Software Product Owner

Are you Ready to Engineer Your Career?  At IMEG, one of the largest design consulting firms in the U.S., we strive to provide exciting and rewarding career opportunities to our team members.  We work hard and are passionate about what we do but also love to have fun along the way.  We celebrate the ability to be a firm of over 2900 employees in the US and beyond who still provides a local office approach and feel to each of our employee-owners.  From opportunities to get involved and give back locally through our Community Involvement Committees to the ability to partner with exciting clients, we take our jobs seriously but have a great time in the process. 

As a company, we believe in investing in our team members and providing an environment for expansive growth. We put people first.  We are proud to say we are a 100% employee-owned organization and take pride in our commitment to being a great place to work.  We support this commitment through work-life balance, flexibility, continuous training and development opportunities, and community impact. We reward innovation, hard work, and support a culture of sustainability.

IMEG is growing, and we’d love to have you join our team! We are currently seeking a Software Product Owner. The Software Product Owner will be responsible for driving the development and enhancement of our software products.  This includes guiding the entire product lifecycle and collaborating closely with cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality software solutions. The Product Owner will contribute to ensuring alignment with the company’s strategic goals and delivering exceptional value to our customers.

*This position can be located outside of Rock Island*

Principal Responsibilities

• Develop and communicate a clear product vision and strategy that aligns with the organization's business objectives and customer needs 
• Elicit, document, and prioritize product requirements by collaborating with stakeholders, customers, and development teams. Translate business needs into actionable user stories with clear acceptance criteria 
• Maintain and prioritize the product backlog, ensuring that it reflects the most valuable and feasible features and enhancements. Regularly refine and groom the backlog to ensure its relevance and accuracy 
• Work closely with cross-functional teams, including developers, designers, quality assurance, and other stakeholders, to ensure a shared understanding of the product goals and requirements 
• Plan and coordinate product releases, defining the scope, objectives, and timeline. Ensure that the development team is aligned with release goals and can deliver according to schedule 
• Collaborate with QA teams to define test cases and acceptance criteria, ensuring that the final product meets high-quality standards and is free from defects 
• Monitor the development progress, track key performance indicators, and report on the status of the product to stakeholders. Address any potential roadblocks and communicate adjustments as necessary 
• Advocate for a user-centric approach to product design and usability. Collaborate with UX/UI designers to create intuitive and engaging user interfaces
• Identify opportunities for process improvements and actively participate in retrospective meetings to address challenges and implement changes effectively

Required Skills/Abilities

• Strong understanding of Agile methodologies, with experience in Scrum or Kanban. Certification (e.g., Certified Scrum Product Owner) is desirable 
• Exceptional communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively collaborate with technical and non-technical teams 
• Analytical mindset and the ability to translate business requirements into detailed technical specifications 
• Experience with software development tools, such as JIRA, Confluence, and version control systems such as GitHub
• Proficient in MS Office Suite including but not limited to Word, Excel and Outlook
• Strategic thinking and the ability to align product development with business objectives. 
• Familiarity with software development processes, including design, development, testing, and deployment 
• Strong problem-solving skills, adaptability, and a proactive attitude towards challenges. 
• Leadership qualities, with the ability to inspire and motivate cross-functional teams 

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Business, or a related field  
• Proven experience (4 years) as a P