align business goals with technology teams and translate needs into prioritized backlogs, ensuring user value and measurable outcomes.

You will mentor Product Owners, oversee backlog refinement, and collaborate with Architecture, QA, UX, Cybersecurity, and Data teams to drive adoption and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in IT, CS, business admin, product management, or related field; equivalent combo considered.
• Agile, Scrum, Product Owner, or Product Management certification preferred.
• 7+ years of progressive experience in technology, product ownership, business analysis, software development, or related field.
• 3+ years of experience in product ownership, product management, or Agile delivery leadership.
• Experience leading technology products or digital solutions through development and implementation.

Responsibilities

• Own product vision, strategy, roadmap, priorities, and outcomes.
• Translate business needs into clear requirements and prioritized backlogs.
• Represent end user throughout planning, development, testing, and release.
• Lead Product Owners and cross-functional delivery teams.
• Partner with Architecture, QA, UX, Project Management, Cybersecurity, and Data teams.

Skills

Agile

Scrum

Product Owner

Product Management

Cross-functional leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business Administration, Product Management, or a related field

Tools

Pega

SmartComm

DMS

RM

Job description

Job Summary

The Manager, IT Product Owner, Digital Solutions provides strategic and operational leadership for GBU Life’s digital technology products and solutions. This role is responsible for establishing product vision, strategy, roadmaps, priorities, and measurable outcomes while ensuring solutions align with business objectives and end user needs. The Manager serves as a key link between business stakeholders and technology teams. The role translates business needs, user feedback, and strategic objectives into clear requirements and prioritized product backlogs. The Manager oversees product ownership for key digital solutions, including Pega, SmartComm, Document Management System (DMS), and Records Management (RM), and provides leadership and guidance to Product Owners and cross-functional delivery teams.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Product Strategy and Leadership

• Own product vision, strategy, roadmap, priorities, and outcomes.
• Align product strategy with GBU Life’s business and technology goals.
• Partner with leaders, users, and subject matter experts to identify needs and pain points.
• Identify opportunities for automation, process improvement, integration, and new capabilities.
• Evaluate product investments based on value, risk, cost, and user impact.
• Establish product management standards and best practices.
• Lead and mentor Product Owners and product team members, as applicable.

Product Roadmap and Backlog Management

• Develop and maintain product roadmaps, milestones, and priorities.
• Own and prioritize product backlogs for assigned solutions.
• Prioritize work based on business value, user needs, risk, dependencies, and resources.
• Break complex initiatives into manageable epics, features, and user stories.
• Create and maintain functional requirements and acceptance criteria.
• Estimate release dates and adjust schedules as priorities change.
• Identify and manage product dependencies, risks, and constraints.
• Balance shortterm delivery with longterm product strategy.

Agile Product Ownership

• Represent the end user throughout planning, development, testing, and release.
• Define users, personas, business needs, and desired outcomes.
• Translate needs into user stories, requirements, use cases, and acceptance criteria.
• Participate in backlog refinement, sprint planning, reviews, and retrospectives.
• Partner with development teams to clarify requirements and resolve issues.
• Develop or support test cases based on requirements and acceptance criteria.
• Support user acceptance testing and validate completed functionality.
• Approve stories and features when requirements are met.
• Support release planning, implementation, and postrelease activities.

Stakeholder and Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Serve as a primary liaison between business and technology teams.
• Partner with Architecture, QA, UX, Project Management, Cybersecurity, and Data teams.
• Communicate priorities, tradeoffs, progress, risks, dependencies, and outcomes.
• Facilitate decisions related to scope, requirements, priorities, and delivery.
• Build strong relationships with business leaders, users, and technology partners.
• Promote a collaborative, Agile, and userfocused product culture.

Digital Solutions Oversight

Pega

• Provide product leadership for Pega solutions and capabilities.
• Identify opportunities for workflow automation and process improvement.
• Prioritize Pega enhancements, workflows, and integrations.
• Ensure solutions align with architecture, security, and development standards.

DMS And Records Management

• Provide product leadership for DMS and RM capabilities.
• Prioritize document storage, retrieval, workflow, access, and records management needs.
• Support retention, auditability, security, and information governance requirements.
• Identify opportunities to improve document processes and system integrations.

Product Performance and Continuous Improvement

• Establish product success measures and performance indicators.
• Monitor adoption, user satisfaction, efficiency, quality, and cost savings.
• Use data, analytics, and user feedback to guide product decisions.
• Conduct postrelease reviews and evaluate business outcomes.
• Identify enhancements and new capabilities based on performance and feedback.
• Monitor emerging technologies and industry practices.

Change Management and Adoption

• Support adoption of new products and capabilities.
• Partner with stakeholders on training, communications, and implementation.
• Help users understand product capabilities, benefits, and changes.
• Support product demonstrations and user education.
• Partner with Product Marketing or Communications when appropriate to communicate product value.

Governance, Risk and Financial Management

• Establish appropriate product governance practices.
• Consider security, privacy, regulatory, and operational risks in product decisions.
• Partner with Compliance, Risk, and Cybersecurity teams as needed.
• Support technology budgeting, forecasting, and resource planning.
• Evaluate product costs, benefits, and expected return on investment.
• Identify opportunities to reduce costs and improve operational efficiency.
• Maintain product roadmaps, requirements, decisions, and governance documentation.

Team Leadership

• Lead, coach, and develop Product Owners and assigned team members.
• Establish clear expectations, priorities, and performance objectives.
• Promote professional development and Agile product management practices.
• Foster accountability, collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Support resource planning and workload prioritization.

Properly Adheres to Company Risk Management Principles

• Adhering and supporting GBU’s Enterprise Risk Management Framework
• Understanding and complying with applicable laws, regulations, policies and procedures; completing all required training; executing and monitoring controls effectively (as applicable); appropriately identifying, assessing, escalating and remediating risks, potential issues and control failures (as applicable); and reporting compliance or regulatory concerns to management.
• Understanding and conducting oneself in accordance with the Employee Handbook and preserving GBU’s brand and reputation.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business Administration, Product Management, or a related field required; equivalent combination of education and relevant experience may be considered.
• Agile, Scrum, Product Owner, or Product Management certification preferred.
• 7+ years of progressive experience in technology, product ownership, business analysis, software development, or a related field, preferred.
• 3+ years of experience in product ownership, product management, or Agile delivery leadership.
• Experience leading technology products or digital solutions through development and implementation.
• Experience managing product roadmaps, backlogs, requirements, and release priorities.
• Experience leading crossfunctional teams and influencing business and technology stakeholders.
• Experience with enterprise applications, integrations, workflow automation, or digital transformation.
• Experience with Pega, SmartComm, DMS, and or RM preferred.
• Life insurance, annuity, financial services, or regulatedindustry experience preferred.

OUR BENEFITS

• Medical, Dental Vision
• Company Paid HRA
• 401(k) + match
• Pension Plan
• LongTerm & ShortTerm Disability
• Life Insurance and AD&D
• PTO and VTO (Volunteer Time Off)