IT Product Owner

*ROLE PURPOSE*

The IT Product Owner is responsible for defining and prioritizing IT development initiatives and managing end‑to‑end delivery of IT projects across platforms including ERP, OMS, eCommerce, and integration tools. This role owns the IT backlog, serves as the primary liaison between business stakeholders, developers, and third‑party vendors, and combines product ownership discipline with hands‑on project management.

The schedule for this role will be Monday through Thursday onsite, with Fridays remote.

*KEY ACCOUNTABILITY AREAS*

BACKLOG & DEVELOPMENT PROCESS MANAGEMENT

Backlog & Agile Cadence

• Own and groom the IT backlog; translate stakeholder requirements into Epics, Stories, Tasks, and Bugs with clear acceptance criteria

• Prioritize work based on business value, risk, and dependencies, and perform initial triage on incoming tickets

• Lead bi‑weekly sprint planning, daily stand‑ups, sprint reviews, and retrospectives; establish repeatable velocity and hold the team accountable for delivery

Process & Tooling

• Administer Jira spaces and drive continuous improvement across development, testing, and deployment processes

• Maintain workflow documentation and standard operating procedures (SOPs)

PROJECT MANAGEMENT & DELIVERY

Planning & Execution

• Lead end‑to‑end delivery of IT projects from discovery through post‑launch stabilization

• Develop project charters, scope definitions, work breakdown structures, milestone plans, and timelines

• Coordinate across business, infrastructure, QA, and development teams to remove blockers and meet delivery commitments

Cross‑Functional Coordination & Releases

• Lead OMS and eCommerce product launches

• Run recurring check‑ins, product launch calls, and steering committee updates

• Escalate risks, dependencies, and trade‑offs to leadership as needed

• Review all OMS and eCommerce work prior to deployment and coordinate deployment windows, validation, and post‑deployment verification

Risk, Issue & Production Support

• Maintain root cause analysis (RCA) documentation and drive mitigation efforts with appropriate owners

• Coordinate on‑call rotations and IT production support as required

VENDOR & THIRD‑PARTY MANAGEMENT

Vendor Coordination

• Serve as the day‑to‑day point of contact for key vendors, including ByDesign, NetSuite, and integration partners

• Lead recurring vendor cadences

• Manage vendor tickets, triage issues, track resolution status, and validate delivered work against requirements

STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT & COMMUNICATION

Engagement & Reporting

• Engage stakeholders at all levels, from executives to stylists and contractors

• Serve as the primary point of contact for internal customers using IT‑managed tools

• Translate complex technical concepts into clear, actionable business insights

• Maintain strong working relationships across IT, Merchandising, Product Development, and Stylist Success

PORTFOLIO SUPPORT & GOVERNANCE

Portfolio & Intake

• Maintain the IT project portfolio aligned with business goals and available resource capacity

• Support intake, prioritization, and sequencing of new IT initiatives

• Report on portfolio performance on a monthly basis

ALIGNMENT WITH J.HILBURN CORE VALUES AND CULTURE

Values in Action

• Personal Alignment: Understand and commit to J.Hilburn’s core values and culture

• Walk the Talk: Lead by example and act consistently with company values

• Reinforcement: Demonstrate values in daily decision‑making and support initiatives that reinforce them

PERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS

Self‑Development

• Take accountability for self‑assessment and identify opportunities for continuous improvement

• Seek and act on feedback from managers, peers, and stakeholders

• Maintain an active professional development plan aligned with role expectations and career goals

Additional Information

The incumbent may be assigned additional duties by the Immediate Manager as needed. Accountability areas may vary in relative importance over time.

ROLE REQUIREMENTS

Basic Requirements

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Communications, Engineering, Information Systems, or a related field

Work Experience

• Minimum 5 years of experience as a Product Owner, Business Analyst, or IT Project Manager

• Proven experience delivering end‑to‑end IT initiatives across multiple systems or platforms

• Strong understanding of SDLC and Agile/Scrum methodologies

• Demonstrated vendor and third‑party management experience

• Proficiency with Jira, Confluence, Asana, or equivalent tools

• Technical familiarity with ERP, CRM, and eCommerce platforms (NetSuite, ByDesign preferred)

• Experience within a premium or luxury brand environment and a distributed sales field preferred

• Excellent communication, organizational, and problem‑solving skills

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• Rewrite it in a more conversational or employer‑branding tone

• Align it to a specific seniority level (PO vs Senior PO)