The final salary or hourly wage, as applicable, paid to each candidate/applicant for this position is ultimately dependent on a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, the candidate’s/applicant’s qualifications, skills, and level of experience as well as the geographical location of the position.

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Sponsorship not available.

Our client is seeking a Digital Product Owner in Vienna, VA.

Role Description

Seeking results-oriented Agile product owner to manage a product backlog and deliver self-service and/or personalized member experiences in the voice channel, with a focus on self-service via Natural Language Processing and conversational design.
Ideal candidates have experience leveraging Natural Language Processing / chatbot solutions in the voice channel to drive efficiencies and streamline experiences. A proven track-record working with internal stakeholders, development teams, and user experience designers in an agile / scrum environment is also desired.

• Collaborate with enterprise users and stakeholders of the system to collect/define requirements and understand potential impacts to overall chatbot design and end-to-end voice channel experience
• Take end-to-end ownership of features to deliver incremental value and meet “Definition of Ready” for planning events and portfolio reviews
• Create, maintain, and prioritize the product backlog items (PBIs) in Azure DevOps for assigned features with input from leadership and Agile team members
• Ensure Acceptance Criteria support functional test script creation and adequate testing of assigned features
• Review experience documentation with designers/developers to ensure intended design aligns with original vision and meets stakeholder business needs
• Conduct independent user acceptance testing of experience PBIs / user stories supporting assigned features
Stakeholder and Agile Team Engagement
• Drive agile team members, stakeholders, and outside development teams to meet established deadlines
• Ensure development/vendor team prioritizes tasks based on stakeholder needs
• Communicate timelines with stakeholders and account for business needs (training material, change management, etc.), to include progress throughout the development process
• Communicate / escalate obstacles and risks to program leadership, as appropriate
• Conduct live and/or recorded demonstrations of final experiences with stakeholders
Qualifications:
• Proven experience as a Product Owner in Agile environments, preferably within financial services industry
• Demonstrated understanding of IVR systems and chatbot / AI technologies, to include natural language processing and conversational designs
• Hands-on experience with Microsoft Azure Bot Framework
• Proficiency in managing backlogs and kanban boards using Azure DevOps.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to work cross-functionally with technical teams, business units, and third-party vendors.

Skills & Requirements

• Expertise in voice technologies (e.g., IVR systems, speech recognition, voice assistants, and AI-driven voice solutions)
• Experience with call center platforms and voice channel optimization tools
• Strong understanding of customer experience (CX) principles and strategies for voice interactions
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to articulate technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders
• Agile Product Ownership: Proven experience as a Product Owner in Agile/Scrum environments, Skilled in backlog management and prioritization using Azure DevOps, Familiarity with writing and managing Product Backlog Items (PBIs) and user stories
• Voice & Chatbot Technologies: Experience with IVR systems, voice assistants, and AI-driven voice solutions, Hands-on experience with Microsoft Azure Bot Framework,
• Understanding of Natural Language Processing (NLP) and conversational design
• Digital Experience & CX Strategy: Strong grasp of customer experience (CX) principles, especially for voice interactions, Ability to translate business needs into intuitive self-service and personalized experiences

Benefits/Other Compensation

This position is a contract/temporary role where Hays offers you the opportunity to enroll in full medical benefits, dental benefits, vision benefits, 401K and Life Insurance ($20,000 benefit).

Why Hays?

You will be working with a professional recruiter who has intimate knowledge of the industry and market trends. Your Hays recruiter will lead you through a thorough screening process in order to understand your skills, experience, needs, and drivers. You will also get support on resume writing, interview tips, and career planning, so when there’s a position you really want, you’re fully prepared to get it.

Nervous about an upcoming interview? Unsure how to write a new resume?

Visit the Hays Career Advice section to learn top tips to help you stand out from the crowd when job hunting.

Hays is committed to building a thriving culture of diversity that embraces people with different backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences. We believe that the more inclusive we are, the better we serve our candidates, clients, and employees. We are an equal employment opportunity employer, and we comply with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, creed, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), age, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, veteran status, marital status, genetic information, HIV-positive status, as well as any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. One of Hays’ guiding principles is ‘do the right thing’.
We also believe that actions speak louder than words.
In that regard, we train our staff on ensuring inclusivity throughout the entire recruitment process and counsel our clients on these principles. If you have any questions about Hays or any of our processes, please contact us.

In accordance with applicable federal, state, and local law protecting qualified individuals with known disabilities, Hays will attempt to reasonably accommodate those individuals unless doing so would create an undue hardship on the company. Any qualified applicant or consultant with a disability who requires an accommodation in order to perform the essential functions of the job should call or text 813.336.5570.

Drug testing may be required; please contact a recruiter for more information.

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