Innovation Product Owner II

Job Summary 

The Innovation Product Owner is responsible for the day-to-day execution and progression of fintech initiatives within the Innovation Pod. Operating within UFCU's fintech strategy and organizational priorities, this role translates strategic direction into executable work, manages the pod backlog, and drives initiatives from initial hypothesis through validated pilot and, when appropriate, into implementation. 

This role operates in a high-ambiguity environment where speed of learning is critical. The Innovation Product Owner defines scope, sets success criteria, runs delivery ceremonies, and coordinates internal teams and cross-pod dependencies to keep work moving. 

The Innovation Product Owner also leads a readiness and capacity track, identifying system dependencies and signaling resource needs through quarterly planning to ensure the right technical resources are available when an initiative is ready to move forward. This role manages the lightweight, discovery-oriented intake process that initiates exploration rather than requiring full definition upfront. 

The Innovation Product Owner is an exempt position and reports to the Director, Fintech Strategy and Partnerships. 

About UFCU  

Our Credit Union was founded in 1936 and has grown to serve members throughout Texas and beyond. At UFCU, we are more than just a financial institution, and our people are more than just employees. We are dedicated to our purpose of empowering our Members to achieve financial success and build brighter futures.  

In pursuit of our aspiration that UFCU is loved by millions of Members and built to thrive for generations, we are guided by our values: 

Purposefully Member-Obsessed 

We are driven by a profound sense of empathy to deeply understand our Members’ needs and preferences, what brighter futures means to them, and the obstacles in their way. We act in our Members’ best interests, forever seeking to empower their financial success. 

Possibilities Reimagined 

We are inspired to courageously experiment, learn, and iterate in pursuit of positive impact for our Members, UFCU, and coworkers. We challenge assumptions, embrace diverse perspectives, and make use of data and insights. 

Performance Excellence Rooted in Unwavering Integrity 

We do the right thing, always. We champion teamwork, accountability, continuous improvement, and celebrate successful outcomes of others, fostering an inclusive environment of excellence and collaboration. 

Essential Functions 

Product Ownership & Strategy 

• Manages and maintains the pod backlog, ensuring work is clearly defined, properly sequenced, and aligned with the strategic priorities set. 

• Runs day-to-day delivery operations including standups, backlog refinement, sprint planning, and reviews. 

• Translates ambiguous, early-stage ideas into testable hypotheses with clear scope, success criteria, and integration approach. 

• Drives initiatives through time-boxed discovery and pilot cycles, ensuring each phase produces measurable learning that informs the decision to scale, pivot, or sunset. 

• Defines and tracks success metrics for each initiative, grounded in speed of learning, decision quality, and validated member and business impact. 

• Manages the discovery-oriented intake process, working with the Fintech Partnership Lead and Director to determine which opportunities enter the pod's pipeline. 

Agile Delivery Partnership 

• When the pod carries an initiative beyond pilot, defines the implementation scope, success criteria, and progression decisions required to move from validated learning to production readiness. 

• In collaboration with the Fintech Partnership Lead, prepares implementation path recommendations based on pilot outcomes, whether carried forward by the pod or transitioned to an execution pod. 

• Defines the handoff package for each initiative, including documentation of key decisions, integration patterns, operational requirements, and a defined support window. 

• Coordinates with receiving business areas and platform teams to support clean transitions and sustained ownership post-implementation. 

Resource Coordination and Capacity Planning 

• Leads a parallel readiness and capacity track during discovery and pilot phases to identify system dependencies and required skill sets early. 

• Translates resource needs into targeted capacity reservations during quarterly planning, leveraging the enterprise resourcing process for capacity allocation rather than prioritization or intake. 

• Ensures specialized technical resources are positioned and available to begin implementation once an initiative has validated core assumptions and demonstrates a clear path to production. 

Stakeholder Engagement & Cross Functional Leadership 

• Serves as the primary internal point of accountability for pod delivery, driving day-to-day alignment across engineering, QA, UX, research, and cross-pod dependencies. 

• Collaborates with execution pod Product Owners to assess capacity, roadmap alignment, and readiness when determining the implementation path for validated initiatives. 

• Provides execution data, pilot outcomes, and operational updates to support the Fintech Partnership Lead and Director in communicating progress and recommendations to leadership. 

• Coordinates internal blocker resolution, escalating to the Director or Fintech Partnership Lead when issues require strategic or partner-level intervention. 

