Product Owner

Ascend Learning is a national leader in data driven, online educational solutions for learners, educators and employers in high-growth, licensure-driven professions spanning healthcare, fitness and wellness, skilled trades, insurance and financial services. We are passionate about accelerating learning while impacting job readiness, employment success and employee retention with the belief that our work changes lives.

Our culture is intentionally results-driven and selfless with a relentless focus on our customers. We believe in trust, transparency, freedom and responsibility with a commitment to meritocracy, inclusion and diversity of thought. Continual investment in our over 1400 employees is also a core principle realized through ongoing professional development and providing opportunities to grow, develop and lead. Ascend Learning is headquartered in Burlington, MA with additional office locations and remote workers in cities across the U.S. and in the U.K.

ATI Nursing Education, a brand of Ascend Learning is the leading provider of online instruction, remediation, analytics, and consulting solutions for nursing programs. Founded in 1998, ATI uses progressive data analytics and compelling content to help nursing students master core content, develop into practice-ready nurses, and succeed on the NCLEX. Together with nursing schools, we're preparing the next generation of nurse leaders, ready to provide skilled and safe nursing care in a rapidly changing healthcare marketplace. Currently, ATI works with 20,000+ nurse educators, 2,500 nursing programs, and 225,000+ students.

ATI is hiring a product owner to work across the product lifecycle focused on the execution of design, build, testing, and launch of new or enhanced customer solutions. This role will work cross-functionally with product, development, service, sales, and customer stakeholders to lead the successful delivery of the strategic product vision. This position will also measure the product post-launch to ensure product efficacy, customer adoption and satisfaction and focus on learning products and core content.

Projects will vary, but this role will work closely with the Product Manager in the development and execution of digital learning products and/or assessments, student and educator-facing learning systems, and educator and administrative effectiveness tools for the nursing market. Product Owners lead the tactical execution plan to bring products to market. Leawood, Kansas office location preferred, remote also considered.

Responsibilities

• Lead, collaborate with, and motivate a cross-functional team of designers, educational content experts, editorial and media professionals, technical developers, testers and others to develop, execute and release in alignment with program and/or product roadmaps.
• Monitor all phases of product development and help to resolve roadblocks to ensure deadlines are met.
• Serve as direct representative of the business with delivery teams, representing/reinforcing the customers' perspective throughout the product realization cycle.
• Work collaboratively with product managers and other business leaders to define strategic vision for new and existing products.
• Gather and document detailed requirements, functional specifications, user stories, and acceptance criteria for product and process enhancements.
• Actively support design and prototype work. Solicit customer and other stakeholder feedback on concepts and create wireframes.
• In conjunction with the product managers, manage, prioritize, and assess the impact of all work items, such as new features, defects, product backlog, etc., including providing the decision to create, fix or defer at the product level.
• Assist with product/project level plans related to launch schedule, scope and resources. Attend project meetings and scrum meetings including standups, retrospectives, and demos, working in partnership with agile teams on execution.
• Assist with functional testing for assigned products, including reviewing and accepting or declining output of development to ensure specified acceptance criteria have been completed.
• Support go-to-market/launch, communication, and training plans, working with marketing, sales, operations/service, and development teams.
• Build and coordinate marketing, sales, and service plans for release of features and products.
• Drive ongoing improvements and efficiencies in product health, operational practices, tools and processes.
• Understand current market trends and how it applies to the ATI customer
• Coordinate pilot product process.
• Oversee product incidents and questions from customers and prioritize needs.
• Minimal travel required

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent industry experience
• Required 4+ years of relevant experience
• Experience working with education software and/or other product management experience
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Solid organizational and problem-solving skills
• Experience with Microsoft Office products (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)
• Experience using one or more product management and development tracking tools (e.g. Aha!, JIRA) preferred
• Pragmatic Marketing experience preferred

Skills and Abilities

• Proven history of gathering requirements for product launches
• Strong business acumen
• Natural leader in a matrixed organization
• Ability to be creative and bring the creative ideas of others to market
• Ability to function effectively during ambiguous tasks
• Ability to own tasks outside of immediate scope of responsibility
• Collaborative skills and ability to work well within a team
• Technical aptitude to partner with development teams
• Analytical thinker and problem solver
• Detail oriented with a strong focus on quality, deadlines and reporting

Candidates should be aware that Ascend Learning currently maintains a policy requiring all employees to be fully vaccinated. Newly hired employees must be fully vaccinated by their start date. Ascend Learning is an equal opportunity employer and will provide a reasonable accommodation to those unable to be vaccinated where it is not an undue hardship to the Company to do so as provided under federal, state, and local law. Exceptions to the vaccine requirement may apply for employees living or working in Montana.

Ascend Learning, LLC is proud to be an equal opportunity employer (M/F/Vets/Disabled). No agency or search firm submissions will be accepted. Applications for U.S. based positions with Ascend Learning, LLC must be legally authorized to work in the United States and verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire.

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