Senior Product Owner Consultant (Hybrid)

*Securian Financial Groups internal position title is Product Owner Senior Consultant. Position Summary: The Senior Product Owner Consultant will lead discovery and delivery across AI Mini-Pods, driving the execution of scalable, production-ready AI use cases within a 3–4 month delivery window. This role operates at the intersection of business, technology, and data, ensuring AI solutions are aligned to enterprise standards, deliver measurable business value, and are positioned for long-term adoption. Responsibilities include but not limited to: AI Discovery & Use Case Definition Lead structured discovery workshops with business stakeholders. Validate problem statements and define measurable business outcomes and KPIs. Translate business objectives into scalable AI solution scope. Identify data dependencies, technical constraints, and integration points. Define clearly bounded, production-ready use case scope aligned to a 3–4 month delivery timeline. Product Ownership & Backlog Management Define and maintain a comprehensive product backlog including: Business requirements. AI/ML capabilities. Non-functional requirements (security, performance, explainability, compliance). Acceptance criteria tied to business outcomes. Prioritize backlog based on business value, feasibility, and dependencies. Continuously refine and groom backlog across concurrent mini-pods. Structure work to support experimentation (e.g., technical spikes, model evaluation cycles). Agile Delivery Leadership Lead agile ceremonies including sprint planning, backlog refinement, sprint reviews, and retrospectives. Act as de-facto Scrum Master in early phases of delivery. Track sprint goals, delivery progress, risks, and impediments. Coordinate cross-functional and cross-team dependencies. Ensure delivery outcomes align with defined business value and KPIs. Enterprise Alignment & Governance Ensure alignment with enterprise AI architecture, governance, and risk standards. Partner with architecture, data governance, and security teams. Identify and mitigate risks related to: Data quality and availability. Model performance and reliability. Bias, fairness, and explainability. Operationalization, monitoring, and lifecycle management. AppDev Partnership & Transition Build strong partnerships with business-aligned application development teams. Align backlog, architecture, and delivery approach with downstream systems. Define and execute structured handoff and transition plans. Ensure documentation and knowledge transfer enable long-term maintainability. Drive adoption of AI CoE standards, patterns, and best practices. Capability Building & Reusable Frameworks Establish lightweight, outcome-driven agile practices for short AI delivery cycles (5–7 sprints). Develop reusable templates, playbooks, and delivery artifacts including: Discovery frameworks Backlog structures Sprint reporting standards AI use case playbooks Coach team members to take on Scrum Master responsibilities Enable progressive ownership transfer to AppDev teams by final sprint Qualifications: Bachelor's degree in Business, Technology, Engineering, or related field 7+ years of experience as a Product Owner, Product Manager, or similar role in an agile environment Experience delivering data, analytics, or AI/ML-driven products in production environments Strong understanding of agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban) and product lifecycle management Experience working with cross-functional teams including engineering, data science, and business stakeholders Ability to define and manage both functional and non-functional requirements Strong stakeholder management and communication skills Experience working in enterprise environments with governance and compliance considerations Familiarity with AI/ML concepts, data pipelines, and model lifecycle is strongly preferred Preferred Qualifications: Experience in AI/ML product delivery or AI transformation initiatives Experience working within a Center of Excellence (CoE) model Familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and modern data architectures Experience enabling or coaching teams in agile delivery practices. Experience defining KPIs and measuring business value realization. #LI-Hybrid Securian Financial believes in hybrid work as an integral part of our culture. Associates get the benefit of working both virtually and in our offices. If you're in a commutable distance (90 minutes) you'll join us 3 days each week in our offices to collaborate and build relationships. Our policy allows flexibility for the reality of business and personal schedules. The estimated base pay range for this job is: $111,300.00 - $207,800.00 Pay may vary depending on job-related factors and individual experience, skills, knowledge, etc. More information on base pay and incentive pay (if applicable) can be discussed with a member of the Securian Financial Talent Acquisition team. Be you. With us. At Securian Financial, we understand that attracting top talent means offering more than just a job – it means providing a rewarding and fulfilling career. As a valued member of our high-performing team, we want you to connect with your work, your relationships and your community. Enjoy our comprehensive range of benefits designed to enhance your professional growth, well-being and work-life balance, including the advantages listed here: Paid time off: We want you to take time off for what matters most to you. Our PTO program provides flexibility for associates to take meaningful time away from work to relax, recharge and spend time doing what's important to them. And Securian Financial rewards associates for their service by providing additional PTO the longer you stay at Securian. Leave programs: Securian's flexible leave programs allow time off from work for parental leave, caregiver leave for family members, bereavement and military leave. Holidays: Securian provides nine company paid holidays. Company-funded pension plan and a 401(k) retirement plan: Share in the success of our company. Securian's 401(k) company contribution is tied to our performance up to 10 percent of eligible earnings, with a target of 5 percent. The amount is based on company results compared to goals related to earnings, sales and service. Health insurance: From the first day of employment, associates and their eligible family members – including spouses, domestic partners and children – are eligible for medical, dental and vision coverage. Volunteer time: We know the importance of community. Through company-sponsored events, volunteer paid time off, a dollar-for-dollar matching gift program and more, we encourage you to support organizations important to you. Associate Resource Groups: Build connections, be yourself and develop meaningful relationships at work through associate-led ARGs. Dedicated groups focus on a variety of interests and affinities, including: Mental Wellness and Disability Pride at Securian Financial Securian Young Professionals Network Securian Multicultural Network Securian Women and Allies Network Servicemember Associate Resource Group For more information regarding Securian's benefits, please review our Benefits page. This information is not intended to explain all the provisions of coverage available under these plans. In all cases, the plan document dictates coverage and provisions. Securian Financial Group, Inc. does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital or familial status, pregnancy, disability, genetic information, political affiliation, veteran status, status in regard to public assistance or any other protected status. If you are a job seeker with a disability and require an accommodation to apply for one of our jobs, please contact us by email at Employment@Securian.com, by telephone 651-655-5522 (voice), or 711 (Relay/TTY). To view our privacy statement click here To view our legal statement click here If you don't see a role that fits your profile, join our Talent Community to stay informed about news, events and opportunities. Thank you for your interest in Securian Financial. Once you have created a Candidate Home account, feel free to create a job alert to stay up to date on Securian opportunities. We also recommend that you periodically check our job postings and apply directly for positions that interest you. Securian Financial roles are listed with Job Category beginning SF. Be you. With us. We're a bright-thinking, hard-working team focused on growth with purpose. And with large company resources and a small company feel, it means each of us is a name, not a number. Here, every voice matters — bring us your ideas and curiosity. Discover the best you — with us. We are a Great Place to Work-Certified™ company for the eighth year in a row, based on company-provided data and the results of the Great Place to Work® Trust Index™ survey administered to our employees.