Technical Product Owner

Mechanical Licensing Collective; Nashville (TN); Remote; USD 90,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

The Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) is seeking a Technical Product Owner to work in a fully remote role within the Central or Eastern Time Zones. You will play a key role in translating product vision into executable work for the Matching Platform.

The ideal candidate will have at least three years of relevant experience, strong skills in managing technical requirements, and a proven track record with Jira. This role emphasizes collaboration across cross-functional teams to ensure efficient execution and high-quality deliverables.

Qualifications

• Minimum three years' experience as a Technical Product Owner, Product Analyst, or similar role.
• Strong capabilities in translating complex operational and technical requirements into user stories.
• Experience working closely with engineering teams on technical systems and APIs.

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, backlog refinement, and other Agile delivery activities.

Skills

Experience in Technical Product Owner

Translating technical requirements

Proficiency in SQL

Experience with Jira

Organizational and communication skills

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 you do, we would like to get to know you.

About 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 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 by understanding the systems, data, and business processes, while collaborating with stakeholders and end users to ensure solutions are practical, scalable, and aligned with The MLC’s goals. You will maintain a high-quality development backlog, support prioritization and sprint planning activities, and help ensure the team has the clarity and structure required to deliver effectively. The Matching Platform is a critical tool that enables The MLC to drive accurate royalty payments to our members.

This is a fully remote role. The position requires candidates to be located within the Central or Eastern Time Zones, as the role works closely with cross‑functional teams and stakeholders during standard East Coast business hours.

The target salary for this position is between 90‑100K.

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

• 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 also

• 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.

Champion MLC Culture

• Embrace The MLC’s leadership values and apply The MLC’s Guiding Principles to your team’s work.
• Be process‑oriented, data‑driven, and tech‑savvy; be collaborative, curious, and open to new ideas.
• Build a dynamic team; mentor team members; develop future leaders.
• Inspire others with your enthusiasm and humility.