Senior Product Owner, Annuities (Hybrid)

Guardian Life; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 99,000 - 163,000; Full time

Job summary

Guardian Life in the United States is seeking a Senior Product Owner for the annuities group to define and drive product roadmaps, integrating customer research, and ensuring compliance with data/AI standards.

You will partner with the Product Manager, data/AI SMEs, and cross-functional teams to deliver features, manage the backlog, and ensure timely, high-quality delivery while aligning with business goals and customer needs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience.
• 5+ years experience in annuity product management or closely related field.
• Defined and driven product roadmaps with customer research and data/AI standards.
• Strong knowledge of product journey mapping, business process improvement, and OKR management.
• Experience with cross-functional teams and stakeholder communication.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Translate annuity product vision into a team backlog with user stories and acceptance criteria.
• Collaborate with the Product Manager to prioritize improvements and communicate updates.
• Define and sequence features aligning with business goals and customer needs.
• Manage backlog and roadmap with the Tech Lead.
• Break down data requirements and ensure timely, quality delivery.
• Work with data and AI SMEs to meet data/AI standards across apps.
• Lead go-to-market readiness activities and review release plans.

Skills

Backlog management

Roadmap planning

Customer research

OKR management

Cross-functional teams

Stakeholder communication

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience

Tools

Product Backlog Management

Job description

Role Summary

As a Senior Product Owner supporting our annuities group , you will be responsible for defining and driving product roadmaps, integrating customer research, and ensuring compliance with data/AI standards. The position requires strong knowledge of product journey mapping, business process improvement, and OKR (objectives and key result) management. Excellent communication and teamwork skills are essential, along with the ability to manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines

You will:

• Translate the annuity product vision and strategy into a team backlog, including user stories with clear acceptance criteria and tasks, ensuring alignment with epics and customer needs
• Work closely with the Product Manager (PDM) to prioritize and implement process improvements, track progress and communicate updates to stakeholders
• Define, prioritize, and sequence annuity product features and requirements in the team backlog, ensuring alignment with business goals and customer needs
• Manage the backlog and roadmap in collaboration with the Tech Lead
• Break down data requirements into the team backlog and ensure timely and quality delivery of product functionality and desired customer experience
• Work with data and AI SMEs to ensure data and AI standards are met across applications
• Conduct go-to-market readiness activities as the team prepares for release, including reviewing the release plan with the Product Manager (PDM)

You have :

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience
• A minimum of 5+ years of experience in annuity product management or a closely related field
• Proven experience in defining and driving product roadmaps, integrating customer research, and ensuring compliance with data/AI standards
• Strong knowledge of product journey mapping, business process improvement, and OKR management
• Experience working with cross-functional teams
• Excellent communication and teamwork skills
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines

Required skills:

• Ability to define and interpret annuity product requirements
• Experience with Product Backlog Management
• Experience performing Root Cause Analysis (RCA)

Preferred skills:

• Experience in a large matrixed organization
• Experience with Agile methodologies
• Understanding of the broader annuity landscape

Location :

Hybrid, 3-days a week at a Guardian office location such as Holmdel, NJ, New York, NY, Bethlehem, PA, Boston, MA, or Pittsfield, MA.

Salary Range:

$99,150.00 - $162,885.00

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.

Additionally, at applicable times, Guardian will make public the most recent bias audit results for such AI tools, which may be found here .