Senior Data Product Owner

Ascensus is the leading independent technology and service platform powering savings plans across America, providing products and expertise that help nearly 16 million people save for a better today and tomorrow.

Position Purpose: The Sr. Data Product Owner will be responsible for defining, prioritizing, and delivering data products that enable the business to make informed, data driven decisions. This role bridges business strategy, analytics, and technology by aligning stakeholder needs with scalable data solutions. The Sr. Data Product Owner will own the vision, roadmap, and lifecycle of data products-from ideation through adoption-ensuring they deliver measurable value and meet business objectives across Retirement Operations.


Key Responsibilities:


Product Strategy & Vision

• Develop and communicate a clear vision, strategy, and roadmap for data products aligned to business goals.

• Identify opportunities to improve processes, analytics, and decision-making through new or enhanced data products.

• Partner closely with business stakeholders to understand their needs, pain points, and priorities.

Backlog & Requirements Management

• Translate business needs into detailed product requirements, user stories, and acceptance criteria.

• Prioritize the product backlog using data driven rationale, balancing business impact, technical feasibility, and risk.

• Ensure transparency and clarity of requirements for engineering, analytics, and data governance teams.

Delivery & Execution

• Work closely with data engineering, analytics, and technical teams to ensure timely and high-quality delivery of features.

• Participate in Agile ceremonies (standups, grooming, sprint planning, retrospectives).

• Conduct user acceptance testing and validate that delivered features meet intended outcomes.

Data Quality, Governance & Compliance

• Champion high data quality, operational excellence, and strong data governance practices.

• Ensure data products comply with regulatory requirements, security standards, and privacy policies.

• Collaborate with data governance teams to define and maintain metadata, data definitions, and lineage.

Stakeholder Engagement & Adoption

• Act as the primary point of contact for data product stakeholders.

• Drive user adoption through training, documentation, and communication plans.

• Gather and analyze user feedback to inform continuous improvement.

Metrics & Value Realization

• Define success metrics and KPIs for data products.

• Track performance, measure ROI, and report on value delivered.

• Use insights to guide enhancements and future roadmap decisions.

Skills & Qualifications:


Education & Experience

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Business Administration, Data Analytics, Information Systems, Information Technology, Computer Science, or related field, or equivalent experience.

• 5-8 years of experience in data product ownership, data analytics, data management, business intelligence, or similar roles.

• Experience working in Agile delivery framework

• Familiarity with Agile Data Engineering best practices including Scrum and Kanban methodologies as well as Agile project delivery tools such a Jira, Azure Dev Ops (ADO), Rally, Mural, Miro, Lucid, Conflunce, etc.

Technical Skills

• Strong understanding of enterprise data architecture, data modeling, and ETL/ELT processes.

• Experience with analytics and BI tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau, Looker).

• Knowledge of cloud data platforms (e.g., Azure, AWS, Snowflake, GCP) is a plus.

Competencies

• Excellent problem-solving, critical, and analytical thinking skills.

• Strong presentation and communications skill both written and oral

• Data storytelling and visualization

• Ability to translate technical concepts into business language.

• Proven ability to influence without authority and navigate cross-functional teams.

• Detail-oriented with strong organizational skills.

• Proficiency in SQL and working with relational databases

• Experience with data visualization tools (e.g., Power BI, Alteryx, or Tableau)

• Strong Microsoft Excel skills (pivot tables, advanced formulas, data modeling, macros)

• Ability to translate data insights into clear, actionable business recommendations

Preferred

• Background in financial services

• Direct experience in the 401(k), retirement plan, or broader benefits industry

• Familiarity with recordkeeping systems, payroll data, plan conversions, and plan design concepts

• Experience supporting ADP/ACP, nondiscrimination testing, or compliance analytics

• Knowledge of ERISA, IRS limits, contribution rules, and DOL data requirements

• Experience with REST, SOAP, or .NET API calls

The national average salary range for this role is $120-150k in base pay, exclusive of any bonuses and benefits.This base salary range represents the low and high end of the salary range for this position. Actual salary offered will vary and may be above or below the range based on various factors including but not limited to location, experience, performance, and internal pay alignment. We do not anticipate that candidates hired will begin at the top of the range however, from time to time, it may occur on a case-by-case basis. Other rewards and benefits may include: 401(k) match, Medical, Dental, Vision, Paid-Time-Off, etc. For more information, please visit careers.ascensus.com/#Benefits.


Be aware of employment fraud. All email communications from Ascensus or its hiring managers originate from @ascensus.com or @futureplan.com email addresses. We will never ask you for payment or require you to purchase any equipment. If you are suspicious or unsure about validity of a job posting, we strongly encourage you to apply directly through our website.


For all virtual remote positions, in order to ensure associates can effectively perform their job duties with no distractions, we require an uninterrupted virtual work space and there is also an expectation of family care being in place during business hours. Additionally, there is an internet work speed requirement of 25 MBps or better for individual use. If more than one person is utilizing the same internet connection in the same household or building, then a stronger connection is required. If you are unsure of your internet speed, please check with your service provider. Note: For call center roles specifically, it is a requirement to either hardwire your equipment directly to the internet router or ensure your workstation is in close proximity to the router. Please ensure that you are able to meet these expectations before applying.

Ascensus provides equal employment opportunities to all associates and applicants for employment without regard to ancestry, race, color, religion, sex, (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and/or related medical conditions), gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition (including cancer and genetic characteristics), marital status, military or veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, criminal conviction record or any other protected category in accordance with applicable federal, state, or local laws ("Protected Status").