Product Owner - NBS

Nelnet, Inc.; Oklahoma; On-site; USD 85,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

401K

Tuition reimbursement

Paid time off

Employee stock purchase program

Job summary

Nelnet, Inc. is seeking a Product Owner to coordinate product development, release planning and ensure successful delivery of new and existing products in the state reporting space for a student information system.

The role focuses on translating reporting requirements, data interoperability standards, and working closely with state education agencies to deliver compliant solutions. A Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience is required, with 1+ year of related experience preferred.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
• 1+ years related experience or existing product knowledge.
• Experience with K-12 education data, state reporting, or student information systems preferred.

Responsibilities

• Works with agile teams to create use cases, requirements and estimates.
• Liaises between state agencies and development teams to translate requirements.
• Monitors state reporting requirements and data standards, prioritizes work.
• Collaborates on data interoperability, including data mapping and validation rules.
• Maintains relationships with state agency contacts and participates in workgroups.
• Documents release notes and manages analytics of customer journey.
• Validates UX mocks and simulations with clients.
• Ensures solutions meet market expectations.
• Collaborates with sales, marketing and product managers to provide content for training and docs.

Skills

Agile

Requirements gathering

Stakeholder communication

Data interpretation

Team collaboration

Time management

Documentation

UX validation

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Tools

APIs

State reporting standards

Job description

Nelnet Business Services (NBS), a division of Nelnet, Inc., provides payment technology and education services to more than 1,200 higher education institutions, nearly 12,000 K-12 schools, and millions of individual students, families, and supporters across the globe. Our culture of service enables us to form long-lasting and trusted partnerships, while our focus on creativity and innovative solutions empowers our customer communities to thrive.

The Product Owner coordinates product development, release planning, and manages the overall successful delivery of new and existing products. This position supports state reporting within a student information system, working closely with state education agencies to translate reporting requirements and data interoperability standards into product solutions. This position focuses on developing skills and abilities under the guidance of both management and more experienced Product Owner II positions.

Job Responsibilities

1. Works very closely with agile development teams to create use cases, requirements, and estimates in support of company objectives.
2. Serves as a liaison between state education agencies and the development team — interpreting state reporting requirements, data collection specifications, and compliance deadlines, and translating them into actionable requirements and user stories.
3. Monitors changes to state reporting requirements, data standards, and submission schedules; assesses impact and prioritizes work accordingly.
4. Collaborates with development teams on data interoperability solutions, including data mapping, validation rules, and exchange between the student information system and external systems (state agencies, assessment vendors, and other education platforms).
5. Builds and maintains working relationships with state agency contacts, participating in state-hosted workgroups, technical calls, and specification reviews on behalf of the team.
6. Involved in documenting release notes and managing the analytics behind the customer's journey through products.
7. Spends a significant amount of time validating UX mocks and early-stage simulations with clients.
8. Works with development teams to ensure solutions meet market expectations.
9. Works with sales, technical sales, marketing and product manager to provide content for sales, user training and documentation tools.
10. Ensures client documentation is updated and effective including release notes and roadmaps.
11. Works with clients directly and manages a client feedback tool to ensure voice of the customer is heard and felt in each product.

Education

1. Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.

Experience

1. 1+ years related experience or existing product knowledge.
2. Experience with K-12 education data, state reporting, or student information systems preferred.
3. Familiarity with education data interoperability standards and frameworks (e.g., Ed-Fi, SIF, OneRoster, CEDS) or comparable experience working with structured data exchange (APIs, file-based submissions, data schemas) preferred.

Competencies — Skills/Knowledge/Abilities

1. Ability to prioritize and manage multiple concurrent projects.
2. Flexibility to adapt quickly to new requirements, situations, programs, and services.
3. Ability to read and interpret technical specifications (data layouts, schemas, business rules) and translate them into clear requirements for development teams.
4. Comfort working with data — understanding data elements, relationships, and quality/validation concepts — without needing to be a developer.
5. Ability to communicate effectively with both technical audiences (developers, data engineers) and non-technical audiences (state agency staff, school district users).
6. Strong attention to detail and comfort operating under externally imposed, non-negotiable deadlines (state submission windows).
7. Strong customer focus.
8. Ability to be a team player.
9. Good time management and organizational skills.
10. Strong written and oral communication skills.

Strong problem solving skills.

Demonstrated respect, collaboration, and pride in ownership.

Ability to adapt to change.

Focus on delivering value.

Pay Range for this role is - $85,000 - $90,000

Our benefits package includes medical, dental, vision, HSA and FSA, generous earned time off, 401K/student loan repayment, life insurance & AD&D insurance, employee assistance program, employee stock purchase program, tuition reimbursement, performance-based incentive pay, short- and long-term disability, and a robust wellness program.

Benefits & Perks - Nelnet Inc

Nelnet is committed to providing a welcoming and respectful workplace where all associates have the opportunity to succeed.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we ensure that all qualified applicants are considered for employment.

Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion/creed, national origin, gender, sex, marital status, age, disability, use of a guide dog or service animal, sexual orientation, military/veteran status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local law.

We value the unique contributions of every team member and believe that a positive work environment benefits everyone.

Qualified individuals with disabilities who require reasonable accommodations in order to apply or compete for positions at Nelnet may request such accommodations by contacting Corporate Recruiting at 402-486-5725 or [e-mail].

Nelnet is a Drug Free and Tobacco Free Workplace.

Use of Artificial Intelligence in Hiring We may use automated or artificial intelligence enabled tools to assist with the initial review of applications, such as identifying relevant skills or experience. These tools are used to support human review and do not make hiring decisions. A recruiter reviews applications and determines which candidates move forward in the hiring process.

For more information, see our Privacy Policy and Pre-Use Notice: Automated Tools in Hiring You may know Nelnet as the nation’s largest student loan servicer – but we do more than that. A lot more. We’re also a professional services company, consumer loan originator and servicer, payment processor, renewable energy innovator, and K-12 and higher education expert (and that’s just a shortlist). For over 40 years, we’ve been serving our customers, associates, and communities to make dreams possible.

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