Director, Product Owner, Agile Operations
Cenlar

We are seeking two results-driven Product Owners to lead one of two key strategic initiatives, as part of Cenlar's 2025 strategic priorities: Control Automation or Data Democratization. The Product Owner will drive product vision, strategy, and execution, ensuring alignment with critical business objectives and delivering customer-focused solutions. You will work closely with business owners and cross-functional teams, including legal, risk, IT, and operations, to meet the program's goals in an integrated and scalable manner.

• Control Automation: Enhancing operations with automation to streamline control effectiveness, including business rules, case management, and management insights as to our control posture.
• Data Democratization: Empowering everyone at Cenlar, regardless of their technical expertise, to work confidently with data through our enhanced Information Factory, fostering data-informed decisions and creating customer experiences driven by data.

Responsibilities:

• Product Vision & Strategy: Define and communicate the product vision and roadmap in partnership with business stakeholders. Develop a business case that aligns with corporate priorities and customer needs.
  
• Backlog Management: Own the product backlog. Define stories, prioritize features, and streamline execution of program priorities while ensuring technical and conceptual integrity.
  
• Agile Leadership: Serve as the leader of Agile squads, guiding teams through the development, testing, and refinement of features in an Agile environment. Ensure delivery meets quality standards and acceptance criteria.
  
• Governance & Delivery: Maintain Agile governance frameworks, evolving program governance structures, ceremonies, and communication processes.
  
• Stakeholder Management: Build strong relationships with first line of defense business owners, second line of defense compliance and risk leads, and IT teams to ensure alignment and continuous improvement.
  
• Roadmap Execution: Drive roadmap execution, manage product performance, and refine the strategy based on key results and feedback.
  
• Prototypes & MVPs: Guide teams to decompose the vision into minimal viable product (MVP) sets of features and stories.
  
• Resource Management: Develop mobilization plans, manage resources, and ensure optimal prioritization of deliverables aligned with the charter of Agile squads.

Requirements, Education, Experience:

Location: Open to current Cenlar employees
Employment Type: Full-time
Education: Bachelor's degree in business, finance, Information Systems, or related field. Certifications in process improvement, project management, or agile methods are a plus but not required.

Experience:

• 5+ years of experience in process improvement in banking or mortgage industries.
• Proven experience leading teams (direct or indirectly)
• An understanding of Agile methodologies, with experience in backlog management, user stories, and sprint planning. OR a willingness to learn.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to develop and maintain program governance structures and maintain alignment across multiple teams.
• Strong background in control design and business reporting.
• In-depth understanding of regulatory and GSE requirements for mortgage servicing.

Preferred:

• Experience in control automation, data democratization, or financial services industry.
• Proven ability to lead teams through complex, data-driven initiatives.
• Experience in building a product roadmap with measurable success criteria.
  
  

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