Product Owner

Company: Truly Free Inc.

Title: Product Owner

Department: Marketing - Growth

Location: Traverse City, MI / Michigan / Remote U.S.

Date: Oct 2024

Reports To: Chief Growth Officer.

Job Purpose

The Product Owner for our eCommerce website is responsible for ensuring the development and continuous improvement of the platform, delivering exceptional user experiences and driving business growth. This role will work with stakeholders across marketing, business intelligence, technology, and UX to prioritize and execute the product roadmap. The Product Owner will own the product backlog, define functional and business requirements, collaborate with the Scrum Master and engineers to ensure delivery through Agile methodology, and manage other tasks as assigned.

Key Accountabilities

1. Develop and Maintain the Product Backlog

• Create and prioritize the product backlog in alignment with business needs and stakeholder inputs.
• Ensure that all user stories are clearly defined, actionable, and meet the “definition of ready” for sprint planning.

Success Metrics:

• 90% of user stories are ready for development, including review and estimation by engineers, at the start of each sprint.
• Backlog reflects evolving business priorities with regular stakeholder reviews.

2. Drive Product Roadmap

• Collaborate with key stakeholders to define the product vision and roadmap, ensuring alignment with business objectives and customer needs.

Success Metrics:

• Product roadmap is updated every 60 days to review performance and adapt to changing business priorities.
• At least 75% of planned roadmap features delivered on time.

3. Cross-functional Collaboration

• Work closely with marketing, business intelligence, technology, and UX teams to gather business requirements, identify opportunities for product enhancements, and deliver solutions.

Success Metrics:

• Positive feedback from cross-functional stakeholders on collaboration and communication.
• Product Owner organizes and runs stakeholder meetings on a bi-weekly basis at a minimum.

4. Deliver Functional & Business Requirements

• Translate business needs into detailed functional and business requirements documents (BRDs, FRDs) and ensure clarity for the development team.

Success Metrics:

• Requirements documentation is 100% clear and understandable by both technical and non-technical stakeholders, as measured by completed & ready-to-go user stories.
• Minimal rework or misalignment identified (<20%) during sprint reviews.

5. Agile Process Leadership

• Partner with Scrum Master and development team to estimate tasks, prioritize work, and participate in sprint planning to ensure delivery timelines are met.

Success Metrics:

• 80% of sprints are delivered within scope and timeframes agreed upon during planning.
• 90% attendance and active participation in sprint planning, reviews, and retrospectives.

5. Deliver Quality User Experience

• Ensure that the platform is optimized for user experience, working with UX/UI teams to drive customer satisfaction and conversions.
• (Shared responsibility with the director of CRO.)

Success Metrics:

• User satisfaction scores improve by 15% over 12 months.
• Conversion rate increases by 10% within 6 months of feature releases.

6. Performance Monitoring & Continuous Improvement

• Regularly review KPIs related to site performance, identify areas for improvement, and work with stakeholders to implement changes.

Success Metrics:

• Key performance metrics (e.g., site load time, bounce rate, conversion rate) improve quarter-over-quarter.
• Continuous delivery of value-adding features with measurable impact on revenue growth, as defined by the product roadmap.

Key Competencies

1. Results-Oriented

• Demonstrates a track record of delivering measurable outcomes in product ownership, with a focus on revenue growth and customer satisfaction.

Indicators:

• Proven ability to deliver on roadmap targets within time and scope.
• History of improving conversion rates, user satisfaction, and business KPIs.

2. Leadership & Collaboration

• Strong communication and leadership skills, with the ability to influence and drive cross-functional teams towards a common goal.

Indicators:

• History of fostering collaboration between marketing, engineering, and business intelligence teams.
• Evidence of stakeholder alignment on product vision and execution.

3. Analytical & Strategic Thinking

• Ability to analyze data, derive insights, and make data-driven decisions that shape the product strategy.

Indicators:

• Demonstrated proficiency in leveraging analytics tools and performance metrics to guide product decisions.
• Previous experience using data to pivot product direction or optimize features.

4. Technical Acumen

• Understanding of the software development lifecycle, Agile principles, and technical concepts, with the ability to work effectively with engineers.

Indicators:

• Previous success in translating complex technical requirements into actionable user stories.
• Experience working with software development teams to estimate and prioritize work.

5. Customer-Centric Mindset

• Passion for delivering an exceptional user experience, with a keen understanding of customer pain points and opportunities for improvement.

Indicators:

• Demonstrated focus on improving customer satisfaction and loyalty metrics.
• Success in launching features that directly improve the user experience and increase engagement.

Top Performance Deliverables

In the first 6-12 months, the Product Owner will be expected to deliver the following:

• Increased Conversion Rate: Lead efforts that result in a 10%+ improvement in conversion rates within the first 6 months.
• Improved Website KPIs: Achieve measurable improvements in at least two critical KPIs (e.g., load time, bounce rate, cart abandonment) within the first 9 months.
• Product Roadmap Implementation: Successfully deliver 80%+ of the roadmap initiatives within 12 months, focusing on improving user experience and business metrics.
• Enhanced Stakeholder Engagement: Establish clear communication and regular updates with all key stakeholders.

Other Requirements:

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Must be able to lift 25 pounds at times.
• Must be legally able to work in the United States.

About Truly Free:

TrulyFree is dedicated to providing safe, natural products to its customers through its E-Commerce website, TrulyFreeHome.com, and in providing a broad marketplace TrulyFreeMarket.com- to support like-minded companies and consumers who seek an open market with high-quality, competitive products. As a company, TrulyFree seeks coworkers who strive for a friendly, collaborative, and supportive work environment at a company that desires to make the world a better place.