Technical Product Owner

The Mechanical Licensing Collective; Nashville (TN); On-site; USD 90,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

The Mechanical Licensing Collective is seeking a Technical Product Owner to translate product vision into actionable tasks. This remote role focuses on managing the backlog for the Matching Tech Team and ensuring clear communication among stakeholders.

Applicants should have a minimum of three years’ experience in a similar role and be proficient in Jira and SQL. The position emphasizes collaboration within an Agile environment and supports the mission to ensure accurate royalty payments.

Qualifications

• Minimum three years' experience in a Technical Product Owner or similar role.
• Strong experience translating complex operational requirements into user stories.
• Proven experience with Jira and backlog management.

Responsibilities

• Own and maintain a high-quality backlog for the Matching Tech Team.
• Translate product discussions and operational needs into user stories.
• Participate in sprint planning and backlog refinement.

Skills

Translating complex operational requirements

Backlog management

SQL proficiency

Agile methodologies

Stakeholder management

Tools

Jira

SQL

Job description

Are you interested in joining a purpose-driven company in the music industry? Do you thrive in a collaborative, hybrid work environment? If so, we would like to get to know you.

WORKING AT THE MLC

The MLC is committed to excellence, service, transparency, and diversity. Our culture is collaborative, and we work in a hybrid environment. On our team, you are respected, valued for your unique strengths and experiences, and empowered to identify and resolve your own challenges.

WHO IS THE MLC?

The Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) is a nonprofit organization designated by the U.S. Copyright Office to administer blanket mechanical licenses for digital music services in the United States. We sit at the intersection of music, finance, and technology—processing billions of music usage records, matching recordings to rights holders, and helping ensure songwriters, publishers, and copyright owners are paid accurately and transparently for the use of their music. Membership with the MLC is free for songwriters and music publishers, allowing creators to register their works and receive royalties they have earned. Behind the scenes, our teams leverage data, analytics, software engineering, and operational expertise to solve complex challenges within the modern music ecosystem and support the people who create the music we all enjoy.

THE ROLE

As a Technical Product Owner, you will help translate product vision and operational needs into clearly defined, executable work for the Matching Platform. Working as part of the Matching Tech Team, you will help structure and decompose complex workflows and technical systems into well-defined requirements, user stories, acceptance criteria, process flows, and development tasks that enable efficient execution across the team. You will contribute to shaping user-facing workflows, dashboards, and operations while collaborating with stakeholders and end users to ensure solutions are practical, scalable, and aligned with MLC’s goals. You will maintain a high-quality backlog, support prioritization and sprint planning activities, and help ensure the team has clarity to deliver effectively. The Matching Platform is a critical tool that enables MLC to drive accurate royalty payments to our Members. This is a fully remote role. It requires candidates to be located within the Central or Eastern Time Zones, as the position works closely with cross‑functional teams and stakeholders during standard East Coast business hours.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum three (3) years’ experience in a Technical Product Owner, Product Analyst, Systems Analyst, Product Operations, or similar role within a software engineering environment.
• Strong experience translating complex operational or technical requirements into well-defined user stories, acceptance criteria, process flows, and development tasks.
• Proven experience with Jira, including backlog management and story decomposition.
• Experience working closely with engineering teams on technical systems, APIs, workflows, and data‑driven platforms.
• Proficient in SQL and comfortable working with technical systems, data models, and structured datasets.
• Experience creating workflows, diagrams, wireframes, dashboards, or other user‑facing operational artifacts.
• Strong organizational, communication, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to facilitate discussions between technical and non‑technical audiences.
• Experience working in Agile environments and participating in sprint planning, refinement, and delivery coordination activities.
• Experience in music publishing, music rights, metadata systems, or the music industry in general is a plus.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

AS A TECHNICAL PRODUCT OWNER YOU WILL:

• Own and maintain a high-quality backlog for the Matching Tech Team, ensuring work is clearly defined, properly prioritized, and ready for development.
• Translate product discussions, operational needs, and technical concepts into user stories, acceptance criteria, process flows, diagrams, and development tasks.
• Break down complex initiatives into executable units of work, identifying dependencies, sequencing, and implementation considerations.
• Participate in sprint planning, backlog refinement, production issue triage, and other Agile delivery activities.
• Develop initial proposals for dashboards, workflows, operational tooling, and user‑facing experiences for collaborative refinement with stakeholders and engineers.
• Work closely with operations users and stakeholders to gather feedback, validate workflows, and improve operational processes within the Matching Platform.
• Participate in production issue triage and support investigation efforts using SQL, system knowledge, and operational context.
• Help communicate delivery progress, technical concepts, and operational impacts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

AS A MEMBER OF THE TECHNOLOGY TEAM, YOU WILL:

• Work collaboratively within an Agile environment, participating actively in team ceremonies, planning activities, and cross‑functional discussions.
• Foster clear communication and shared understanding between technical teams, operational users, and stakeholders.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of product, operational, and delivery processes across the Technology organization.
• Promote structured, well‑defined, and scalable approaches to workflow design, backlog management, and technical execution.
• Support a collaborative, data‑driven, and continuous improvement culture within the Technology team.

YOU WILL CHAMPION THE MLC’S CULTURE BY:

• Embracing The MLC’s leadership values and applying The MLC’s Guiding Principles to your team’s work.
• Being process‑oriented, data‑driven, and tech‑savvy; being collaborative, curious, and open to new ideas.
• Building a dynamic team, mentoring team members, developing future leaders.
• Inspiring others with your enthusiasm and humility.

THE MLC IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER. THE MLC DOES NOT MAKE EMPLOYMENT DECISIONS BASED ON RACE, COLOR, RELIGION OR RELIGIOUS BELIEF, ETHNIC OR NATIONAL ORIGIN, SEX, GENDER, GENDER-IDENTITY, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, MARITAL STATUS, CITIZENSHIP STATUS, DISABILITY, AGE, MILITARY OR VETERAN STATUS, OR ANY OTHER CATEGORY PROTECTED BY LOCAL, STATE, OR FEDERAL LAW. THIS POLICY APPLIES TO ALL TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT, INCLUDING RECRUITING, HIRING, PLACEMENT, PROMOTION, TERMINATION, LAYOFF, TRANSFER, LEAVES OF ABSENCE, AND COMPENSATION.