The Product Owner II will be responsible for developing and executing a comprehensive approach to deliver one or more products, capabilities, services, or enhancements in accordance with the product roadmap. Works with Product Managers, Business Leaders, and a cross-functional Scrum team to deliver the product to the Client. Manages the overall effort to deliver products, capabilities, services and enhancements using the strategic vision as well as established key performance indicators. Understands the functionality and determines the release sequence. Prioritizes and maintains the product backlog and performs just-in-time story elaboration with the development team.
This role supports the VinSolutions Connect CRM , an industry-leading tool automotive dealers use to manage, track, and execute their sales strategies. The teams that this person will be working with support inventory management, tools for onboarding new dealer customers, and integrations with other dealership software.
This role is a hybrid role, with one day per week in person at our office in Mission, KS.
Primary Duties and Key Responsibilities
Planning:

• Support Release Train and scrum team(s) in planning, defect prioritization, managing the product backlog and software development details, and maintaining velocity.
• Assist in the prioritization and management of the backlog and implementation, ensure product execution meets strategy and requirements, and refine features into user stories and story acceptance criteria.
• Partner with Product Managers to understand and influence product strategy and roadmaps, aggregate and conceive ideas for enhancing product performance and achieving product success/KPIs.

Development:

• Partner with a scrum team to build, enhance and manage one or more products, capabilities or services.
• Facilitate solution optioning with Engineering.
• Coordinate with other Agile Product Managers to deliver on a vision that crosses multiple delivery streams or release trains.

Sales and Client Engagement:

• Partner with sales, sales operations, client solutions, and client marketing teams to communicate product performance and value for in-market products.

Technical and Functional Skills

• Relationship Management - Implements stakeholder engagement communications plan. Deals with problems and issues, managing resolutions, corrective actions, lessons learned and the collection and dissemination of relevant information. Collects and uses feedback from customers and stakeholders to help measure effectiveness of stakeholder management. Helps develop and enhance customer and stakeholder relationships.
• Requirements Definition & Management - Defines and manages scoping, requirements definition and prioritization activities for small-scale changes and assists with more complex change initiatives. Follows agreed standards, applying appropriate techniques to elicit and document detailed requirements. Provides constructive challenge to stakeholders as required. Prioritizes requirements and documents traceability to source. Reviews requirements for errors and omissions. Provides input to the requirements base-line, investigates, manages and applies authorized requests for changes to base-lined requirements, in line with change management policy.
• Project Management - Defines, documents and carries out small projects or sub-projects (typically less than 6 months, with limited budget, limited interdependency with other projects, and no significant strategic impact), alone or with a small team, actively participating in all phases. Identifies, assesses and manages risks to the success of the project. Applies appropriate project management methods and tools whether predictive (plan-driven) approaches or adaptive (iterative/agile) approaches. Agrees project approach with stakeholders, and prepares realistic plans (including quality, risk and communication plans) and tracks activities against the project schedule, managing stakeholder involvement as appropriate. Monitors costs, timescales and resources used, and takes action where these deviate from agreed tolerances. Ensures that own projects are formally closed and, where appropriate, subsequently reviewed, and that lessons learned are recorded.
• Product Management - Applies standard techniques and tools to carry out analysis and performance monitoring activities for specified products. Supports problem resolution, resolves issues and acts on feedback and usage of in-life products. Contributes product collateral and monitors results and feedback from product launches. Typically, responsible for one product, depending upon the product's complexity.
• Other duties as needed or required
• Requires physical ability and mental acuity to execute the duties of the position successfully within required timeframes in order to meet business requirements.

Core Competencies Critical to Success in This Role
Autonomy

• Works under routine direction. Uses limited discretion in resolving issues or enquiries. Works without frequent reference to others.

Influence/People Leadership

• Interacts with and may influence immediate colleagues. May have some external contact with customers, suppliers and partners. May have more influence in own domain. Aware of need to collaborate with team and represent users/customer needs.

Innovation & Complexity

• Performs a range of work activities in varied environments. May contribute to routine issue resolution.

Business Skills

• Has sufficient communication skills for effective dialogue with customers, suppliers and partners. Is able to work in a team. Is able to plan, schedule and monitor own work within short time horizons. Demonstrates a rational and organized approach to work. Understands and uses appropriate methods, tools and applications. Identifies and negotiates own development opportunities.

Education, Experience, and Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related discipline and 2 years' experience in a related field. The right candidate could also have a different combination, such as a master's degree and up to 2 years' experience; or 14 years' experience in a related field
• Working knowledge of Product specialty/job area principles concepts, practices.
• Demonstrated ability to translate data into quantifiable actions/deliverables.
• Strong writing ability.
• Working experience in full product lifecycle methodologies.
• Working experience in creating, prioritizing and recommending epics and features.
• Strong relationship building skills
• Desire to work in a fast-paced environment where information must be readily digested and decisions made expeditiously.
• Must have excellent critical thinking skills - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
• Bachelor's degree preferred (e.g. Business, Marketing, Engineering, Technology, Communications, or a related field)
• Preferred Experience in one or more of the following areas: SAFe, automotive industry, CRM

USD 77,000.00 - 115,600.00 per year
About Cox Automotive
At Cox Automotive, people of every background are driven by their passion for mobility, innovation and community. We transform the way the world buys, sells, owns and uses cars, accelerating the industry with global powerhouse brands like Autotrader, Kelley Blue Book, Manheim and more. What's more, we do it all with an emphasis on employee growth and happiness. Drive your future forward and join Cox Automotive today!
About Cox
Cox empowers employees to build a better future and has been doing so for over 120 years. With exciting investments and innovations across transportation, communications, cleantech and healthcare, our family of businesses - which includes Cox Automotive and Cox Communications - is forging a better future for us all. Ready to make your mark? Join us today!
Benefits of working at Cox may include health care insurance (medical, dental, vision), retirement planning (401(k)), and paid days off (sick leave, parental leave, flexible vacation/wellness days, and/or PTO). For more details on what benefits you may be offered, visit our benefits page .
Cox is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer - All qualified applicants/employees will receive consideration for employment without regard to that individual's age, race, color, religion or creed, national origin or ancestry, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, physical or mental disability, veteran status, genetic information, ethnicity, citizenship, or any other characteristic protected by law. Cox provides reasonable accommodations when requested by a qualified applicant or employee with disability, unless such accommodations would cause an undue hardship.
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