Product Owner - Annuity Platform Transformation

Product Owner - Annuity Platform Transformation Lead

Providing for loved ones, planning rewarding retirements, saving enough for whatever lies ahead – our policyholders count on us to be there when it matters most. It's a big ask, but it's one that we have the power to deliver when we work together. We collaborate and innovate – pushing one another to transform not just Pacific Life, but the entire industry for the better. Why? Because it's the right thing to do. Pacific Life is more than a job, it's a career with purpose. It's a career where you have the support, balance, and resources to make a positive impact on the future – including your own.

We're actively seeking a talented Product Owner - Annuity Platform Transformation lead to join our Annuity Administration Team in Newport Beach, CA; Omaha, NE; or Charlotte, NC.

As a Lead Product Owner you will move Pacific Life, and your career forward, by driving a multi-year Annuity Platform Transformation Initiative, focused on modernizing legacy platforms into scalable, API-driven, cloud-native solutions. This role is pivotal in bridging business strategy and technical execution, ensuring that complex legacy systems are transformed into modern, resilient, and future-ready platforms.

This is a multi-year initiative that focuses on modernizing the Annuity Platform ecosystem and surrounding capabilities. The objective is to reduce technical debt, improve scalability, simplify integrations, and leverage cloud-enabled architecture to support long-term transformation and operational efficiency.

The ideal candidate brings a combination of strong cloud transformation experience, deep technical fluency, and the ability to lead cross-functional teams through ambiguity and large-scale change. You will work closely with Engineering, Architecture, and Business stakeholders to ensure that transformation efforts deliver measurable business value, operational efficiency, and improved customer experience.

How you'll help move us forward:

Technical Product Ownership

• Define and own the modernization roadmap focused on reducing technical debt, improving operational efficiency, and enabling cloud-ready capabilities for future-state architecture.
• Prioritize across tech debt reduction, platform modernization, and new capabilities
• Ensure clear user stories, acceptance criteria, and delivery outcomes
• Act as the voice of the customer and business stakeholders
• Lead cross-functional coordination across Engineering, Architecture, QA, and Business
• Manage interdependencies, risks, and delivery timelines
• Establish governance for tracking progress and value realization

Platform Transformation Leadership

• Lead end-to-end platform modernization initiatives focused on improving scalability, reducing technical debt, and enabling cloud-native integration and service capabilities.
• Experience supporting or leading cloud transformation initiatives in partnership with architecture and engineering teams.
• Support transformation by gradually replacing legacy systems and adopting modern design approaches such as API-based and event-driven solutions.
• Enable adoption of AWS services, CI/CD pipelines, and DevOps practices

The experience you bring:

• 10+ years in System Analysis/Product Ownership or other IT related roles in Technology Domain.
• Bachelor's degree in computer science, MIS, Information Systems or engineering fields, or equivalent experience.
• Experience working in legacy environments undergoing modernization or transformation.
• Ability to balance short-term delivery needs with long-term platform goals.
• Understanding how to translate business wants and needs into technical specifications (i.e. User Stories, Features, Acceptance Criteria, Etc.).
• Experience working with backlog management, collaboration, and visualization tools.
• Experience working on a project with multiple stakeholders and competing priorities or initiatives.
• Excellent organizational skills with a self-starter mentality and resourcefulness in solving problems to ensure teams have what they need to deliver.

What makes you stand out:

• Strong understanding of cloud architecture principles, especially on Amazon Web Services (AWS).
• Experience with key services such as compute, storage, networking, and serverless architectures.
• Working knowledge of designing scalable, resilient, and cost-optimized cloud solutions.
• Good understanding of microservices architecture and how to break down monolithic systems.
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and automated deployment processes.
• Experience in Insurance / Financial Services (Annuity or Life Insurance)
• Exposure to AI/Automation in modernization initiatives