Technical Product Owner - Contract

About the Role

SmarTek is seeking a Technical Product Owner to join our team. The successful candidate will be responsible for driving the delivery of technology initiatives aligned with business strategy and member experience goals, defining and prioritizing the product backlog, and collaborating closely with engineering, operations, and business stakeholders to achieve measurable outcomes through iterative, data-driven development.

Key Responsibilities

• Translate high-level strategic objectives into actionable features, user stories, and clear acceptance criteria.

• Own, refine, and prioritize the product backlog to ensure alignment with organizational roadmap objectives.

• Partner closely with engineering teams during backlog refinement, sprint planning, and release planning sessions.

• Review test results, manage rollout activities, and verify that delivered user stories satisfy defined acceptance criteria.

• Track product health, operational performance, and usage metrics to identify and implement continuous improvements.

• Collaborate with technical teams to prioritize and resolve system issues, defects, and production incidents.

• Gather and synthesize business requirements across leadership, business users, and vendors while aligning decisions with compliance standards (PCI, CCPA, SOX).

• Coordinate with third-party vendors and consultants to oversee professional services engagements and delivery.

• Champion Agile best practices, lead or support retrospectives, and drive team delivery velocity.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in a Technology Operations or Product Ownership role.

• 5+ years of experience authoring clear, structured documentation for technical and business audiences.

• 2+ years of experience working with formal compliance frameworks (PCI, CCPA, SOX).

• 1+ years of hands-on experience utilizing Scrum or Agile methodologies.

• 1+ years of experience managing or coordinating with third-party vendors and consulting partners.

• Proven expertise in requirements gathering, business modeling, and non-functional requirements definition.

• Foundational familiarity with networking, storage, and compute infrastructure technologies.

• Strong organizational, analytical, and cross-functional communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Hands-on experience working with Microsoft and Azure technologies.

• Practical experience applying Kanban methodologies.

• Familiarity with ServiceNow workflows and platform integrations.

• Foundational understanding of modern application architectures and CI/CD pipelines.

Compensation

Salary Range: $100,000 to $115,000 annually

Benefits

Benefits: Medical, dental, vision, 401(k), life insurance, disability coverage, paid holidays, and a Paid Time Off (PTO) program that meets or exceeds applicable Washington paid sick leave requirements. Additional benefit details and eligibility requirements will be provided during the hiring process.

Work Environment

• Location: Issaquah, WA

• Work Arrangement: Hybrid

• Employment Type: Contract

• Work Schedule: Standard business hours 

• Travel Requirements: 

Work Authorization

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States. 

Equal Opportunity Employer

SmarTek is an Equal Opportunity Employer and considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to any status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

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.

Benefits

Comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, 401(k), paid time off, paid holidays, Washington paid sick leave, life insurance, and short-term/long-term disability coverage. Eligibility and benefit details are provided upon hire.

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