Product Owner

Help change the world and improve the lives of North Dakota citizens by partnering with our customers to meet business needs and deliver transformational customer and state constituent experiences across Team ND.

North Dakota Information Technology (NDIT) is seeking a Product Owner to join a product team supporting the North Dakota Department of Health & Human Services' Self-Service Portal and Consolidated Eligibility System (SPACES).

The Product Owner will collaborate with the Executive Product Owner and/or Senior Product Manager, to be a trusted partner to the business units and use expertise to manage prioritized user stories through the development process to conclusion, including defining dependencies, event sequences and expected outcomes.

This position supports the business unit(s) in the definition and maintenance of the Product Backlog and must possess strong interpersonal skills with the ability to listen, build rapport, and earn credibility as a strategic partner within the business unit(s), stakeholders and Scrum or Kanban Teams which include Vendor developers.

To succeed in this position, you will:

• Interact across a diverse set of stakeholders, spanning multiple organizational levels with empathy and advocacy of their needs within a technology-based organization.
• Demonstrate a knowledge of product owner as a practice, SDLC (software development life cycle) and agile frameworks.
• Oversee the development of the product through all its stages, including the planning, refinement, review, and sprint for each event.
• Plan releases and upgrades, monitor progress of work and address production issues during sprints, and provide feedback to refine our agile methodology based on results and client feedback.
• Communicate through spoken word and in writing to a variety of stakeholders.
• Be flexible and able to learn quickly in a rapidly changing technology landscape.
• Utilize your strong negotiation skills and understand data for decision-making and influence.
• Be with people in a collaborative environment and who embody the core values that we follow as public servants for the State of ND: Gratitude, Humility, Curiosity, and Courage.

Minimum requirements

• Bachelor's degree in business administration, computer science, or a closely related field, and two years of current and progressively responsible professional-level practical work experience with agile, customer relationship management, business and technical requirements analysis and elicitation, and writing and reviewing user stories.
• OR Associate degree in business administration, computer science, or a closely related field, and four years of current and progressively responsible professional-level practical work experience with agile, customer relationship management, business and technical requirements analysis and elicitation, and writing and reviewing user stories.
• OR Six years of current and progressively responsible professional-level practical work experience with agile, customer relationship management, business and technical requirements analysis and elicitation, and writing and reviewing user stories.
• This position can be based anywhere in North Dakota (or a border community such as Moorhead, MN, East Grand Forks, etc).
• If selected candidate lives within a 50 miles radius of NDIT offices in Bismarck or Fargo, they will work on site one day a week.
• Otherwise, this position will work remotely.
• Application materials must clearly show an address in the selected recruiting area or confirm the candidate's ability to relocate within 30 days of an offer being made.
• Applications that do not show they meet the location requirement will be declined.
• Subject to legislative approval, this position, along with the entire SPACES team, may be transferred from North Dakota Information Technology (NDIT) to the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in the next biennium.

Preferred Requirements

• Agile Experience in Scrum or Kanban specifically.
• Experience in government/large-scale software development projects.
• Experience working with contractors, vendors and/or system integrators.
• Experience with ALM tools such as Azure Dev Ops (ADO).
• About Team ND "Far and away the best prize life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." - Theodore Roosevelt More than 7,500 talented, hard-working people across sixty-three agencies have come together as Team North Dakota.
• At Team ND, we are driven to succeed through gratitude, humility, curiosity and courage.
• Our purpose is to empower people, improve lives, and inspire success.
• Join us in being legendary.

Total Rewards

The State of North Dakota is committed to providing team members with a strong and competitive rewards package that support you, your health and your family.

Considering a new position on Team ND? How does your current position stack up? Use our Total Rewards Calculator to estimate.

Application Procedures

The answers given on this application are to be reflective of your work experiences. Any use or suspected use of AI during the application process may affect the outcome of the hiring decision.

Please make sure that your resume includes information to demonstrate how you meet the minimum qualifications as posted. Your work history will not be given credit if North Dakota Information Technology cannot determine that you meet the minimum qualifications.

All application material, including your resume, must be received on or before the closing date by 11:59 PM Central Standard Time (CST).

North Dakota Information Technology does not offer or provide sponsorships. Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States.

For more information or if you need an accommodation, please contact itdjobs@nd.gov or (701) 328-4470.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The State of North Dakota and this hiring agency do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), genetics, religion, age or disability in employment or the provisions of services and complies with the provisions of the North Dakota Human Rights Act.

As an employer, the State of North Dakota prohibits smoking in all places of state employment in accordance with N.D.C.C. Sect. 23-12-10.