Product Owner - Consumer Applications chez Credit Union of Colorado

Pay Range: $89,538.00 - $111,923.00

Remote Eligible: Hybrid

We offer a pay-for-performance compensation program including bonuses for all employees and a competitive benefits package. See https://www.cuofco.org/careers for a high-level overview of our benefits package and bonus offerings.

The Consumer Applications Product Owner plays a key role in enhancing the credit union’s frontend digital interfaces for lending, deposit, and member origination experiences. This role leverages deep knowledge of consumer financial processes and digital platforms to drive innovation and deliver solutions that meet evolving member needs. The Product Owner collaborates across departments, supports frontline teams, and ensures features are effectively prioritized, tested, and implemented. A successful candidate thrives in a fast-paced environment, advocates for exceptional user experiences, and works seamlessly with both technical and business partners to deliver impactful, user-centered digital solutions.

This role requires working with both highly technical and non-technical disciplines to ensure that digital application inputs and requirements are transformed into superior member experiences.  This role excels at analyzing, designing, testing, and implementing digital solutions which enable the organization to achieve their goals and objectives within our digital applications. A successful Consumer Applications Product Owner must feel comfortable advocating for the end-user experience and leverage their knowledge to build and improve features.  

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES (includes the following).

• Develop and maintain a comprehensive understanding of the processes, systems, and data within a specific service area or capability.
• Apply Agile methodologies to manage product development and enhancements, ensuring timely delivery of system improvements and new features. Participate in sprint planning, daily stand-ups, retrospectives, and sprint reviews to ensure continuous improvement and alignment with business goals.
• Assist in backlog prioritization by working closely with stakeholders to identify, prioritize, and define features or fixes that align with the product roadmap. Ensure user stories and requirements are well-defined, actionable, and reflect business needs.
• Respond with urgency to platform-related issues, ensuring clear and timely communication across multiple teams and systems.
• Analyze how the product operates independently, as well as how the product functions in conjunction with other products.
• Manage multiple projects and priorities, ensuring timely delivery of platform improvements and features, balancing urgent requests with long-term goals
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement by using feedback from stakeholders, end-users, and retrospectives to enhance the product and optimize processes.
• Lead product development and ongoing redesign efforts for the digital origination system(s), ensuring integration and functionality across all credit union systems.
• Develop, define, and document business requirements that describe business needs and solution scope, communicating them effectively to stakeholders and vendors.
• Continually develops products by identifying potential future integrations, generating product requirements, and determining specifications, and details time-integrated plans for product introduction
• Provide expertise to help stakeholders across departments understand how system improvements will impact end users, ensuring alignment with business requirements and system capabilities to drive desired outcomes
• Remain up to date on industry trends, regulatory changes, and innovation opportunities related to digital lending and member account origination.
• Responsible for communicating documented findings to technical team members, creating and validating proposed resolutions, ensuring the initial issues were corrected, and that impacts are understood.
• Coordinate user acceptance testing (UAT) to ensure business requirements are satisfied and ensure proper UAT documentation is produced.
• Ensure proper training and transition plans are developed for new platform releases, ensuring smooth user adoption and minimizing business disruption.
• Develop and maintain project timelines, resource plans, and deliverables for all platform-related initiatives.
• Create, manage and update department roadmap.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with partners, collaborating to optimize and enhance system integrations
• Leverage analytics, reporting, and analysis to monitor system effectiveness and performance, making informed recommendations for improvements.
• Continuously monitor platform performance to identify potential issues and resolve complex problems in collaboration with technical teams.
• Provide detailed reports on system performance, platform issues, and proposed solutions to cross-functional teams and leadership.
• Review functionality changes and enhancements for each new release, including prior experience with software testing standards, practices, methods, and tools.
• Conduct research to support strategic planning, helping the organization understand market trends, operational efficiencies, and opportunities for product innovation.
• Having a passion for solving problems creatively and proactively takes initiative
• Demonstrated business and technical acumen
• May perform other duties as requested or assigned

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• BA/BS in Finance, Business Administration, Marketing, Information Systems Management, Computer Science or related field, or an equivalent combination of education and/or experience
• 4+ years of related work experience with progressively increasing responsibility
• Solid knowledge of financial services and technologies relevant to consumer lending and deposit origination.
• Knowledge of Temenos LMS functionality
• Proficiency using the Microsoft Office suite
• Experience in program planning, execution, and reporting
• Experience creating core BA deliverables (e.g., functional spec, test cases, etc.)
• Demonstrated ability in process analysis methodologies and end user feedback into actionable outcomes within solutions

OTHER SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Knowledge of basic web design, HTML, XML or like low-code product administration
• Experience with basic Application Programming Interface (API) languages, connections, and troubleshooting
• Excellent written and verbal communication, including technical writing skills
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with all levels of staff, vendors and other organizational leadership
• Demonstrated ability to drive innovation and think creatively to solve complex problems.
• Strong adaptability and capacity to work in fast-paced, matrix environments
• Financial Core System Management - Symitar/JHA/ProfitStars a plus
• Lending Origination systems- Temenos a plus.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is typically required to sit for long periods.  The employee continually is required to talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, stoop and reach with hands and arms. The employee will occasionally lift and/or move up to [10] pounds.  Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.  [Limited travel required to visit CU locations as needed.] 

MEMBER FOCUSED        

Creates trust by building relationships and actively discovers the right solutions for Members and peers; understands that the credit union exists as a result of Member trust and loyalty in the organization and employees; is passionate and dedicated to meeting the expectations and requirements of internal and external Members.

COOPERATION AND TEAMWORK             

Relates well to all kinds of people; builds appropriate rapport; works harmoniously with others; uses and understands diplomacy and tact; encourages collaboration; seeks opinions; is candid with peers; values working relationships. Readily puts in extra effort to accomplish important tasks.                            

DECISION QUALITY         

Understands the member’s best interest is first; demonstrates decisions which are based on creating the best possible outcome for the member; makes decisions based on a mixture of analysis, wisdom, experience, and judgment; most recommendations and decisions turn out to be correct and accurate when judged over time; sought out by others for advice and solutions.

PROBLEM SOLVING       

Uses rigorous logic and methods to solve difficult problems creating effective solutions; is resilient and will own the solution and the problem; can see hidden problems; is excellent at honest analysis; looks beyond the obvious and doesn’t stop at the first answers.

ACTION ORIENTED         

Pushes self and others to achieve the best possible results for the Member, organization and employees; proactively seeks out opportunities; raises hand, rather than waits to be asked; not fearful of acting with a minimum of planning; understands that it’s OK to make a mistake (fail forward).

ADAPTABLE                      

Learns on the fly; is a relentless, versatile and an active learner; open to change; can learn new skills and knowledge; analyzes both successes and failures for opportunities to improve; understands that different situations and levels may call for different skills and approaches; works to deploy strengths; works on compensating for weaknesses and limits.

INNOVATION

A cultural mindset that supports new ideas, fosters experimentation and drives continuous improvement to deliver member value.

Combines and brings forward ideas in unique ways to make connections between disparate ideas; willingness to explore different lines of thought and suggestions and try new ideas through experimentation, views situations from multiple perspectives; brainstorms multiple approaches/solutions to benefit members.

Credit Union of Colorado is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws. 

Please note applicants can redact any information that identifies their age, birth date, or dates of schooling on either their resume or any additional materials provided.