Product Owner
Apply NowCompany: Washington Health Benefit Exchange
Location: Olympia, WA 98501
Description:
The mission of Washington Health Benefit Exchange (Exchange) is to radically improve how Washington residents secure health insurance through innovative and practical solutions, an easy-to-use customer experience, our values of integrity, respect, equity and transparency, and by providing undeniable value to the health care community.
The Exchange is a public-private partnership that operates Washington Healthplanfinder, the eligibility and enrollment portal used by one in four Washington residents to obtain health and dental coverage. Through this platform, and with support from a Customer Support Center and statewide network of in-person navigators and brokers, individuals and families can shop, compare and enroll in private, qualified health plans (as defined in the Affordable Care Act) or enroll in Washington Apple Health, the state Medicaid program.
The Exchange embraces the following equity statement adopted by our Board of Directors:
Equity is fundamental to the mission of the Washington Health Benefit Exchange. The process of advancing toward equity and becoming anti-racist is disruptive and demands vigilance to dismantle deeply entrenched systems of privilege and oppression. While systemic racism is a root cause of many societal inequities, we must also use an intersectional approach to address all forms of bias and oppression, which interact with and often exacerbate racial inequities. To be successful, we must recognize the socioeconomic drivers of health and focus on people and places where needs are greatest. As we listen to community, we must hold ourselves accountable to responding to recommendations to remedy inequitable policies, systems, or practices within the Exchange's area of influence. Our goal is that all Washingtonians have full and equal access to opportunities, power and resources to achieve their full potential.
SUMMARY
The Product Owner position is responsible for leading product improvements for both internal and external stakeholders at Washington Health Benefit Exchange. Product Owners work closely with representatives across business to make informed decisions on solutions that will meet organizational objectives. Product Owners are expected to maximize current and new technology capabilities relevant to functional areas of Washington Healthplanfinder, WAPlanfinder, and other integrated products. Product Owners focus on improving the consumer experience, address regulatory and/or legislative requests, reduce technical debt, support process improvement, and so on.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Defines, documents, and communicates strategies of implementation for the assigned change request
Coordinates cross team dependencies and communicates strategies of implementation to the Product Supervisor, Lead Product Owner, Agile Transformation Coach, Lead Scrum Master, and key stakeholders
Aligns stakeholders under a common objective for the assigned change request
Responsible for stakeholder engagement, expectation setting, and prioritization of requirements
Supports business with go-to-market strategy, ensuring the objective the assigned change request is met
Facilitates the discussion and documentation of business, stakeholder, and functional/non-functional requirements supporting organizational objectives
Manages team backlog by creating user stories, documenting acceptance criteria, business rules, tester watchpoints, and prioritizing backlog
Mentors scrum team on the defined Agile processes for software development at WAHBE
Mentors Business Systems Analyst on system design and business processes
Schedules and facilitates sprint ceremonies pertaining to the assigned scrum team
Participates in design thinking practices and works with designers, developers, and business stakeholders to bring alignment between consumer needs, business capabilities, and long-term strategies
Responsible for ensuring design documentation is maintained, accurate, and updated throughout sprints
Work closely with the Product Supervisor, shared services, business, technical, and other internal/external teams to define product strategy and support communicating enterprise roadmap
Must be a cross-functional scrum team player who will step in, as needed, for testing or other functions such as operational maintenance
Contribute to development of user guides, reference manuals, training materials and code release artifacts
Other duties as assigned
Issue Analysis
Perform issue analysis and quality assurance on incidents submitted through system issue management processes
Support data correction efforts associated with system issues
Maintain a comprehensive understanding of all aspects of product delivery and operations
Notify the appropriate support structure that there is a problem and a need for assistance
Collection, analysis, and correlation of data to determine and isolate the cause of the problem
Perform or support the activities to recover, workaround, or circumvent the problem
Support business teams in identifying and documenting workarounds, as needed
Analyze incident information and documentation to assess the performance of systems and processes
Provide support to business/technical teams and external vendors to prepare for annual auto-renewals, Open Enrollment, or other efforts
Other duties as assigned
QUALIFICATIONS
Required:
Bachelor's degree in information technology, business or another related field
Five years of IT systems analysis experience
Basic understanding of project management methodologies
Strong understand of Agile methodologies and scrum processes
Strong analytical skills with experience that includes root cause analysis, business case development, gap analysis, process mapping, requirements management, design documentation, relational database design
Experience delivering technology-centered solutions and ability to learn new systems and business processes
Proven ability to refine business and system needs into clear and concise requirements that can easily be understood by technical and non-technical groups
Ability to take initiative and make sound decisions while working with ambiguity and rapid change in a fast-paced environment
Stakeholder analysis and management skills (business, technical, leadership, and cross-agency teams)
Ability to work with remote development teams
Experience with systems testing, to include developing and executing test cases
Strong debugging and problem-solving skills
Ability to maintain a high level of professionalism, as well as discretion and confidentiality when working with sensitive information
Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office programs
High degree of communication, presentation, and organizational skills teams, stakeholders, and upper management
Self-motivated, highly adaptable and positive team player with a can-do attitude
Desired:
Soft skills such as emotional intelligence, communication, and empathy
Experience in user-centered design, web interaction design and usability studies
Certification related to business analysis, agile, product management, or design thinking
Functional knowledge of the Washington Healthplanfinder system
Experience working with Agile development methodologies
Ability to write and perform complex SQL queries
Experience working with highly integrated systems
Knowledge of tools such as JIRA and Confluence
Understanding of healthcare insurance is a plus
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
This position will be open until we find a suitable number of candidates to review. If interested, please submit an application with a cover letter as soon as possible. The Exchange reserves the right to close the recruitment at any time.
