Product Owner I

The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America; Pittsfield (MA); Hybrid; USD 79,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America is seeking a Product Owner I for a hybrid role based in the Pittsfield, MA area. You will translate product vision into actionable tasks, manage the backlog, and work with stakeholders to ensure alignment with customer needs and business goals.

You will participate in Agile ceremonies and contribute to continuous improvement of practices. Requires a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience and 4–6 years in product management or related field.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required.
• 4–6 years of product management or related field experience.
• Proven ability to develop and manage product backlogs.
• Strong collaboration to refine requirements with cross-functional teams.
• Excellent documentation to maintain user stories and acceptance criteria.
• Familiarity with Agile methodologies and participation in Agile ceremonies.
• Strong communication to align with stakeholders and business objectives.

Responsibilities

• Develop and manage the product backlog to align with the product vision and strategy.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to gather, refine, and prioritize requirements.
• Maintain up-to-date product documentation including user stories and acceptance criteria.
• Monitor development progress to ensure features are sprint-ready and timelines are met.
• Participate in Agile ceremonies and contribute to continuous process improvement.
• Work with stakeholders to ensure the product meets customer needs and business goals.
• Support the team in understanding and applying Agile product management practices.
• May lead projects or project steps within a broader initiative.

Skills

Agile Facilitation

Product backlog management

Requirements gathering

Documentation

Stakeholder collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience

Job description

As a Product Owner I, you will be responsible for translating the product vision and strategy into actionable tasks, ensuring alignment with customer needs and organizational goals. The Product Owner role involves close collaboration with various stakeholders to clarify requirements, prioritize tasks, and maintain up-to-date product documentation. The Product Owner will track progress to ensure timely delivery, participate in Agile ceremonies, and continuously learn Agile product management practices under the guidance of a Senior Product Owner.

• You will Develop and manage the product backlog, ensuring it aligns with the overall product vision and strategy
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to gather and refine requirements, ensuring they are well-documented and prioritized
• Maintain clear and up-to-date product documentation, including user stories, acceptance criteria, and meeting notes
• Monitor the progress of product development, ensuring that features are ready for sprints and delivery timelines are met
• Participate in Agile ceremonies, contributing to the continuous improvement of Agile practices within the team
• Work closely with stakeholders to ensure that the product meets customer needs and business objectives
• Support the team in understanding and implementing Agile product management fundamentals and best practices
• May lead projects or project steps within a broader project

You have Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience A minimum of 4-6 years of experience in product management or a related field Proven ability to develop and manage product backlogs, ensuring alignment with product vision and strategy Strong collaboration skills with cross-functional teams to gather and refine requirements. Excellent documentation skills to maintain clear and up-to-date product documentation, including user stories and acceptance criteria Familiarity with Agile methodologies and participation in Agile ceremonies Strong communication skills to work closely with stakeholders and ensure the product meets customer needs and business objectives Ability to support the team in understanding and implementing Agile product management fundamentals and best practice

• Agile Facilitation
• Product Document Requirements Management
• Root Cause Analysis (RCA)
• Scrum (Agile)

Location

The primary location for this hybrid position (3 days a week in office) is Pittsfield MA, will consider Bethlehem, PA, Holmdel NJ or NYC. Position will require occasional travel.

Salary Range

$79,310.00 - $130,295.00 The salary range reflected above is a good faith estimate of base pay for the primary location of the position. The salary for this position ultimately will be determined based on the education, experience, knowledge, and abilities of the successful candidate. In addition to salary, this role may also be eligible for annual, sales, or other incentive compensation.

Our Promise

At Guardian, you’ll have the support and flexibility to achieve your professional and personal goals. Through skill-building, leadership development and philanthropic opportunities, we provide opportunities to build communities and grow your career, surrounded by diverse colleagues with high ethical standards. Inspire Well-Being As part of Guardian’s Purpose – to inspire well-being – we are committed to offering contemporary, supportive, flexible, and inclusive benefits and resources to our colleagues. Explore our company benefits at www.guardianlife.com/careers/corporate/benefits. Benefits apply to full-time eligible employees. Interns are not eligible for most Company benefits.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Guardian is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to age, race, color, creed, religion, sex, affectional or sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, marital status, disability, military or veteran status, or any other classification protected by applicable law.

Accommodations

Guardian is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. Guardian also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified job applicants (and employees) to accommodate the individual's known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, unless doing so would create an undue hardship. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact [e-mail]. Please note: this resource is for accommodation requests only. For all other inquires related to your application and careers at Guardian, refer to the Guardian Careers site.

Visa Sponsorship

Guardian Life is not currently or in the foreseeable future sponsoring employment-based visas (e.g., such as an H-1B). In order to be a successful applicant, you must be legally authorized to work in the United States, without the need for employer sponsorship/support now or at any time in the future.

Notice Regarding Guardian’s Use of Artificial Intelligence in Recruitment

As part of Guardian’s job application process, Guardian may use artificial intelligence tools (“AI Tools") to automate the sorting and filtering of information provided by applicants as part of its preliminary screening. This preliminary screening may be used to help identify applicant materials and resumes relative to their indication that the applicant meets the requirements for the specific job for which they are applying, as specified in the listing posted on Guardian’s jobs website (Careers at Guardian at https://www.guardianlife.com/careers). At Guardian, we do not use AI Tools to substantially assist or replace human judgment or discretionary decision making in our hiring process. All hiring decisions will be made by Guardian colleagues. Please be aware that if you apply for a specific position with Guardian, you will have the choice of opting out of Guardian’s use of AI Tools during the job application process. If you would like to request an alternative process that does not utilize AI Tools or would like to request a reasonable accommodation, within ten business days of your position application, you must email your request to [e-mail], making sure to provide your name and job requisition identification number. Guardian will retain your applicant materials and resume and all information therefrom in accordance with Guardian’s document retention policy, a copy of which you may request via [e-mail]. Additionally, at applicable times, Guardian will make public the most recent bias audit results for such AI tools, which may be found here.

Current Guardian Colleagues

Every day, Guardian helps our 29 million customers realize their dreams through a range of insurance and financial products and services. Our Purpose, to inspire well-being, guides our dedication to the colleagues, consumers, and communities we serve. We know that people count, and we go above and beyond to prepare them for the life they want to live, focusing on their overall well-being — mind, body, and wallet. As one of the largest mutual insurance companies, we put our customers first. Behind every bright future is a GuardianTM. Learn more about Guardian at guardianlife.com. Visa Sponsorship: Guardian Life is not currently or in the foreseeable future sponsoring employment-based visas (e.g., such as an H-1B). In order to be a successful applicant, you must be legally authorized to work in the United States, without the need for employer sponsorship/support now or at any time in the future.