Product Owner

Spectraforce Technologies, Inc.; North Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Spectraforce Technologies, Inc. seeks a Product Owner to oversee a portfolio of technology products from ideation to operation, aligning cross-functional stakeholders and managing scope, benefits, costs, and timelines.

The role requires strong business acumen, agile experience, and the ability to translate business needs into roadmaps while guiding a matrix team. Location is Lake County, IL with a hybrid schedule (Tues, Wed, Thurs on-site) through July 2027.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with 8+ years of experience or higher as specified.
• Experience developing and/or managing technology applications.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with business partners.
• Ability to explain complex concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
• Understanding of Software Life Cycle phases and Agile ceremonies.
• 1–2 years of experience coaching cross-functional resources.

Responsibilities

• Oversee a portfolio of technology products from ideation to operation.
• Secure cross-functional alignment on scope, benefits, cost, and timeline.
• Educate stakeholders on capabilities and influence roadmaps and investments.
• Identify unmet business needs and evaluate technology solutions.
• Lead programs transforming business processes or capabilities.
• Manage intake, scope, estimates, UAT, testing strategy, and releases.
• Supervise matrix team to deliver technology products.
• Handle BRM activities as single point of contact for initiatives.
• Ensure core capabilities are applied for speed and agility.
• Identify reuse opportunities and pilot/MVP solutions.
• Ensure compliance with client policies and procedures.
• Manage IT investment budget between $25K and $1M.

Skills

Communication

Stakeholder management

Agile methodology

SLC knowledge

Cross-functional leadership

Time management

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

PhD

Tools

JIRA

Confluence

ServiceNOW

Smartsheet

Job description

Job Title: Product Owner

Assignment Duration: Until July 2027

Location: Lake County, IL 60064

Hybrid (Tues, Wed, Thurs on-site)

In this role you'll be responsible for:

• Overseeing a portfolio of technology products from ideation to operation, including securing cross-functional alignment on project scope, benefits, cost, and timeline.


• Proactively understand business strategies, educate business stakeholders on existing technology capabilities, and influence/develop capability roadmaps and investment.


• Identifying current and emerging unmet business needs and evaluating technology solutions to balance short-term and long-term objectives.


• Proposing, initiating, and leading programs that transform the focus Business function's processes or technology capabilities.


• Project intake, scope clarification, epic and story grooming, estimating, generating cost and timeline plans, defining UAT and testing strategy, release management, and overseeing engineering decisions.


• Supervising a matrix team of Product Analysts, Business Systems Analysts, Scrum Masters, Project Managers, Architects, Engineers, Testers to deliver technology products to the business.


• All BRM (business relationship management) activities, including serving as the single point of contact for initiatives in your portfolio.


• Making sure that as BTS we are consistent in applying our core capabilities to deliver technology solutions with speed, agility, and efficiency.


• Identifying re-use opportunities and proposing viable pilot and MVP solutions.


• Responsible for compliance with applicable client Policies and procedures.


• Managing an IT investment budget of $25K to $1M.

Experiences that are required for this role:

Required:

• Bachelor's Degree with 8 years' experience; Master's Degree with 7 years' experience; or PhD with 3 years' experience.


• Experience developing and/or managing the development of technology applications, regardless of tech stack.


• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with a keen ability to build trust, listen, and ask effective questions with the goal of creating a scalable and reusable business solution along with forming effective partnerships.


• Ability to interact with business leaders to demystify complex concepts without relying on technical language.


• Thorough understanding of and hands-on experience with SLC (Software Life Cycle) phases, including Build and Run aspects of a Technology Product.


• Demonstrable working knowledge of Agile methodology, process and ceremonies.


• 1-2 years of experience managing or coaching cross-functional resources - employees or contract resources.


• Ability to self-manage time and priorities.

Beneficial:

• Understanding of or experience within the life sciences and biopharmaceutical landscape, including role of manufacturers, providers, patients, payers, distributors and policy makers.


• Understanding of financial planning, forecasting and data management concepts and systems.


• Demonstrable interest in technology trends and application of technology to improve end user's experience through innovation or disruption.


• Experience in leading and managing Agile teams and/or projects.


• Hands on experience with JIRA, Confluence, ServiceNOW and Smartsheet.