Senior Product Owner
XWP
Summary
Join us as we work together to solve some of the most interesting and challenging engineering problems in the WordPress space through our partnerships with major publishers and technology companies.
The Senior Product Owner (PO) is responsible for maximizing the value of the product the engineering team is building through effective management of the product vision and roadmap through the backlog.
Areas of Focus
- Backlog management, prioritization
- Defining user stories and acceptance criteria
- Adhering Backlog to Client prioritized deliverables
- Understanding the business, market, and user needs for the product
- Definition and alignment of product strategy, when necessary
Accountabilities
- Clearly translate the product vision and all business requirements and user needs into epics, user stories and acceptance criteria
- Lead backlog development, maintenance, and prioritization
- Understand the SOW, and all deliverables
- Advocate for priorities in Sprints
- Answer questions pertaining to priorities and product definition, as they arise
- Ensure tickets are groomed and ready ahead of Sprint Planning
- Facilitate Backlog Grooming meetings, and as needed, Sprint Planning and Sprint Review meetings
- Be the voice of the product vision, customer, and users
- Follow Agile SCRUM methodologies
- When possible, develop and support the implementation of larger strategic goals that enhance the value of XWP’s involvement in the project
- Ensure that product strategy aligns with overall product vision
Metrics of Measurement
- Did the project/product achieve the deliverables set forth by the Client?
- Were tickets adequately described?
- Were user stories created?
- Was acceptance criteria added?
- Did the development team feel they had details needed to execute on tickets at the onset of each sprint?
- Were development team questions answered in a timely manner?
- Did the project/product help the Client and Users achieve their goals to the degree we anticipated?
- Have we expanded the Client's project/product vision, if applicable?
Payscale
This is a mid to senior-level role, with a typical pay range of USD $45 to $75 per hour for contractors or a salary for employees of $75,000 to $120,000 with benefits, depending on proven experience level and engagement terms.
Work Environment
You’ll be joining a remote-first, distributed team of over 50 people hailing from 5 continents, including Product Managers, Product Owners, Architects & Engineers, Quality Analysts, UX Architects & Designers. Enjoy benefits including:
- Trust and support from your colleagues (we look out for each other as we work towards a shared purpose)
- The rewards of a highly collaborative culture (we’re a team, not a working group)
- The joys of remote work: schedule flexibility, skip the commute, more time for family and interests outside of work
- The chance to play an important part in helping XWP achieve its full potential and make a meaningful difference for our clients, team members and the WordPress community
Job Requirements
Must-haves:
- Significant (typically 3+ years) Product Owner experience at the enterprise level
- Proven effectiveness engaging with remote, distributed teams
- Significant experience with agile methodologies (e.g. Scrum, Kanban)
- Proven track record delivering successful products and great client experiences
- Servant-leadership approach to team members and clients
Preferred:
- Demonstrated skills in product development with teams up to 15 people
- Scrum training and certifications (e.g. CSPO or PSPO)
- Experience administering projects in Github and Atlassian’s Jira
- Background as a developer/software engineer
- Background in user experience and user interface design
- Familiarity working on high-scale WordPress installs and platforms like WordPress.com VIP
- An understanding of the WordPress community and recent developments in WordPress
- Interest in participating in and passion for giving back to the WordPress community
You will also want to have these characteristics:
- Highly organized, motivated, and execution-oriented
- Self-starter comfortable working in a highly technical environment
- Demonstrated ability for continuous learning, creativity, and problem solving
- Ability to work effectively and dependably in a remote work environment.
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