Member Experience Advocacy 

• Partners with Research to ensure initiatives are grounded in real member behavior, feedback, and validated needs. 

• Works with the Fintech Partnership Lead to evaluate whether partner opportunities align with the pod's priorities and success criteria before entering the pipeline. 

• Leverages analytical support to inform prioritization, build business cases, and support scale decisions with measurable outcomes. 

Governance, Quality, and Compliance 

• Ensures initiatives adhere to applicable industry regulations, accessibility standards, and UFCU policies throughout discovery, pilot, and implementation. 

• Partners with Architecture, Security, and Risk teams to maintain alignment with enterprise standards, including integration guardrails as UFCU's middleware capabilities evolve. 

• Defines and tracks initiative metrics and outcomes, using data to validate decisions, measure impact, and inform future pipeline planning. 

Other  

• Adheres to all company policies, procedures, and business ethics codes.  

• Completes required regulatory training as assigned.  

• Maintains strict adherence to and compliance with all laws, rules, regulations, and internal controls specific to the role, including but not limited to Bank Secrecy Act, Anti-Money Laundering, USA Patriot Act, OFAC and Fair Lending regulations.  

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities      

Knowledge 

• Strong understanding of how fintech partnerships and emerging technologies are evaluated, piloted, and integrated into financial services environments. 

• Strong knowledge of lean startup principles, including hypothesis-driven development, validated learning, and learning accounting. 

• Working knowledge of API-first and middleware-based integration patterns and how they apply to enterprise technology environments. 

• Working knowledge of agile delivery principles adapted for high-ambiguity, discovery-stage work. 

• Working knowledge of the credit union or financial services industry and relevant digital and fintech trends. 

Skills 

• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate ambiguous concepts into clear, actionable direction for technical and non-technical audiences. 

• Strong organizational and operational skills, with the ability to manage multiple concurrent initiatives at different lifecycle stages. 

• Proficient in product management and collaboration tools (e.g., Jira, DevOps, or similar). 

• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to define success metrics, interpret pilot data, and build evidence-based recommendations. 

Abilities  

• Ability to operate effectively in ambiguity, making sound decisions with incomplete information and adapting quickly as solutions evolve. 

• Ability to manage multiple concurrent initiatives across discovery, pilot, and implementation while maintaining clarity and focus. 

• Ability to coordinate across pods, business areas, and technical teams without direct authority, building alignment through influence and trust. 

• Ability to balance speed of learning with disciplined execution, knowing when to move fast and when to escalate. 

Core Competencies  

• Demonstrating Member Obsession 

• Puts themselves in the Member’s shoes 

• Looks for friction points 

• Makes it personalized and easy 

• Demonstrating Performance Excellence 

• Sets standards for elevating excellence 

• Ensures elevated quality 

• Takes responsibility  

• Conducts continuous improvement 

• Demonstrating Innovation 

• Challenges current thinking 

• Approaches change with a positive mindset 

Experience 

Minimum Requirements  

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Computer Science, or related field or equivalent years of experience 

• 3-5 years of experience in product management, fintech operations, or roles requiring structured execution in ambiguous environments. 

• 3+ years of experience leading cross-functional teams through discovery, pilot, or early-stage product development. 

• 2+ years of experience defining and tracking success metrics for experimental or pilot initiatives, with demonstrated ability to translate outcomes into actionable recommendations. 

• Must be bondable. 

Preferred Requirements  

• Master’s degree or MBA. 

• Experience working with fintech partners, including pilot execution and integration coordination. 

• Familiarity with lean startup methodology, including hypothesis-driven development and validated learning frameworks. 

• Working understanding of API-first integration models and middleware-based enterprise architecture. 

• 2+ years of financial services or fintech experience. 

• Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) or equivalent. 

Physical Demands 

The physical demands described are representative of those that must be met by an employee, with or without accommodation, to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.  

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to finger, handle or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear.  

• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, and ability to adjust focus.  

• Employee will make extensive use of the telephone and virtual communications requiring the ability to explain complex information effectively and accurately. 

Work Environment 

The work environment characteristics described are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.  

• This position requires frequently working onsite at UFCU Plaza in Austin, Texas.  

• This position may involve periodic stressful conditions.  

• May occasionally require an adjusted work schedule, overtime, and evening/weekend hours.  

• May occasionally move from one work location/branch to another.  

• Public contact position, requiring appropriate professional appearance.  

• Frequent computer use at a workstation of up to two hours at a time.  

• The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet.  

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