The work we do matters!
Hiring Agency:
Health & Human Services - Agency 25
Location:
Hiring Rate:
Job Posting:
Applications No Longer Accepted On (If no date is displayed, job is posted as open until closed):
Job Description:
The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is hiring a Data Product Owner to join our IS&T team! We’re looking for someone who can bring together data, technology, and business needs to help shape products that deliver meaningful results.
If you’re ready to take ownership, collaborate across teams, and use data to help drive work that makes an impact for Nebraskans, this may be the perfect role for you.
This is a permanent, full-time position located in Lincoln, NE. This role is fully in-office with no remote or contract work.
Examples of Work
- Set the vision and roadmap for data products, ensuring alignment with overall organizational objectives
- Ensure all teams are working towards a shared vision and that technical development aligns with user and business needs
- Serve as a key communicator across business and technical teams, keeping stakeholders informed on product goals, progress, challenges, and key features
- Work closely with stakeholders to identify key business challenges and opportunities where data‑driven solutions can create value
- Translate business needs into clear, achievable product requirements and user stories
- Collaborate with cross‑functional teams, including data engineers, BI developers, and business users, to maintain alignment and foster effective communication
- Act as Product Owner for the Scrum team, managing and prioritizing the product backlog based on business impact, feasibility, and strategic direction
- Identify key performance indicators to measure product success and adoption
- Use metrics to track user engagement, product effectiveness, and organizational impact
- Continuously evaluate product performance and recommend optimizations or pivots as organizational needs evolve
- Proactively identify and remove blockers that could hinder development progress
- Ensure all data products adhere to relevant regulations, compliance requirements, and best practices for data protection
Requirements/Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in project management, business administration, public administration, business information systems, or a field related to the functions of the hiring agency AND two years of experience as a project manager with the responsibility to oversee the coordination, planning, initiation, and completion of major/long-term projects. OR Four years of experience and certification as a Project Management Professional (PMP). OR Five years of experience working on medium-to-large projects. Any equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.
Preferred Qualifications:
- SAFe Product Owner/Product Manager (POPM)/Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) preferred
- Experience with Power BI, Snowflake and Collibra a plus
- Experience with Project management tools such as Jira, Confluence etc. is preferred
- High level of ownership and accountability for product outcomes
- Passion for building data products that deliver measurable value
- Experience translating complex business requirements into actionable product features.
- Familiarity with data governance, compliance standards, and data quality practices a plus
Other: Position is located at the Nebraska State Office Building in Lincoln, NE.
Knowledge, Skills, Abilities
- Strong understanding of Agile and Scrum methodologies, including sprint planning, stand‑ups, backlog refinement, and iterative development
- Solid technical understanding of data concepts, including data models, pipelines, and cloud data infrastructure.
- Ability to collaborate effectively with multidisciplinary teams
- Strong problem‑solving skills with the ability to identify issues early and propose effective solutions
- Exceptional attention to detail, with the ability to spot inconsistencies and anticipate risks
- Excellent communication skills; able to explain complex data concepts to both technical and non‑technical audiences
- Effective stakeholder management and active listening, building trust across teams
- Ability to break down silos and foster cross‑team collaboration
- Strong organizational and facilitation skills to keep teams aligned, motivated, and productive
If you're currently employed by the State of Nebraska, please don't apply through this external career site. Instead, log in to Workday and open the Jobs Hub - Internal Apply app from your home landing page. You can access Workday anytime through the Link web page: https://link.nebraska.gov/
Benefits
We offer a comprehensive package of pay, benefits, paid time off, retirement and professional development opportunities to help you get the most out of your career and life. Your paycheck is just part of your total compensation.
Check out all that the State of Nebraska has to offer! Benefit eligibility may vary by position, agency and employment status. For more information on benefits, please visit: https://statejobs.nebraska.gov/index.html#benefits
Equal Opportunity Statement
The State of Nebraska values our teammates as well as a supportive environment that strives to promote diversity, inclusion, and belonging. We recruit, hire, train, and promote in all job classifications and at all levels without regard to race, color, religion, sex. age, national origin, disability, marital status or genetics.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in project management, business administration, public administration, business information systems, or a field related to the hiring agency's functions
- Two years of experience as a project manager overseeing the coordination, planning, initiation, and completion of major or long-term projects
- OR four years of experience and Project Management Professional certification
- OR five years of experience working on medium-to-large projects
- SAFe Product Owner/Product Manager or Certified Scrum Product Owner certification
- Experience with Power BI, Snowflake, and Collibra
- Experience with project management tools such as Jira and Confluence
- Familiarity with data governance, compliance standards, and data quality practices
Nebraska Department of Veteran Affairs Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Nebraska Department of Veteran Affairs and has not been reviewed or approved by Nebraska Department of Veteran Affairs.
-
Retirement Support — Retirement plan is considered excellent and a central reason total compensation feels strong. Long-term security is positioned as offsetting lower base wages.
-
Healthcare Strength — Health insurance is described as comprehensive within a benefits package that helps balance modest hourly pay. Coverage is viewed alongside retirement as a core component of overall value.
-
Leave & Time Off Breadth — Paid leave is included within the comprehensive package and contributes to perceived total compensation value. The breadth of time off helps make moderate salaries more workable.
Nebraska Department of Veteran Affairs Insights
What We Do
The Nebraska Department of Veterans' Affairs is a state agency dedicated to providing support, benefits, and assistance to veterans and their dependents within Nebraska.
