Product Owner

New York, NY, United States

Fora Financial is a technology enabled, leading provider of flexible financing to small and medium sized businesses. Since our inception in 2008, we have supported more than 55,000 merchants nationwide with over $4 billion of capital used for a variety of purposes, from funding everyday operating expenses to managing cash flow gaps to facilitating business expansion, and much more. Leveraging our proprietary technology, Fora Financial is able to deliver capital to our customers via a streamlined and simple process that can be completed in as little as 24 hours, compared with the weeks or even months it often takes for a business to receive a bank loan.

Over the past fourteen years, Fora Financial has grown from two founders in a small Manhattan workspace to a company of nearly 150 employees with new offices in New York and Miami. Fora Financial prides itself on being a partner-centric organization, offering a customized funding approach, collaborating with our small-business customers to understand their needs in a dynamic and ever-changing economic environment.

We offer a competitive salary, growth potential, and a casual yet professional hybrid work environment. Located in the heart of midtown Manhattan, you can enjoy lunch downstairs listening to the summer band series or around the corner in Bryant Park. After work, you can hop on a CitiBike to ride to the Hudson River Park, take a stroll to a show on Broadway or attend an event at Madison Square Garden. Our office sets the stage for our employees’ success and well-being. We provide all the tools and support needed to maximize your career potential, in addition to perks and extras like daily breakfasts, endless snacks, catered lunches, a chill lounge/games area and more. While we work very hard, we do not take ourselves too seriously. We enjoy a family-like camaraderie that fosters a passion for success in each Fora Financial Team member. If this sounds like an environment you would be passionate to work in – apply now

We are seeking a* Product Owner *to join our in-house Agile team focused on our Fintech platform and users. Be part of our digital transformation with our industry leading FinTech platform. Your ideas will be valued, your work will be impactful.

In this role you will be responsible for building an end-to-end internal product development capability while fostering a culture of innovation for the company. Working closely with the CTO, VP of Engineering, Project Manager/Scrum master, and functional leaders, you will be tasked with evaluating, and launching new product initiatives that leverage the company’s capabilities, fulfill a need in the marketplace, and ultimately create long-term economic value. You will refine the product/project roadmap and services offered to the small business community. You will directly contribute and be responsible for requirements elicitation, success criteria, KPI metrics, and prioritization.

Let’s jointly challenge norms and disrupt for new levels of success!

*Key Deliverables:*

* Participate in product management lifecycle process including technical requirements, success criteria, product implementation and launch.

* Own and manage assigned product/project initiatives and issues/bugs addressing prioritization as well as any contentions.

* Works closely with Business, Product, and Technology stakeholders for prototyping and technical development and delivery of products, understanding how new product ideas will leverage the capabilities of the company’s proprietary technology platform.

* Perform as Product Owner for Agile Sprint delivery, managing requirements, acceptance criteria, stakeholder signoffs, and prioritization of user stories as well as bugs/issues.

* Responsible for BAU Ops enhancements, analysis, issues prioritization as well as requirements management.

* Responsible for business requirements gathering/management, throughout the entire agile delivery lifecycle, and conveying to technical resources for implementation.

* Involved with elicitation, organization, translation, of both business level and functional requirements. Probing and challenging stakeholders to get to the right level of detail including identification of success criteria metrics.

* Perform as product owner for a Sprint and Scrum team, prioritizing and managing backlog and grooming based upon Prioritization Committee decisions.

* Confirm interpretation of requirements with stakeholders followed by user story communication and clarification for technology stakeholders.

* Development and execution of independent verification and validation test cases and plans, as well as production-based operational acceptance testing.

* Obtain Level of effort estimate from development engineering team, any resourcing contention, and communicate to Project Prioritization Committee.

* Act as a liaison between key business stakeholders and technical resources.

* Partner closely with project manager/scrum master.

*Desired Skills & Experience:*

* Track record of delivering high value products in a high growth, fast paced environment.

* Experience within financial services, FinTech, or technology related industries is preferred. Knowledge of the SMB customer/market is a plus.

* Experience driving business centric product strategy, road-mapping, requirements management, and execution across a fast-moving organization.

* Diverse skill set demonstrating a big picture, strategic mindset, attention to detail, literacy across business functions, technology savvy, and financial proficiency.

* Strong project management and leaderships skills, the ability to direct cross-functional initiatives at the management level, and comfort interacting with/influencing senior stakeholders.

* Ownership mentality and accountability for driving business impact, in a data-informed, experiment-driven product culture, ideally in SMB or Consumer Growth.

*Requirements:*

* Bachelor’s Degree is required.

* 5+ years of experience as Product Manager/Product Owner.

* Strong organizational, prioritization, and analytical skills.

* Forward thinking individual with the ability to solve complex problems.

* Ability to juggle multiple responsibilities, prioritize, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

* Strong interpersonal and collaborative skills with ability to develop effective relationships with executive management, business users, and technical staff.

* Experience with Agile delivery and processes including user stories.

* Familiarity with tools like Azure Dev Ops, JIRA and Zendesk.

* Financial industry lending, underwriting, and credit risk knowledge would be a major plus.

* Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

*Why Fora Financial?*

* Attractive company subsidized Medical, Dental, and Vision plans with leading insurance providers

* 401k Plan with Company Match

* Gym Reimbursement for Employees on Medical Plans

* Life Insurance at No Cost to Employees

* Generous Time Off Plan

* Flexible Spending and Commuter Benefits

* Hybrid working model offering employees the option to work from home 2 days a week

*

Fora Financial is an Equal Opportunity Employer*

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $105,000.00 - $130,000.00 per year

Benefits:

* 401(k) matching

* Dental insurance

* Employee assistance program

* Employee discount

* Health insurance

* Life insurance

* Paid time off

* Vision insurance

Schedule:

* Monday to Friday

Work Location: Hybrid remote in New York, NY 10018