Product Owner

BCforward; Brooklyn (OH); On-site; USD 75,010,320 - 106,832,880; Part time

Job summary

BCforward is seeking a highly motivated and experienced Product Owner in Brooklyn, Ohio. The ideal candidate will lead product vision, manage the product backlog, and ensure the squad meets user story requirements and aligns with stakeholders.

This 11-month contract position requires local candidates willing to work on W2. Strong communication and Agile experience are crucial, along with a Product Owner certification.

Qualifications

• 5–7 years of experience as a Product Owner, Product Manager, or senior Business Analyst.
• Demonstrated ability to write user stories and acceptance criteria.
• Strong understanding of Agile frameworks (Scrum, SAFe, Kanban).

Responsibilities

• Own the product backlog for Transmission Utility.
• Write high-quality user stories with acceptance criteria.
• Conduct backlog refinement sessions with stakeholders.

Skills

Writing requirements

Communication

Agile frameworks

Education

Product Owner certification (CSPO, PSPO, PMPO, or equivalent)

Job description

BCforward is seeking a highly motivated and experienced Product Owner.

Note: Candidate Must be Willing to work on W2 and Must be local to Ohio.

Position: Product Owner

Duration: 11 Months Contract

Pay Rate: $66/Hr. On W2

Job Description

We are seeking a highly skilled Product Owner to lead product vision, backlog management, and requirements for Merchant Services and Commercial Payments. The ideal candidate combines business acumen, requirements expertise, excellent communication, and hands‑on Agile delivery experience. This role requires someone who can own, prioritize, and drive the work end-to-end, ensuring the squad has clear user stories, acceptance criteria, alignment with stakeholders and coordinate downstream application efforts.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the product backlog for Transmission Utility; ensure epics, features, and PBIs are clearly written, prioritized, and aligned with business goals.
• Write high-quality user stories with acceptance criteria that meet Definition of Ready (DOR).
• Break down complex business and technical needs into actionable requirements.
• Conduct backlog refinement sessions with engineering, QA, architecture, and stakeholders.
• Partner with BA, Tech Leads, and architects to define requirements for integrations with Deluxe, and other internal systems.
• Work closely with the Line of Business, dev teams, and vendors to ensure requirements accurately reflect needs and constraints.
• Translate business needs into clear deliverables for the engineering squad.
• Provide updates, demos, and insights to executives and cross‑functional stakeholders.
• Serve as the primary liaison for the squad, ensuring delivery teams have clarity each sprint.
• Ensure adherence to Agile and release processes, including intake, refinement, sprint planning, and definition of done.
• Quickly identify risks or blockers, escalating appropriately.
• Work in alignment with Release Management to support deployments, warranty windows, and production readiness.
• Ensure user stories and requirements support accurate QA test cases and traceability.
• Monitor delivery metrics and collaborate with engineering to improve throughput.
• Promote strong controls around requirements, release protocols, and governance.

Qualifications Required

• 5–7 years of experience as a Product Owner, Product Manager, or senior Business Analyst with direct responsibility for writing requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to write high‑quality user stories, acceptance criteria, and process flows.
• Strong understanding of Agile frameworks (Scrum, SAFe, Kanban).
• Strong communication skills—able to translate between business and technology.
• Experience partnering with cross‑functional teams and vendors.
• Product Owner certification (CSPO, PSPO, PMPO, or equivalent).

Preferred

• Experience supporting system migration, fintech, banking, payments, or data‑heavy application work.
• Experience with Lockbox, Remote Capture, or payments transmission systems.