Manager, Product Owner

Description

Product Owner - Manager

About Our Company
At Lids Sports Group, we don't just sell hats - we fuel fandom. As the largest licensed sports retailer in North America, we bring sports, fashion, and culture together in more than 1,300 stores nationwide. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, Lids delivers premium, fan-driven products and unforgettable retail experiences.

Our stores feature officially licensed headwear and apparel from collegiate and professional teams, alongside top brands like Champion, Nike, New Era, Lululemon Athletica, and Mitchell & Ness. We're also the industry leader in on-demand customization, offering in-store embroidery that turns everyday gear into one-of-a-kind statements.

From specialty concept stores for the NBA and NHL to iconic clubhouse destinations for the Yankees and Dodgers, we create immersive retail experiences that celebrate the teams fans love. Through collaborations with brands like Marvel, Peanuts, and The Walt Disney Company, Lids continues to redefine how fans represent their teams - in style.

General Position Summary
The Product Owner - Manager is a key leadership role responsible for guiding a Scrum Team, some of whom are direct reports, in delivering maximum value to business stakeholders. This position operates within an Agile practice, leveraging SCRUM to align business goals with technology solutions and ensure successful product delivery.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary point of contact for business stakeholders, ensuring that their needs and priorities are understood, communicated, and reflected in product development initiatives.
• Own product backlog and quarterly plan based on close collaboration with business partners.
• Effectively communicate to and lead a broad range of people at multiple levels within the organization.
• Works closely with other Product Owners to ensure product dependencies are synchronized.
• Partner with Scrum Master to lead, mentor, and develop a Scrum Team, fostering a collaborative and high-performance environment. Provide coaching and support to ensure team members understand their roles and responsibilities within the Agile process.
• Drive the team's focus on delivering incremental value through iterative development and regular feedback cycles. Champion a customer-centric approach to prioritize features and enhancements that align with business objectives.
• Promote and implement Agile best practices, including backlog refinement, sprint planning, and review ceremonies. Ensure adherence to the principles and processes of the Scaled Agile Framework.
• A critical Change Agent driving organizational change management, standardizing tools and applications and enforcing new processes.
• An innovator and an influencer.

Job Required Knowledge and Skills

• Bachelor's degree in business, Computer Science, or related field.
• Proven experience as a Product Owner, Product Manager, or similar role in an Agile environment.
• Extensive experience and knowledge of the following areas with Microsoft D365: Finance, Supply Chain Management, Distribution, Warehousing, Inventory Management, Retail Sales, and Merchandising.
• Strong experience with Azure DevOps.
• Experience writing epics, features, user stories, and acceptance criteria.
• Track record of driving Quarterly Planning, setting priority, helping drive business value and IT complexity.
• Advanced skills and knowledge of servant leadership, facilitation, situational awareness, conflict resolution, continual improvement, empowerment, and increasing transparency.
• Ability to anticipate issues based on experience to help the team avoid or resolve the issues.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills including active listening and the ability to influence or persuade others in positive or negative circumstances.
• Knowledge of common business applications and collaboration tools.
• Experience leading teams, with direct reports, in a scaled Agile framework.
• Strong understanding of Agile methodologies, principles, and tools.
• Excellent communication, problem solving, leadership, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to inspire, motivate, and develop high-performing teams.
• Analytical mindset with a focus on delivering measurable business outcomes, critical thinker and problem solver.

What We Offer

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Retirement plan
• 100% employer-paid benefits, including short-term and long-term disability, life and AD&D insurance, and an Employee Assistance Program
• Paid Time Off
• Generous employee discount and exclusive perks
• Ongoing career development, including discounted secondary education courses
• A collaborative, innovative, and team-oriented work environment
• Early Wage Access options
• Bonus eligibility depending on position level

Physical Demands & Requirements

• Ability to operate a computer and work with digital systems for extended periods.
• Ability to communicate verbally and visually with internal teams and stakeholders.
• Ability to work in an office or remote environment with frequent task deadlines.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Work Environment

• Onsite office work environment.
• Standard business hours from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., flexibility may be provided upon request.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Employment Requirements
Candidates must possess the experience, skills, physical abilities, and qualifications, with or without reasonable accommodation, to perform the essential duties of the role and must be able to meet all applicable employment standards. Being legally authorized to work in the United States is a pre-condition of employment for this position. Current or future employment-based visa sponsorship is not available for this role.

Equal Employment Opportunity
We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Notice to Applicants
In connection with your application, we collect information that identifies, reasonably relates to, or describes you ("Personal Information"). The categories of Personal Information we collect include your name, email address, mailing address, other contact information, employment history, and educational history. We collect and use this information for human resources and business management purposes, including identifying and evaluating candidates for employment or future contract opportunities, and maintaining recruiting and hiring records.

Need Accessibility Assistance?
Applicants who require accessibility assistance to submit an employment application may email View email address on click.appcast.io. A member of our Talent team will respond as soon as reasonably possible. This email address is only for individuals seeking reasonable accommodation when applying for a career at Lids.