American Equity
Product Delivery Manager - Technology Services
American Equity, West Des Moines, Iowa, United States, 50265
At American Equity Investment Life Holding Company, we offer leading annuity products that help empower our clients to fulfill their needs and wants in retirement. Our success comes from hiring high-energy individuals who embody the beliefs that drive our unique culture. We currently fund over half a million retirements nationwide and have been headquartered in West Des Moines, Iowa, for over twenty-five years with satellite offices in Charlotte, NC and New York, NY.
GENERAL PURPOSE OF THE JOB
The Product Manager is responsible for defining the vision and roadmap to drive successful delivery of technology-aligned products in a fast-paced environment. The Technology Services Product Manager partners closely with Marketing, Information Technology, Operations, and Sales distribution teams to vision, roadmap, and drive delivery of the core technology and data across American Equity and Eagle Life. The ideal candidate has a strong background in product management, a deep understanding of agile methodologies, and a proven track record of delivering high-quality products in large-scale, complex environments.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Collaboration
Aligns on outcomes
– Product Management ensures that solutions deliver tangible business value. They collaborate directly with Customers, Business Stakeholders, and, when appropriate, Solution Management to understand the market forces, desired economic outcomes, and broader solution vision influencing product strategy. Partners with Business Analysts (BA) to translate detailed business requirements into solutions.
Steers the delivery
– Product Management collaborates frequently with Technology leads, Solution Architects, and the cross-functional delivery teams to guide the team toward successful delivery. Together they form an essential leadership triad that maintains constant synergy between product strategy and implementation.
Evolves the solution
– Ultimately, it is up to cross-functional teams to execute the product strategy by developing, delivering, and continuously enhancing solutions. Product Management synchronizes frequently with the Product Owners of those teams, providing them with accurate business context and receiving feedback on the feasibility of implementation.
Product Vision and Strategy
Develops and communicates a clear product vision and strategy that aligns with the overall technology and business goals and objectives.
Works collaboratively with stakeholders to ensure alignment between technology and business objectives and product priorities.
Agile Framework
Champions and implements agile principles and practices within the product development process.
Collaborates with key stakeholders to ensure seamless coordination and delivery across multiple teams.
Backlog Management
Maintains and prioritizes the product backlog, ensuring that features and user stories are well-defined, prioritized, and ready for development.
Collaborates with Agile teams to refine and break down features into actionable tasks.
Release Planning
Participates in Program periodic planning sessions to contribute to the creation of a realistic and achievable release plan.
Coordinates with cross-functional teams to ensure dependencies are managed effectively.
Stakeholder Engagement
Engages with key stakeholders, including customers, to gather feedback and insights to inform product decisions.
Communicates product updates and progress to stakeholders regularly.
Product Development Collaboration
Collaborates closely with cross-functional teams, providing clear guidance and direction on product priorities and requirements.
Fosters a culture of continuous improvement and innovation within the delivery teams.
Metrics and Reporting
Defines and tracks key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the success of the product and its impact on business goals.
Generates regular reports and insights to inform decision-making at various levels of the organization.
Performs other related duties as assigned.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES
None
EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE
Bachelor's degree in a related field or equivalent professional experience; Master's degree is a plus.
Six (6) years of product management, technical leadership, or BA leadership role preferred.
CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, PROFESSIONAL DESIGNATIONS
N/A
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES
Leads effectively in cross-functional or matrixed organizations to drive digital solutions that support current and future needs of the business. Direct team members to execute work based on the customer and program needs.
Proven ability to drive organization alignment that meets cross functional requirements and is aligned to customer needs.
Establishes credibility and trust-based relationships. Able to influence outcomes across the team, business functions, and with key executive leaders while getting buy-in and alignment across all levels of the organization.
Observed fluency in infrastructure technologies and demonstrated ability to partner with infrastructure technology, development, and business leaders for solution delivery.
Strong understanding of agile principles and practices. Ability to drive priorities according to customer and business value.