SALARY INFORMATION
Full Salary Range: $79,311.00 to $118,966.00 annually, with midpoint at $99,138.00.
Hiring Range: $91,207.00 and $99,138.00 annually. This is an estimate of where a qualified candidate can expect to receive an offer.
The actual salary offer will consider candidate experience, skills, qualifications, internal equity, and the market. Our compensation policy reserves the salary range above the midpoint for employees who are meeting and exceeding expectations and for growth and development, up to the maximum.
BENEFITS
Take a peek at our benefits package.
WORKING CONDITIONS
Core business hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. There are times where irregular hours will be required. The preferred duty station is our Olympia, Washington headquarters. The nature of this role relies heavily on remote and in-person collaboration. While a hybrid remote and on-site schedule may be considered, the position will require flexibility to allow for in-office availability as business needs dictate. Travel requirements will be limited, however there may be occasions where an employee is required to travel and work irregular hours to attend meetings or trainings. Duties of this position require the use of standard office furniture and equipment, including setup for remote work. The employee is responsible for providing and maintaining a safe, ergonomic, and secure workspace at their remote location.
The working conditions and physical demands are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
A criminal background screen will be conducted for candidates under final consideration, and if hired, every five years of employment where highly sensitive data is processed or maintained by the position. The result of this background screen must meet the Exchange's eligibility standards.
OTHER INFORMATION
The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and levels of work being performed. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties and skills of personnel so classified.
This is not an employment agreement or contract. Management has the exclusive right to alter this job description at any time without notice.
The Washington Health Benefit Exchange is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.
We participate in E-Verify. You can view the Department of Justice's Right to Work poster here.
The Exchange is a public-private partnership that operates Washington Healthplanfinder, the eligibility and enrollment portal used by one in four Washington residents to obtain health and dental coverage. Through this platform, and with support from a Customer Support Center and statewide network of in-person navigators and brokers, individuals and families can shop, compare and enroll in private, qualified health plans (as defined in the Affordable Care Act) or enroll in Washington Apple Health, the state Medicaid program.
The Exchange embraces the following equity statement adopted by our Board of Directors:
Equity is fundamental to the mission of the Washington Health Benefit Exchange. The process of advancing toward equity and becoming anti-racist is disruptive and demands vigilance to dismantle deeply entrenched systems of privilege and oppression. While systemic racism is a root cause of many societal inequities, we must also use an intersectional approach to address all forms of bias and oppression, which interact with and often exacerbate racial inequities. To be successful, we must recognize the socioeconomic drivers of health and focus on people and places where needs are greatest. As we listen to community, we must hold ourselves accountable to responding to recommendations to remedy inequitable policies, systems, or practices within the Exchange's area of influence. Our goal is that all Washingtonians have full and equal access to opportunities, power and resources to achieve their full potential.
