Product Owner

Product Owner Location: 3275 Bennett Creek Avenue, Frederick, MD 21701. 100% onsite. Duration: 6 months Role Overview: The Product Owner at Banner Life is responsible for defining, prioritizing, and delivering high-value product capabilities across insurance, finance, and digital platforms. The role acts as the primary bridge between business stakeholders, technology teams, and external partners to ensure successful delivery of scalable, compliant, and customer-centric solutions. The Product Owner will operate in an Agile environment, owning the product backlog, driving roadmap execution, and ensuring alignment with LGAs strategic objectives, regulatory requirements, and customer experience goals. Key Responsibilities: Product Ownership Delivery: Own and manage the product backlog, ensuring alignment with business priorities. Define user stories, acceptance criteria, and functional requirements. Prioritize features based on business value, regulatory requirements, and customer impact. Drive end-to-end delivery across Agile Scrum or SAFe frameworks. Participate in Agile ceremonies (Sprint Planning, Grooming, Reviews, Retrospectives). Business Stakeholder Management: Act as the single point of contact for business stakeholders. Collaborate with product managers, business SMEs, IT development and QA teams, vendors, and third-party partners. Translate business requirements into technical deliverables. Align product roadmap with enterprise goals and regulatory obligations. Insurance Domain Alignment: Support initiatives across life insurance (term, final expense, annuities, etc.), policy administration, underwriting, claims, and servicing platforms. Work with policy administration systems and insurance data flows. Technology Integration: Collaborate with engineering teams on API integration, data platforms, and reporting solutions. CRM and digital channels (e.g., Client). Support modernization initiatives including cloud transformation (AWS/Azure), digital experience platforms, automation, and workflow tools. Governance Reporting: Track product performance using KPIs and metrics. Manage risks, issues, and dependencies. Provide regular status updates and executive reporting. Ensure delivery quality, timelines, and compliance standards. Required Skills Qualifications: Bachelors degree in Business, IT, Finance, or related field. 7-12 years of experience in product ownership, product management, or Agile delivery environments. Strong experience in the insurance domain (Life Insurance preferred), policy lifecycle, and business processes. Experience with Agile tools (JIRA, Confluence, Azure DevOps). Strong stakeholder communication and leadership skills. Ability to translate business needs into technical solutions. Preferred Skills: Knowledge of insurance regulatory frameworks. Certifications: Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO/PSPO), SAFe Product Owner, PMP (optional). Key Competencies: Strong product ownership mindset. Insurance domain expertise. Analytical thinking and decision-making.