Corporate Vice President, Universal Purchase Experience Product Owner

Job Requisition ID: 94243
Location Designation: Hybrid - 1 day per quarter
Role Overview:
The Universal Purchase Experience (UPX) Product Owner supports modernization of New York Life's new business capabilities by executing on defined priorities while partnering closely with technology, operations, compliance, distribution, and other value streams.
The Product Owner operates with a high degree of autonomy and is recognized as a subject matter expert within the organization. This role plays a critical part in modernizing New York Life's purchase experience by driving strategic initiatives, solving complex business problems, and enabling scalable, customer-centric digital capabilities.
What You'll Do:
Product Ownership & Strategy
• Lead end-to-end execution of strategic Universal Purchase Experience (UPX) initiatives, and enhance purchase processes and workflows by leveraging digital tools and data insights.
• In partnership with the Product Manager, contribute to maintaining a product roadmap supporting PX modernization objectives.
• Identify opportunities to streamline workflows and modernize capabilities, providing recommendations for prioritization.
• Drive backlog creation, refinement, and prioritization, based on customer needs, business value, and strategic direction.
• Lead release planning, sprint alignment, and execution across multiple complex workstreams.
• Ensure solutions meet customer experience, operational, compliance, and quality expectations.
• Partner closely with the Product Manager to evaluate trade-offs, dependencies, risks, and prioritization decisions.
• Influence delivery strategy and operational execution across teams to achieve business outcomes.
Innovation & Modernization
• Solve highly complex and ambiguous business and operational problems impacting the purchase experience.
• Lead discovery activities including problem framing, requirements synthesis, process analysis, and solution evaluation.
• Identify opportunities to modernize purchase workflows and improve operational efficiency through digital capabilities and automation.
• Leverage customer insights, analytics, experimentation, and industry trends to inform recommendations and prioritization.
• Champion intuitive, consistent, and frictionless experiences for agents, clients, and internal users.
• Contribute to roadmap development and long-term strategic planning for the UPX portfolio.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Work closely with UX/UI teams to support user-centered digital workflows.
• Serve as a key liaison across business, technology, operations, underwriting, compliance, distribution, and vendor partners.
• Represent Product in cross-functional forums and influence stakeholders on execution approach, priorities, and timelines.
• Build alignment across teams while balancing competing priorities and enterprise objectives.
• Act as a trusted proxy for Product Management leadership when representing product strategy, priorities, and delivery decisions.
• Communicate complex concepts, risks, and recommendations clearly to senior stakeholders and leadership teams.
Execution & Delivery
• Execute sprint-level delivery activities including backlog grooming, sprint planning support, UAT coordination, and release readiness.
• Translate business needs into product requirements, epics, and user stories.
• Partner with technology teams on sprint planning and release execution.
• Manage vendor interactions where applicable.
• Ensure adherence to regulatory and compliance requirements.
What You'll Bring:
Required
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Technology, or related field.
• 7-10+ years of experience in product ownership, product operations, digital delivery, or related strategic roles.
• Experience leading complex digital initiatives in highly cross-functional environments.
• Strong understanding of insurance purchase workflows, suitability, replacements, funding, underwriting, and new business systems.
• Demonstrated ability to influence strategic decisions and drive execution across multiple teams and stakeholders.
• Advanced proficiency in Jira and Microsoft Office products including Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience working in Agile product delivery environments.
Preferred
• Experience with new business systems (front end eApplications, Suitability rules-engines, internal/external funding).
• Knowledge of digital purchase journeys and modern new business platforms.
• Agile certifications (PO/PM, PMI-ACP) or equivalent experience.
Core Competencies
• Strategic execution leadership
• Enterprise and cross-functional collaboration
• Advanced problem solving and analytical thinking
• Influencing and stakeholder management
• Product delivery and operational excellence
• Customer and advisor focused mindset
Pay Transparency
Salary Range: $119,000-$160,000
Overtime eligible: Exempt
Discretionary bonus eligible: Yes
Sales bonus eligible: No
Actual base salary will be determined based on several factors but not limited to individual's experience, skills, qualifications, and job location. Additionally, employees are eligible for an annual discretionary bonus. In addition to base salary, employees may also be eligible to participate in an incentive program.
Please note: This role requires FINRA licensed and/or FINRA Associated Person pre-hire fingerprinting.
Company Overview
At New York Life, our 180-year legacy of purpose and integrity fuels our future. As we evolve into a more technology-, data-, and AI-enabled organization, we remain grounded in the values that drive lasting impact.
Our diverse business portfolio creates opportunities to make a difference across industries and communities-inviting bold thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and purpose-driven innovation. Here, you'll find the rare balance of long-standing stability and forward momentum, supported by an inclusive team that honors tradition while embracing progress.
As a Fortune 100 mutual company, we offer a place to grow your skills, contribute to meaningful work, and deliver solutions that matter. Your ideas drive what's next, and your growth powers it.
Our Benefits
We provide a full package of benefits for employees - and have unique offerings for a modern workforce, including leave programs, adoption assistance, and student loan repayment programs. Based on feedback from our employees, we continue to refine and add benefits to our offering, so that you can flourish both inside and outside of work.Click hereto discover more about our comprehensive benefit options or visit our NYL Benefits Site.
Our Commitment to Inclusion
At New York Life, fostering an inclusive workplace is fundamental to who we are and how we serve our communities. We have a longstanding commitment to creating an environment where individuals can contribute their best and succeed together. This foundation is rooted in our core values of humanity and integrity, ensuring that every employee feels valued and supported. By embracing a broad range of perspectives and experiences, we achieve greater success and fulfill our promise of providing financial security and peace of mind to families across all communities. Click here to learn more about New York Life's leadership in this space.
Recognized as one of Fortune's World's Most Admired Companies, New York Life is committed to improving local communities through a culture of employee giving and volunteerism, supported by the Foundation. We're proud that due to our mutuality, we operate in the best interests of our policy owners. To learn more about career opportunities at New York Life, please visit the Careers page of www.NewYorkLife.com.
Visit our LinkedIn to see how our employees and agents are leading the industry and impacting communities.
Visit our Newsroom to learn more about how our company is constantly evolving to meet our clients' and employees' needs.
Job Requisition ID: 94243
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