Product Owner

Summary

The Product Owner (PO) is a member of an Agile Development Team who speaks for the client/end user. The Product Owner is responsible for guiding the team to create and deliver software applications that meet client, business, and firm goals by breaking down and defining small workable tasks (user stories) and prioritizing the team backlog to streamline the execution of priorities. The PO creates and maintains stories, and prioritizes work for new or revised features or enhancements. The PO has a significant role in quality control and is the team member empowered to accept stories as done. The Product Owner position has significant relationships and responsibilities outside of the agile team, including working closely with Product Management, customers, business owners, outside partners, and other stakeholders. The PO is cognizant, transparent, and proactive in managing dependencies across multiple teams and disciplines.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Facilitate story creation and refinement with the team ensuring stories adhere to the Agile INVEST model. Collaborate with product management, leadership, and technical teams to analyze the Firm needs to implement high quality solutions. Articulate and communicate project vision and user stories in a manner clearly understandable to development teams so the team understands target objectives. Prioritizes both in flight and backlog work. Sets Sprint goals. Monitor the team development progress and provides updates to leadership, product management, and stakeholders, as requested. Maintains availability and a presence on the team to address day-to-day business level decisions and blockersApply Agile methods and processes to promote a disciplined methodology that encourages frequent inspection and adaptation of ongoing work. Lead regular demonstration and review meetings to communicate feedback on development achievements. Partner with agile scrum master, other technology teams, and stakeholders to test and deliver features in the team backlog. Responsible for signing off that the story (work) is complete. Ensure that development work maximizes value and is aligned with overall firm strategy.

Qualifications

Strong analytical, organizational, management, negotiation, and people skills. Strong decision making & analytical skills. Excellent verbal and written communication skills for technical and non-technical audiences of various levels in the organization (e.g., executive, management, team members, individual contributors)Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, flexibility and adaptability to change, decision-making and critical thinking skills. Experience with Kanban, the Scaled Agile Framework, Agile, or Scrum processes. Ability to understand evolving technologies and relate to current business demands. Ability to build collaborative relationships across various levels in the organization (e.g., executive, management, team members, individual contributors).

Education & Experience

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Project Management, Business Administration or related field; or equivalent experience work experience in business or technology. 5+ years' experience of wealth management, technology, business analysis, project management, or related study.

Licenses and Credentials

Series 7 and 66 or 63 licensed preferred but not required

Systems & Technology

Proficient in Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook. Understands concepts related to relational databases. Ability to created SQL queries preferred, but not required.

About Stifel

Stifel is a more than 130 years old and still thinking like a start-up. We are a global wealth management and investment banking firm serious about innovation and fresh ideas. Built on a simple premise of safeguarding our clients’ money as if it were our own, coined by our namesake, Herman Stifel, our success is intimately tied to our commitment to helping families, companies, and municipalities find their own success.

While our headquarters is in St. Louis, we have offices in New York, San Francisco, Baltimore, London, Frankfurt, Toronto, and more than 400 other locations. Stifel is home to approximately 9,000 individuals who are currently building their careers as financial advisors, research analysts, project managers, marketing specialists, developers, bankers, operations associates, among hundreds more. Let’s talk about how you can find your place here at Stifel, where success meets success.

At Stifel we offer an entrepreneurial environment, comprehensive benefits package to include health, dental and vision care, 401k, wellness initiatives, life insurance, and paid time off.

Stifel is an Equal Opportunity Employer.