[Hiring] Senior Product Owner @Shift Paradigm

Role Description

As a Senior Product Owner (contract) at SH/FT, you will lead the development and delivery of large, technically complex software projects. Our Product Owners play a critical role in ensuring solutions meet or exceed client expectations while enabling internal teams to perform at their best.

In this contract role, you will own the end-to-end product lifecycle, from early client engagements and requirements definition through to translating those requirements into clear, actionable work for the delivery team. You will operate at both a strategic and tactical level, balancing big-picture thinking with attention to detail.

Key responsibilities include:

• Lead multiple client engagements and workstreams concurrently across all phases of the project lifecycle, including discovery, scoping, planning, requirements definition, execution, release, and post-release support.
• Facilitate discovery sessions with clients and subject matter experts to define requirements, uncover gaps, and align on expectations.
• Translate business and technical requirements into detailed functional specifications and well-defined user stories with clear acceptance criteria.
• Own and manage the product backlog, including prioritization, refinement, and trade-off decisions to balance scope, timeline, and budget.
• Partner with cross-functional teams (Engineering, Design, QA, etc.) to ensure solutions meet customer needs and are delivered on time and within budget.
• Support resource planning by identifying required skillsets and collaborating with team leads to staff projects effectively.
• Lead Agile ceremonies, including backlog refinement, sprint planning, daily standups, sprint reviews, and retrospectives.
• Facilitate technical discussions to align stakeholders, remove blockers, and identify opportunities for process and tooling improvements.
• Monitor team capacity and velocity to promote sustainable, predictable delivery.
• Track and communicate project progress, including risks, dependencies, blockers, and key milestones.
• Report on sprint and release health using metrics such as burndown and burnup charts.
• Forecast delivery timelines and proactively identify potential bottlenecks or risks.
• Develop mitigation strategies and contingency plans to ensure successful delivery within scope, timeline, and budget.
• Communicate clearly and consistently with stakeholders, fostering transparency and trust.
• Provide leadership and direction to project teams, ensuring accountability and high-quality execution.
• Navigate ambiguity with confidence, proactively driving clarity and outcomes.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of Product Owner experience in a technical environment, with hands-on involvement in custom software development projects (e.g. websites, web applications, APIs, databases).
• Demonstrated ability to translate complex requirements into actionable deliverables for engineering teams.
• Strong understanding of Agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban, DevOps practices).
• Experience with Jira or comparable project management tools.
• Excellent analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to engage both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities and see the big picture while maintaining attention to detail.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, including experience working directly with clients.
• CSPO or equivalent certification is a plus.

Requirements

• Clear and effective communicator who leads through collaboration and action.
• Strong sense of ownership and accountability in fast-paced, ambiguous environments.
• Ability to quickly integrate into cross-functional teams and drive projects to completion.
• Confident in client-facing settings, with the ability to manage expectations and build trust.
• Proactive problem solver with a continuous improvement mindset.

Benefits

• This is a remote 1099 independent contract position, targeting 10-20 hours per week.
• The compensation range for this role is $60–$85 per hour, depending on experience.