Technical Product Owner - Contract

Smartek21, LLC; Issaquah (WA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

SmarTek21 in Issaquah, WA is seeking a Technical Product Owner to drive technology initiatives aligned with business strategy and member experience. You will define and prioritize the backlog, translate goals into features and acceptance criteria, and work closely with engineering, operations, and business stakeholders to deliver measurable outcomes through iterative development.

The role requires strong communication skills, experience with Agile/Scrum, and familiarity with compliance

Qualifications

• 5+ years in Technology Operations or Product Ownership.
• 2+ years with formal compliance frameworks (PCI, CCPA, SOX).
• 1+ year with Scrum or Agile methodologies.
• 1+ year coordinating with third-party vendors.
• Strong requirements gathering, business modeling, and non-functional requirements definition.

Responsibilities

• Translate strategic goals into features, user stories, and acceptance criteria.
• Own the product backlog, prioritized and aligned with roadmap.
• Collaborate with engineering during backlog refinement, sprint planning, and release planning.
• Ensure stories meet acceptance criteria via test results and docs.
• Track product health, performance, and usage metrics.

Skills

Communication

Requirements gathering

Business modeling

Non-functional requirements

Analytical skills

Independent work

Tools

Microsoft Azure

ServiceNow

CI/CD pipelines

Job description

About the Role

We are seeking a Technical Product Owner to drive the delivery of technology initiatives that align with our business strategy and member experience goals.

You will define, prioritize, and manage the product backlog, working closely with engineering, operations, and business stakeholders to deliver measurable outcomes through iterative, data-driven development.

This role requires a balance of technical acumen, operational understanding, and strong communication across teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Translate strategic goals into clear, actionable features, user stories, and acceptance criteria.
• Own the product backlog, ensuring items are well-defined, prioritized, and aligned with roadmap objectives.
• Collaborate with engineering teams during backlog refinement, sprint planning, and release planning.
• Ensure completed stories meet acceptance criteria through active review of test results and documentation.

Delivery & Execution

• Partner with delivery teams to ensure timely, high-quality releases.
• Manage testing, documentation, and rollout activities for new features.
• Track product health, performance, and usage metrics to drive continuous improvement.
• Prioritize and resolve issues, defects, and production incidents in collaboration with technical teams.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Communicate effectively with cross-functional teams, including leadership, business users, and vendors.
• Gather and synthesize business requirements from multiple stakeholders.
• Align technical decisions with business goals and compliance needs (PCI, CCPA, SOX).
• Coordinate with 3rd-party vendors and consultants to manage professional services delivery.

Continuous Improvement

• Leverage data and user feedback to pursue incremental, measurable improvements.
• Lead or contribute to retrospectives to improve team processes and delivery velocity.
• Stay current with Agile best practices, DevOps processes, and product management tools.

Required Skills & Experience

• 5+ years of experience in a Technology Operations or Product Ownership role.
• 5+ years creating clear, structured documentation for diverse technical and business audiences.
• 2+ years working with formal compliance frameworks (PCI, CCPA, SOX).
• 1+ years of hands‑on experience with Scrum or Agile methodologies.
• 1+ years coordinating with third‑party vendors or consulting partners.
• Strong skills in requirements gathering, business modeling, and non-functional requirements definition.
• Familiarity with networking, storage, and compute technologies.
• Excellent organizational, analytical, and communication skills.
• Proven ability to work both independently and collaboratively.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Kanban methodology.
• Hands‑on experience with Microsoft and Azure technologies.
• Familiarity with ServiceNow workflows and integrations.
• Understanding of modern application architectures and CI/CD pipelines.

Who We Are

SmarTek21, founded in 2006, is an innovative digital transformation leader dedicated to empowering organizations through design‑led, data‑centric solutions. We believe that exceptional user experiences and intelligent data‑driven insights are pivotal in shaping the future of business. At the heart of our approach is Design‑Led Engineering, where we combine strategic design principles with cutting‑edge technology to create tailored solutions that deliver significant business outcomes. Our commitment to accelerating digital transformation includes specialized expertise in Agile DevOps, Data Engineering and analytics, Testing Automation and support, and comprehensive Managed Application and Infrastructure Services. We’ve evolved from our consulting and development roots into a full‑spectrum service provider, integrating advanced technologies like Generative AI (GenAI) to facilitate our clients' seamless, transformative digital journeys. A passion unites our dynamic team of technology visionaries and business strategists for innovation and excellence. At SmarTek21, you'll join a collaborative environment dedicated to shaping the digital landscape and driving impactful results for organizations worldwide.

SmarTek21 is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment. We encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds and experiences.