Technical Product Manager (with strong Technical Writing Skills)

Somos, Inc. • Full-time • Remote (US) • $100k - $120k / year • 4m ago

The Product Owner/Product Manager is responsible for the product backlog and leads the team to ensure product outcome based on prioritization of assigned services including but not limited to planning, development, introduction, and maintenance of assigned solutions. Responsibilities include gathering and prioritizing product based on customer requirements, defining the product roadmap, release planning, and working closely with internal and external development, and external vendors supporting various aspects of the platform. The Product Owner/Product Manager coordinates activities with all stakeholders including engineering, marketing, IT, PMO, vendors and customer support teams to ensure revenue and customer satisfaction goals are met ensuring that the product is aligned with the company’s overall strategy and goals.

Core Responsibilities & Accountabilities

· Drive the product vision implementation strategy and collaborate cross-functionally with colleagues in engineering, marketing, sales, operations, legal, security, and other areas of the organization to ensure all voices are heard and informed

· Serve as a subject matter expert within the company for assigned services, prepare, and deliver presentations to team members and executives, and customers where applicable

· Deliver approved product requirements in the form of feature stories to engineering for development, testing and deployment

· Gather feature requirements, schedule releases, and coordinate sprints partnering with scrum master

· Participate in Agile development methodologies by maintaining and prioritizing feature backlog, daily standups, grooming sessions, and related activities by working closely with internal and vendor engineering teams

· Write, edit, and review technical documents such as software requirement specification documents, keeping them up to date per a specified standard operating procedure cadence

· Prepare instruction manuals, how-to guides, knowledge articles, and other supporting documents to communicate complex and/or technical information partnering with engineering and Help Desk when applicable

· Create buy-in for the product roadmap both internally and with key external partners, keeping in mind the product roadmap is directional and will evolve based on customer feedback and internal priorities

· Serve as product evangelist and champion to build awareness, understanding, and grow adoption

· Act as the primary escalation point of contact for customer reported issues and ensure timely action and resolution

· Communicate sprint commitments, impediments, and progress throughout life-cycle of project

· Facilitate and lead sprint planning sessions partnering with scrum master

· Responsible for acceptance of sprint stories following each demo and play an active role in sprint retrospectives

· Draft and communicate internal release notes

· Manage internal and external resources (consultants/vendors) as required to complete assignments and achieve targets as defined

· Foster a creative and innovative culture with a strong emphasis on team collaboration and a customer-first mentality

· Reach out to customers, soliciting feedback on products and services, as appropriate

· Maintain awareness of industry by staying up to date on the latest technologies and methods

· Collaborate with key stakeholders to establish consensus around technology gaps, future architectural solutions, define high-level and detailed requirements

· Document, publish, and maintain all processes, procedures, and guidelines for assigned products and services

· Work with the Somos User Group and participate in quarterly meetings, and maintain ongoing engagement with User Group participants as appropriate

· Partner with cross functional departments and vendor consultants to define quarterly deliverables

· Prioritize activities based on business and customer impact, employing an outcome-based mentality over an output-based mentality

· Use statistical and data science methods to analyze data, identify and interpret trends and patterns in complex data sets

· Partner with Somos Help Desk for assigned services, as needed

· Perform other duties as assigned

Working Conditions

· Remote “Work Together Anywhere” position with home office environment using standard office equipment

· Primarily a non-travel role but may be requested to travel for meetings, company annual Summit, and other industry events

Key Technical Competencies

· Agile Development/Methodology

· Product Performance & Ongoing Management

· Product/Service Innovation

· Product Strategy

· Requirements Assessment and Gathering

· Technical Writing/Technical Reviews

· User Experience

Minimum Qualifications & Skills

· Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Telecommunications, or related field

· Minimum of 5 years experience in product management with a track record of managing all aspects of a successful product throughout its lifecycle, defining direction of a product through vision-setting and working closely with the development team and stakeholders to execute against the goals identified

· Proven ability to develop product roadmap, product and marketing strategies and effectively communicate recommendations to management

· Experience in working with UI/UX developers

· Background in Design Thinking and/or Working Backwards

· Knowledge and experience working in the following or similar application tools: Jira, Version One, Mural, Figma, and Tableau preferred as well as skilled in Microsoft Suite applications

· Demonstrated leadership experience in mentoring and motivating teams to successfully deliver value

· Skilled at working effectively with and leading cross functional teams at all levels of the organization

· Excellent written and verbal communication skill

· Ability to understand and accurately translate technical information

· Knowledge of coding and scripting languages, such as Python, Java, and C Sharp

· Excellent problem-solving ability and attention to detail

Preferred Qualifications & Skills

· 7 years of directly related Product Owner/Product Management experience. Experience as a Product Owner working in an agile development environment, gathering user requirements, writing backlog stories, leading grooming sessions, and prioritizing product features/capabilities. Background in Toll-Free telecommunications with a solid technical understanding of telecommunications and/or hands-on experience in software development, web technologies, messaging, voice call routing, connectivity infrastructure, and/or device security

· Experience with telecom industry standards and trade organizations

· Experience working on global products and managing associated product life cycles

· Experience working with international teams

Somos is committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce and does not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, age, or any other legally protected status.

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive list of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of this position. Aspects of this job description may change at any time, with or without notice.

This job description is not intended as and does not create an employment contract. The organization maintains its status as an at-will employer. Employees can be terminated for any reason not prohibited by law.

Employees must be able to perform the essential functions of the position satisfactorily and, if requested, reasonable accommodations will be made to enable employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions of their job, absent undue hardship.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $100,000.00 - $120,000.00 per year

Benefits: