Sr. Product Owner - Self-Service Strategy

The Senior Product Owner will be responsible for self-service portal and mobile capabilities for Guardian's Group Benefits Digital team. This role involves translating product vision into actionable backlogs, collaborating with stakeholders, and managing a team of developers and QA professionals. The position focuses on enhancing the end-to-end digital experience for various personas, driving process improvements, and integrating customer feedback to deliver high-impact solutions and accelerate digital capabilities.

Must Have

• Translate product vision and strategy for Guardian’s online self-service portal and/ or mobile app into actionable team backlogs, including user stories with clear acceptance criteria and tasks, ensuring alignment with business goals and customer needs.
• Work closely with the Product Manager to prioritize and implement process improvements, track progress and communicate updates to stakeholders.
• Collaborate closely with other Product Managers, business stakeholders, and technical leads to deliver high-impact solutions.
• Serve as a bridge between customer-facing activities and internal IT teams, ensuring clear communication and alignment.
• Document and communicate business and technical requirements, supporting both strategic and tactical initiatives.
• Manage and mentor a small team of developers and testers, driving execution on priority items and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
• Conduct go-to-market readiness activities and support release planning.
• Integrate customer research and feedback into product development cycles.
• Ensure digital solutions are compliant.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience.
• A minimum of 5-7 years of experience in product management or a related field.
• Proven experience in defining and driving product roadmaps, integrating customer research, and ensuring compliance with data/AI standards.

Good to Have

• Strong knowledge of product journey mapping, business process improvement, and OKR (objectives and key results) management.
• Experience working with cross-functional teams and leading small technical teams.
• Excellent communication and teamwork skills; ability to be customer-facing and translate business needs into technical solutions.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks, set priorities, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

Perks & Benefits

• Support and flexibility to achieve professional and personal goals.
• Skill-building opportunities.
• Leadership development.
• Philanthropic opportunities.
• Diverse colleagues with high ethical standards.
• Contemporary, supportive, flexible, and inclusive benefits and resources.

Our Group Benefits Digital team is seeking a Senior Product Owner, which will be responsible for self-service portal and mobile capabilities utilized by plan holders/ employers, brokers, members, and dental providers. This position is embedded within the business and will collaborate closely with a technical lead to drive a focused team of developers and QA professionals to achieve key results for the Group Benefits business. In addition, this Product Owner role is responsible for the end-to-end digital experience for a specified persona(s), and will be responsible for collaborating with other groups within the business and technology to identify and implement important capabilities for our customers and partners. This is an exciting time to join Guardian as we accelerate our digital capabilities across product, experience, benefits administration, claims/ leave management and broker technology. Our goal is to cement our market leading position and innovate using technology to capitalize on new market opportunities. This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of Group Benefits and deliver meaningful change for our customers and partners.

You Will:

• Translate the product vision and strategy for Guardian’s online self-service portal and/ or mobile app into actionable team backlogs, including user stories with clear acceptance criteria and tasks, ensuring alignment with business goals and customer needs.
• Work closely with the Product Manager to prioritize and implement process improvements, track progress and communicate updates to stakeholders.
• Collaborate closely with other Product Managers, business stakeholders, and technical leads to deliver high-impact solutions.
• Serve as a bridge between customer-facing activities and internal IT teams, ensuring clear communication and alignment.
• Document and communicate business and technical requirements, supporting both strategic and tactical initiatives.
• Manage and mentor a small team of developers and testers, driving execution on priority items and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
• Conduct go-to-market readiness activities and support release planning.
• Integrate customer research and feedback into product development cycles.
• Ensure digital solutions are compliant.

You Have:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience.
• A minimum of 5-7 years of experience in product management or a related field.
• Proven experience in defining and driving product roadmaps, integrating customer research, and ensuring compliance with data/AI standards.
• Strong knowledge of product journey mapping, business process improvement, and OKR (objectives and key results) management.
• Experience working with cross-functional teams and leading small technical teams.
• Excellent communication and teamwork skills; ability to be customer-facing and translate business needs into technical solutions.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks, set priorities, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

Required skills:

• Objectives and Key Results (OKR)
• Product Requirements
• Product Backlog Management
• Root Cause Analysis (RCA)
• Solution Delivery

Reporting Relationship:

As a Senior Product Owner, you will report to a Product Manager, Self-Service Strategy. The assigned persona (plan holder/ employer, member, broker or dental provider) will be determined as part of the interview process, and communicated as part of the job offer.

Location:

The work arrangement for this position will be hybrid (3+ days per week in a local Guardian Office).

Guardian Life is not currently or in the foreseeable future sponsoring employment visas. In order to be a successful applicant, you must be legally authorized to work in the United States, without the need for employer sponsorship.

Salary Range:

$118,980.00 - $195,465.00

The salary range reflected above is a good faith estimate of base pay for the primary location of the position. The salary for this position ultimately will be determined based on the education, experience, knowledge, and abilities of the successful candidate. In addition to salary, this role may also be eligible for annual, sales, or other incentive compensation.

Our Promise

At Guardian, you’ll have the support and flexibility to achieve your professional and personal goals. Through skill-building, leadership development and philanthropic opportunities, we provide opportunities to build communities and grow your career, surrounded by diverse colleagues with high ethical standards.

Inspire Well-Being

As part of Guardian’s Purpose – to inspire well-being – we are committed to offering contemporary, supportive, flexible, and inclusive benefits and resources to our colleagues. Explore our company benefits at www.guardianlife.com/careers/corporate/benefits. Benefits apply to full-time eligible employees. Interns are not eligible for most Company benefits.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Guardian is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to age, race, color, creed, religion, sex, affectional or sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, marital status, disability, military or veteran status, or any other classification protected by applicable law.

Accommodations

Guardian is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. Guardian also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified job applicants (and employees) to accommodate the individual's known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, unless doing so would create an undue hardship. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact applicant_accommodation@glic.com.

Current Guardian Colleagues: Please apply through the internal Jobs Hub in Workday.