SUMMARY
The Product Owner position is responsible for leading product improvements for both internal and external stakeholders at Washington Health Benefit Exchange. Product Owners work closely with representatives across business to make informed decisions on solutions that will meet organizational objectives. Product Owners are expected to maximize current and new technology capabilities relevant to functional areas of Washington Healthplanfinder, WAPlanfinder, and other integrated products. Product Owners focus on improving the consumer experience, address regulatory and/or legislative requests, reduce technical debt, support process improvement, and so on.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Defines, documents, and communicates strategies of implementation for the assigned change request
Coordinates cross team dependencies and communicates strategies of implementation to the Product Supervisor, Lead Product Owner, Agile Transformation Coach, Lead Scrum Master, and key stakeholders
Aligns stakeholders under a common objective for the assigned change request
Responsible for stakeholder engagement, expectation setting, and prioritization of requirements
Supports business with go-to-market strategy, ensuring the objective the assigned change request is met
Facilitates the discussion and documentation of business, stakeholder, and functional/non-functional requirements supporting organizational objectives
Manages team backlog by creating user stories, documenting acceptance criteria, business rules, tester watchpoints, and prioritizing backlog
Mentors scrum team on the defined Agile processes for software development at WAHBE
Mentors Business Systems Analyst on system design and business processes
Schedules and facilitates sprint ceremonies pertaining to the assigned scrum team
Participates in design thinking practices and works with designers, developers, and business stakeholders to bring alignment between consumer needs, business capabilities, and long-term strategies
Responsible for ensuring design documentation is maintained, accurate, and updated throughout sprints
Work closely with the Product Supervisor, shared services, business, technical, and other internal/external teams to define product strategy and support communicating enterprise roadmap
Must be a cross-functional scrum team player who will step in, as needed, for testing or other functions such as operational maintenance
Contribute to development of user guides, reference manuals, training materials and code release artifacts
Other duties as assigned
Issue Analysis
Perform issue analysis and quality assurance on incidents submitted through system issue management processes
Support data correction efforts associated with system issues
Maintain a comprehensive understanding of all aspects of product delivery and operations
Notify the appropriate support structure that there is a problem and a need for assistance
Collection, analysis, and correlation of data to determine and isolate the cause of the problem
Perform or support the activities to recover, workaround, or circumvent the problem
Support business teams in identifying and documenting workarounds, as needed
Analyze incident information and documentation to assess the performance of systems and processes
Provide support to business/technical teams and external vendors to prepare for annual auto-renewals, Open Enrollment, or other efforts
Other duties as assigned
QUALIFICATIONS
Required:
Bachelor's degree in information technology, business or another related field
Five years of IT systems analysis experience
Basic understanding of project management methodologies
Strong understand of Agile methodologies and scrum processes
Strong analytical skills with experience that includes root cause analysis, business case development, gap analysis, process mapping, requirements management, design documentation, relational database design
Experience delivering technology-centered solutions and ability to learn new systems and business processes
Proven ability to refine business and system needs into clear and concise requirements that can easily be understood by technical and non-technical groups
Ability to take initiative and make sound decisions while working with ambiguity and rapid change in a fast-paced environment
Stakeholder analysis and management skills (business, technical, leadership, and cross-agency teams)
Ability to work with remote development teams
Experience with systems testing, to include developing and executing test cases
Strong debugging and problem-solving skills
Ability to maintain a high level of professionalism, as well as discretion and confidentiality when working with sensitive information
Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office programs
High degree of communication, presentation, and organizational skills teams, stakeholders, and upper management
Self-motivated, highly adaptable and positive team player with a can-do attitude
Desired:
Soft skills such as emotional intelligence, communication, and empathy
Experience in user-centered design, web interaction design and usability studies
Certification related to business analysis, agile, product management, or design thinking
Functional knowledge of the Washington Healthplanfinder system
Experience working with Agile development methodologies
Ability to write and perform complex SQL queries
Experience working with highly integrated systems
Knowledge of tools such as JIRA and Confluence
Understanding of healthcare insurance is a plus
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
This position will be open until we find a suitable number of candidates to review. If interested, please submit an application with a cover letter as soon as possible. The Exchange reserves the right to close the recruitment at any time.
SALARY INFORMATION
Full Salary Range: $79,311.00 to $118,966.00 annually, with midpoint at $99,138.00.
Hiring Range: $91,207.00 and $99,138.00 annually. This is an estimate of where a qualified candidate can expect to receive an offer.
The actual salary offer will consider candidate experience, skills, qualifications, internal equity, and the market. Our compensation policy reserves the salary range above the midpoint for employees who are meeting and exceeding expectations and for growth and development, up to the maximum.
BENEFITS
Take a peek at our benefits package.
WORKING CONDITIONS
Core business hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. There are times where irregular hours will be required. The preferred duty station is our Olympia, Washington headquarters. The nature of this role relies heavily on remote and in-person collaboration. While a hybrid remote and on-site schedule may be considered, the position will require flexibility to allow for in-office availability as business needs dictate. Travel requirements will be limited, however there may be occasions where an employee is required to travel and work irregular hours to attend meetings or trainings. Duties of this position require the use of standard office furniture and equipment, including setup for remote work. The employee is responsible for providing and maintaining a safe, ergonomic, and secure workspace at their remote location.
The working conditions and physical demands are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
A criminal background screen will be conducted for candidates under final consideration, and if hired, every five years of employment where highly sensitive data is processed or maintained by the position. The result of this background screen must meet the Exchange's eligibility standards.
OTHER INFORMATION
The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and levels of work being performed. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties and skills of personnel so classified.
This is not an employment agreement or contract. Management has the exclusive right to alter this job description at any time without notice.
The Washington Health Benefit Exchange is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.
We participate in E-Verify. You can view the Department of Justice's Right to Work poster here.