IT Product Owner

FAIT Distribution is seeking an IT Product Owner to shape the vision for critical IT systems and translate business goals into actionable development work. Based in Burlington, Wisconsin with a hybrid work arrangement, this role sits at the intersection of business strategy and technology delivery, guiding cross-functional teams in an Agile environment toward tangible outcomes. As the primary interface between stakeholders and delivery teams, you will balance immediate needs with long-term value and ensure alignment with the IT roadmap.

Responsibilities

• Articulate the overarching product direction, success metrics, and intended outcomes for assigned systems, processes, or operational domains.
• Align delivery priorities with business strategy, operational objectives, and the IT roadmap.
• Represent stakeholder interests while balancing short-term needs, operational stability, and long-term value.
• Define clear outcomes and measurable success criteria (KPIs) rather than merely listing features or requests.
• Partner with operations and subject matter experts to map current workflows, pain points, and constraints; translate them into prioritized, testable improvements.
• Own and maintain the product backlog.
• Act as the final decision-maker on backlog ordering and scope trade-offs for the product and team, escalating when needed.
• Prioritize backlog items based on business value, operational impact, risk, dependencies, and delivery capacity.
• Make trade-off decisions when scope, timing, or resources conflict.
• Ensure backlog items are properly sized, ordered, and aligned with sprint and release goals.
• Serve as the primary interface between business stakeholders and delivery teams.
• Gather input from stakeholders while maintaining a single, clear set of priorities.
• Set expectations regarding delivery sequencing, scope, and timing.
• Resolve competing demands through value-based decision making.
• Validate intent and outcomes of requirements with stakeholders; ensure backlog items reflect true business and operational needs (in partnership with the Business Analyst).
• Collaborate with Business Analysts to ensure stories have clear acceptance criteria, dependencies are understood, and items are ready for sprint planning.
• Coach Business Analysts in requirements documentation and expectations.
• Review completed work against acceptance criteria and support sprint and release acceptance to ensure delivered value matches expected outcomes.
• Support healthy backlog refinement and predictable delivery flow in partnership with the Scrum Master.
• Participate actively in Agile ceremonies including backlog refinement, sprint planning, sprint reviews, and retrospectives.

Requirements

• A bachelor’s degree in information technology, or the equivalent in relevant work experience.
• 3+ years of experience as a Product Owner, Business Analyst, Product Analyst, or a related role supporting software delivery in a business environment.
• Strong understanding of business and operational processes and how technology supports them.
• Experience making value-based prioritization decisions using customer impact, operational efficiency, risk, and dependencies; proven ability to collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders (operations, customer service, finance, sales, IT).
• Excellent communication and facilitation skills; able to translate between business needs and technical solutions.
• Experience working in an Agile environment, including backlog refinement, sprint planning, reviews, and retrospectives.
• Preference for experience supporting custom web development/storefronts, ERP, WMS, and/or integration-heavy applications.

Indicators of Performance

• Demonstrates the company values—Relational, Reliable, Responsive, Flexible, and Sincere—consistently.
• Maintains a prioritized, transparent product backlog aligned to business strategy and operational goals.
• Provides clear, testable requirements and acceptance criteria so items meet the Definition of Ready and can be delivered within sprint commitments.
• Delivers measurable business value by defining outcomes and KPIs for initiatives and validating results after release, such as improved cycle times, reduced errors, and enhanced customer or internal user experience.
• Effectively aligns stakeholders, gathers input, resolves conflicting priorities, and communicates sequencing and trade-offs in a timely manner.
• Accepts completed work promptly during sprint reviews and releases, minimizing rework by ensuring delivered functionality matches acceptance criteria.
• Supports predictable delivery by collaborating with the Scrum Master and team to manage scope, dependencies, and risks; keeps leadership informed of timeline or outcome impacts.
• Adheres to FAIT Distribution policies, guidelines, and processes.
• Maintains a positive perception of partnership and support from coworkers, team leads, and stakeholders.

Work Location

Hybrid remote in Burlington, WI 53105