Product Owner

The Executive Office of Technology Services and Security (EOTSS) places our customers and constituents at the heart of everything we do.

We offer responsive digital services and productivity tools to more than 40,000 state employees, who provide essential information and services to the citizens of the Commonwealth.

We also serve constituents, providing them with digital services and tools that enable taxpayers, motorists, businesses, visitors, families, and other citizens to do business with the Commonwealth in a way that makes every interaction with government easier, faster, and more secure.

EOTSS is seeking a to hire a highly motivated individual to join the Office of Strategy Management team as a Product Owner .

The Office of Strategy Management is a team of strategy consultants who guide cross-functional initiatives from vision to implementation.

We serve as the lead business engagement team for EOTSS and partner with Executive Branch agencies across the Commonwealth to improve the outcomes of projects and initiatives at the intersection of technology and constituent services.

We approach engagements by identifying agency pain points through current state mapping; designing and evaluating operational and technical strategies for addressing pain points;

and supporting our recommended solutions through managing procurements and implementing technology. Recent and ongoing engagements include building a new paid family and medical leave program, prototyping a case management workflow for a housing agency, and developing a technology strategy and system requirements for an application to support the response to the emergency shelter crisis.

This role will be hired on contract to support EOTSS’ Strategic Portfolio Management (SPM) initiative. This initiative is meant to improve the process by which agencies across the Commonwealth request funding from EOTSS to advance critical technology needs for their services and operations, by making submission and evaluation easier and more transparent for all stakeholders.

This initiative will follow an iterative process to update and validate new business processes used by our Capital Planning Office to receive, evaluate, and recommend which IT projects will receive capital funding on an annual basis.

In parallel, as we finalize processes and requirements, we will work with our vendor to configure, test, and launch functionality in ServiceNow.

The implementation of this SPM module will fit into an existing ServiceNow instance used by EOTSS more broadly.

The Product Owner will be responsible for driving forward the SPM Initiative through a mix of activities that include roadmap management, service design and process documentation, coordinating with stakeholders / customers, and collaborating with the Capital Planning Office and its vendor partner to develop sound business requirements.

This role may be invited to stay on as part of the Office of Strategy Management to work on other projects once the SPM initiative ends.

In our context, successful Product Owners are :

• Strategic thinkers who can define clear goals and design a measurable strategy to achieve them
• Leaders who know how to motivate teams through bureaucratic and / or ambiguous situations
• Comfortable working in a complex stakeholder environment either in a consulting capacity or managing initiatives directly
• Experienced in product delivery with the ability to set and manage best practices in an immature environment
• Experienced in designing business processes that meet user needs
• Quick and enthusiastic learners

While valuable, a background in ServiceNow is not required for this position. The Strategy team is looking for strong product owners who have an abundance of empathy, a knack for operations and process, and an eagerness to improve public sector service delivery.

This position is a full-time contract opportunity . Remote work options are available; however, preference will be given to candidates available for a hybrid model of reporting, which combines in-office workdays and work from home days as needed.

This office is located at 1 Ashburton Place, Boston, Massachusetts 02108 . The work schedule for this position is Monday through Friday 9AM - 5PM EST.

Responsibilities :

Objective #1 : Lead the development of updated and new operational processes to support the Capital Planning Office

• Learn and build consensus around the Capital Planning Office’s functions and project goals / priorities
• Review and evaluate current landscape to understand problem space, for example, conducting interviews, mapping existing business processes, facilitating workshops with stakeholders, etc.
• Validate existing change improvement recommendations, for example through prototyping, workshops, and user feedback
• Collaborate with EOTSS and its customers to develop and recommend new operational processes

Objective #2 : Be the product owner for this application module by guiding business decisions and translating decisions and policies for our implementation partner

• Develop an understanding of priorities and user needs and make sure these are translated into ticketed work appropriately
• Coordinate with a cross-functional team to deliver value by developing business requirements that support operational goals and priorities
• Participate in regular stand-up meetings and sprint ceremonies in coordination with our vendor
• Write, refine, and groom user stories in coordination with our vendor
• Develop and / or approve acceptance criteria

Objective #3 : Coordinate across stakeholders and manage work to ensure a successful outcome

Take responsibility for the progress of the initiative. Create effective forums for two-way communication with project sponsors / customers about priorities, progress, changes, and risks.

Be flexible and responsive to changing needs and circumstances.

Create order amidst complex and fast-paced work. Structure work according to roles, responsibilities, and processes. Coordinate with the project manager to hold project team members accountable to goals and plans.

Ensure work proceeds according to goals and timeline, sequencing activities to achieve meaningful results

Ensure that stakeholders have the right people and processes in place to achieve their goals and sustain success

Objective #4 : Collaborate and participate in Strategy Team activities

Enthusiastically collaborate with and support Strategy team members through participation in regular team meetings (e.g.

status updates, retros, demos)

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities :

• 3+ years of relevant professional experience with a proven track record of success in a role with similar responsibilities (ex : product management, business process optimization, service design, management consulting, business analysis, public sector management, operations management, etc.)
• Experience in the public sector, non-profit, or similar experience desirable, but not required
• Strong interest in solving service and technology problems facing public-sector agencies
• An adaptive, empathetic, collaborative, and positive mindset
• Ability to manage relationships between technology staff and other operational areas
• Ability to manage projects from start to finish in a complex, regulated environment
• Ability to harness and analyze data to inform decision making and organizational design
• Self-motivated with the ability to prioritize tasks in a fast-paced environment to meet deadlines and manage competing demands
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
15 days ago