Supplier Management Platform Modernization

Apton, Inc.; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Apton, Inc. in San Diego, CA is seeking an experienced Product Owner to lead the modernization of a supplier management platform.

You will define the product vision, manage the backlog, and align business and IT teams to deliver procurement, supplier qualification, risk management, and governance capabilities. You will work with Procurement, Supply Chain, Supplier Quality, and IT to gather requirements, own epics and user stories, run backlog refinement, and guide agile delivery with architects

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related field.
• 7-10 years of professional experience, including: 3+ years as a Product Owner, Product Manager, Lead Business Analyst, or equivalent role.
• 5+ years working with Supply Chain, Procurement, Supplier Management, or ERP-related solutions.
• Experience leading enterprise software implementation or transformation programs using Agile methodologies.
• Strong stakeholder management, facilitation, and communication skills.
• Experience defining user stories, acceptance criteria, and managing product backlogs.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the Product Owner for the supplier management platform modernization initiative.
• Define and communicate the product vision, roadmap, and business priorities.
• Partner with Procurement, Supply Chain, Supplier Quality, and IT stakeholders to gather and prioritize requirements.
• Own and maintain the product backlog, epics, features, and user stories.
• Lead backlog refinement, sprint planning, reviews, and acceptance testing activities.
• Collaborate with solution architects, developers, implementation partners, and business teams to deliver scalable solutions.
• Drive process standardization while balancing global and regional business requirements.
• Define success metrics, KPIs, and business outcomes for supplier onboarding, qualification, risk management, and supplier performance processes.
• Support testing, training, change management, and deployment activities.
• Ensure alignment with enterprise architecture, data governance, security, and compliance standards.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Facilitation

Communication skills

User stories & backlog

Agile methodologies

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business or related field

Job description

Locals are highly Preferred

Duration: Long Term, through 2027

Position Summary

We are seeking an experienced Product Owner to lead the replacement of a custom homegrown supplier management and screening solution with a modern Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) platform. This role will define the product vision, manage the product backlog, align business and technical teams, and ensure successful delivery of supplier lifecycle management capabilities that support procurement, supplier qualification, compliance, risk management, and supplier governance processes.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the Product Owner for the supplier management platform modernization initiative.
• Define and communicate the product vision, roadmap, and business priorities.
• Partner with Procurement, Supply Chain, Supplier Quality, and IT stakeholders to gather and prioritize requirements.
• Own and maintain the product backlog, epics, features, and user stories.
• Lead backlog refinement, sprint planning, reviews, and acceptance testing activities.
• Collaborate with solution architects, developers, implementation partners, and business teams to deliver scalable solutions.
• Drive process standardization while balancing global and regional business requirements.
• Define success metrics, KPIs, and business outcomes for supplier onboarding, qualification, risk management, and supplier performance processes.
• Support testing, training, change management, and deployment activities.
• Ensure alignment with enterprise architecture, data governance, security, and compliance standards.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related field.
• 7-10 years of professional experience, including:
• o 3+ years as a Product Owner, Product Manager, Lead Business Analyst, or equivalent role.
• o 5+ years working with Supply Chain, Procurement, Supplier Management, or ERP-related solutions.
• Experience leading enterprise software implementation or transformation programs using Agile methodologies.
• Strong stakeholder management, facilitation, and communication skills.
• Experience defining user stories, acceptance criteria, and managing product backlogs.

Preferred Qualifications

• SAFe Product Owner/Product Manager (POPM) certification or other SAFe/Agile certification.
• Experience implementing supplier management, sourcing, procurement, compliance, risk management, or supplier lifecycle management solutions.
• Experience with the PROCURE platform preferred.
• Working knowledge of an ERP platform such as Infor LN/Baan, SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, or similar ERP systems.
• Experience working with global supply chain organizations and cross-functional teams.

Desired Competencies

• Strong understanding of supply chain and procurement business processes.
• Ability to translate business requirements into product features and technical requirements.

Recommended Experience Level

7-10 years of total experience, including 5+ years supporting Supply Chain or Procurement IT solutions and 3+ years in a Product Owner, Product Management, or equivalent leadership role.