Product Owner

Job Posting Title:

Product Owner

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Hiring Department:

Data to Insights

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Position Open To:

All Applicants

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Weekly Scheduled Hours:

40

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FLSA Status:

Exempt

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Earliest Start Date:

Immediately

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Position Duration:

Expected to Continue Until Aug 31, 2026

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Location:

Texas

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Job Details:

General Notes

The Data to Insights (D2I) Initiative at UT Austin is an investment to build a trusted, integrated, and scalable information infrastructure that transforms complex UT data into valued insights for data-informed decisions.

As a team member in the Data to Insights (D2I) Initiative, you will work with a cross-campus team using the latest cloud technologies to build a next-generation data ecosystem that will improve decision-making and advance the university’s mission. We believe the best ideas arise from collaborative work among colleagues from varied backgrounds and experiences. If you’re the type of person who loves to learn and wants to know your work has meaning, you may find your career home at UT Austin. Please be advised that this position is expected to continue until August 31, 2026.

The University of Texas at Austin provides an outstanding benefits package to staff, including: 

• Competitive health benefits (Employee premiums covered at 100%; family premiums at 50%) 
• Vision, dental, life, and disability insurance options 
• Paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays 
• Teachers Retirement System of Texas (a defined benefit retirement plan) 
• Additional voluntary retirement programs: tax sheltered annuity 403(b) and a deferred compensation program 457(b) 
• Flexible spending account options for medical and childcare expenses 
• Training and conference opportunities 
• Tuition assistance 
• Athletic ticket discounts 
• Access to UT Austin's libraries and museums 
• Free rides on all UT Shuttle and Capital Metro buses with staff ID card 

For more details, please see: https://hr.utexas.edu/prospective/benefits and https://hr.utexas.edu/current/services/my-total-rewards 

This position requires you to maintain internet service and a mobile phone with voice and data plans to be used when required for work.

This position provides life/work balance with typically a 40-hour work week and travel generally limited to training (e.g., conferences/courses).

Purpose

We are looking for a dynamic and experienced Product Owner to join our team. As part of the Data to Insights (D2I) Initiative, the Product Owner will play a pivotal role in guiding and shaping the development of products that integrate and simplify university data for insightful decision-making. The successful candidate will collaborate with stakeholders from various university offices and work closely with cross-functional teams comprising functional, analytical, and technical experts. We are seeking an individual who can drive product development, uphold Agile principles, and contribute to the overall success of the initiative while embodying our core values of respect, focus, openness, commitment, and courage.

Responsibilities

Product Ownership and Strategy

• Collaborate with stakeholders to define and prioritize the product backlog, ensuring alignment with the overall goals D2I.
• Work closely with development teams to ensure a shared understanding of product goals, features, and priorities.
• Lead product and release planning efforts and actively participate in Scrum ceremonies such as daily stand-ups, sprint planning, sprint demos, and retrospectives.
• Drive product backlog refinement, ensuring concise acceptance criteria that are well understood by team members, clear minimum viable product agreements, and effective prioritization.

Team Collaboration and Support

• Act as a bridge between business stakeholders and development teams, ensuring a common understanding of goals, scope, and product domain.
• Collaborate with development teams to define user stories, prioritize work, and make informed decisions.
• Support teams in making appropriate commitments through task definition, estimation, and prioritization.
• Be available to the team for questions and clarifications throughout the sprint.

Communication and Stakeholder Engagement

• Continually communicate information related to the product vision, goals, and progress to the team and stakeholders.
• Actively contribute to communication channels to foster collaboration among te