Senior Product Owner

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina; Durham (NC); Hybrid; USD 108,000 - 173,000; Full time

Job summary

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina is seeking a Senior Product Owner to own and prioritize the product backlog, translating vision into actionable user stories and sprint priorities across complex products.

You will partner with Product Managers and delivery teams to drive value, mentor staff, and ensure alignment with customer needs and business goals in a Hybrid-Flex environment at our Durham headquarters.

Qualifications

• Experience as a Product Owner or similar role within an agile environment.
• Strong understanding of agile methodologies, including backlog management and sprint planning.
• Experience translating product strategy and business needs into user stories and deliverables.
• Demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities across complex or multiple products.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills across technical and non-technical audiences.
• Ability to break down complex problems into actionable solutions that enable delivery.
• Strong collaboration skills with cross-functional teams, including Product Management and Engineering.
• Experience mentoring or coaching team members.

Responsibilities

• Own and manage the product and sprint backlog, ensuring priorities align with customer needs and business goals
• Partner with Product Managers and stakeholders to translate product vision into actionable user stories and features
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define, refine, and deliver user stories that drive product outcomes
• Decompose complex features into smaller, well-defined work items to enable efficient team execution
• Serve as the primary liaison between business stakeholders, customers, and delivery teams
• Ensure product priorities are clearly communicated and understood across all stakeholder groups
• Support and guide team members in writing effective user stories and acceptance criteria
• Maintain deep business and domain knowledge for assigned products or functional areas
• Drive alignment across stakeholders to ensure consistent understanding of goals and expectations
• Mentor and coach team members to strengthen agile practices and product ownership capabilities

Skills

Backlog management

Sprint planning

User stories

Stakeholder management

Communication

Agile coaching

Cross-functional collaboration

Team mentorship

Decompose features

Domain knowledge

Healthcare domain

Education

Bachelor's degree

Advanced degree

Product Owner certification (Scrum Alliance or Agile SAFe)

Job description

Job Description

The Senior Product Owner is responsible for owning and prioritizing the product backlog to deliver high-value outcomes aligned with customer needs, business objectives, and product strategy. This role serves as a critical bridge between business stakeholders, customers, and delivery teams, translating product vision into actionable user stories and sprint priorities.

Working with minimal oversight, the Senior Product Owner collaborates closely with Product Managers, cross-functional partners, and agile delivery teams to ensure efficient execution of product roadmaps across complex or multiple products. This role also provides mentorship to team members and contributes to building strong domain knowledge for assigned business areas.

WhatYou'llDo

• Own and manage the product and sprint backlog, ensuring priorities align with customer needs and business goals
• Partner with Product Managers and stakeholders to translate product vision into actionable user stories and features
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define, refine, and deliver user stories that drive product outcomes
• Decompose complex features into smaller, well-defined work items to enable efficient team execution
• Serve as the primary liaison between business stakeholders, customers, and delivery teams
• Ensure product priorities are clearly communicated and understood across all stakeholder groups
• Support and guide team members in writing effective user stories and acceptance criteria
• Maintain deep business and domain knowledge for assigned products or functional areas
• Drive alignment across stakeholders to ensure consistent understanding of goals and expectations
• Mentor and coach team members to strengthen agile practices and product ownership capabilities

What You Bring

• Proven experience as a Product Owner or similar role within an agile environment
• Strong understanding of agile methodologies, including backlog management and sprint planning
• Experience translating product strategy and business needs into user stories and deliverables
• Demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities across complex or multiple products
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills across technical and non-technical audiences
• Ability to break down complex problems into actionable solutions that enable delivery
• Strong collaboration skills with cross-functional teams, including Product Management and Engineering
• Experience mentoring or coaching team members

Bonus Points(Hiring Preferences Bulleted List - no more than 5)

• Experience working within healthcare or regulated industries
• Bachelor's degree or advanced degree (where required)
• 5+ years of experience in related field
• In lieu of degree, 7+ years of experience in related field
• Product Owner certification preferred (Scrum Alliance or Agile SAFe)

WhatYou'llGet

• The opportunity to work at thecutting edgeof health care delivery with a teamthat'sdeeply invested in the community
• Work-life balance, flexibility, and the autonomy to dogreat work
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage along withnumeroushealth and wellness programs
• Parental leave and support plus adoption and surrogacyassistance
• Career development programs and tuition reimbursement for continued education
• 401k match including an annual company contribution
• Learn more

Where You'll Work

Our Hybrid Flex approach is built on presence with a purpose - giving you flexibility to work remotely with intentional in-person connection - that supports a workplace that's flexible, connected, and future focused.

In a Hybrid-Flex role, you'll work in the office at least two days a week for collaboration and connection. In a Remote Flex role, you'll work virtually, with a few in-office visits each year for meaningful moments that matter.

Whether your role is Hybrid Flex or Remote Flex depends on the nature of the work and distance from our Durham headquarters. We welcome candidates from outside the local area and in any states listed on this job posting. Onsite expectations will be discussed during the interview process.

#LI-Hybrid

Salary Range

At Blue Cross NC, we take great pride in a fair and equitable compensation package that reflects market-price and our starting salaries are typically planned near the middle of the range listed. Compensation decisions are driven by factors including experience and training, specialized skill sets, licensure and certifications and other business and organizational needs. Our base salary is part of a robust Total Rewards package that includes an Annual Incentive Bonus*, 401(k) with employer match, Paid Time Off (PTO), and competitive health benefits and wellness programs.

*Based on annual corporate goal achievement and individual performance.

$107,901.00 - $172,642.00

Skills

Agile Methodology, Business Competence, Product Consulting, Product Management, Product Roadmap, Product Roadmapping, Roadmap Development, Scrum (Agile), Software Team Management, Sprint Backlog