Excellent communication skills with the ability to engage, influence, and inspire partners and stakeholders to drive alignment and adoption.
Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
Certification in SAFe (SAFe PM/PO, SAFe Scrum Master) is desirable but not required.
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GENERAL PURPOSE OF THE JOB
The Product Manager is responsible for defining the vision and roadmap to drive successful delivery of technology-aligned products in a fast-paced environment. The Technology Services Product Manager partners closely with Marketing, Information Technology, Operations, and Sales distribution teams to vision, roadmap, and drive delivery of the core technology and data across American Equity and Eagle Life. The ideal candidate has a strong background in product management, a deep understanding of agile methodologies, and a proven track record of delivering high-quality products in large-scale, complex environments.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Collaboration
Aligns on outcomes
– Product Management ensures that solutions deliver tangible business value. They collaborate directly with Customers, Business Stakeholders, and, when appropriate, Solution Management to understand the market forces, desired economic outcomes, and broader solution vision influencing product strategy. Partners with Business Analysts (BA) to translate detailed business requirements into solutions.
Steers the delivery
– Product Management collaborates frequently with Technology leads, Solution Architects, and the cross-functional delivery teams to guide the team toward successful delivery. Together they form an essential leadership triad that maintains constant synergy between product strategy and implementation.
Evolves the solution
– Ultimately, it is up to cross-functional teams to execute the product strategy by developing, delivering, and continuously enhancing solutions. Product Management synchronizes frequently with the Product Owners of those teams, providing them with accurate business context and receiving feedback on the feasibility of implementation.
Product Vision and Strategy
Develops and communicates a clear product vision and strategy that aligns with the overall technology and business goals and objectives.
Works collaboratively with stakeholders to ensure alignment between technology and business objectives and product priorities.
Agile Framework
Champions and implements agile principles and practices within the product development process.
Collaborates with key stakeholders to ensure seamless coordination and delivery across multiple teams.
Backlog Management
Maintains and prioritizes the product backlog, ensuring that features and user stories are well-defined, prioritized, and ready for development.
Collaborates with Agile teams to refine and break down features into actionable tasks.
Release Planning
Participates in Program periodic planning sessions to contribute to the creation of a realistic and achievable release plan.
Coordinates with cross-functional teams to ensure dependencies are managed effectively.
Stakeholder Engagement
Engages with key stakeholders, including customers, to gather feedback and insights to inform product decisions.
Communicates product updates and progress to stakeholders regularly.
Product Development Collaboration
Collaborates closely with cross-functional teams, providing clear guidance and direction on product priorities and requirements.
Fosters a culture of continuous improvement and innovation within the delivery teams.
Metrics and Reporting
Defines and tracks key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the success of the product and its impact on business goals.
Generates regular reports and insights to inform decision-making at various levels of the organization.
Performs other related duties as assigned.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES
None
EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE
Bachelor's degree in a related field or equivalent professional experience; Master's degree is a plus.
Six (6) years of product management, technical leadership, or BA leadership role preferred.
CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, PROFESSIONAL DESIGNATIONS
N/A
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES
Leads effectively in cross-functional or matrixed organizations to drive digital solutions that support current and future needs of the business. Direct team members to execute work based on the customer and program needs.
Proven ability to drive organization alignment that meets cross functional requirements and is aligned to customer needs.
Establishes credibility and trust-based relationships. Able to influence outcomes across the team, business functions, and with key executive leaders while getting buy-in and alignment across all levels of the organization.
Observed fluency in infrastructure technologies and demonstrated ability to partner with infrastructure technology, development, and business leaders for solution delivery.
Strong understanding of agile principles and practices. Ability to drive priorities according to customer and business value.
Excellent communication skills with the ability to engage, influence, and inspire partners and stakeholders to drive alignment and adoption.
Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
Certification in SAFe (SAFe PM/PO, SAFe Scrum Master) is desirable but not required.
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