Senior Associate – Product Owner (Banking & Finance Consulting)
Location: Washington, DC, USA (Hybrid – 3 days/week onsite)
About the Role
As a Senior Associate – Product Owner, you will drive product strategy and Agile delivery, ensuring alignment between business objectives and execution. You will act as the key bridge between stakeholders and delivery teams, enabling scalable, customer-centric digital solutions.
Key Responsibilities
Product Ownership & Backlog Management
- Define and drive product vision, roadmap, and strategy aligned with business goals
- Own and prioritise the product backlog to maximise business value
- Create and refine user stories with clear acceptance criteria
- Make data-driven prioritisation and trade-off decisions
Agile Delivery & Execution
- Lead and participate in Agile ceremonies (sprint planning, grooming, demos, retrospectives)
- Support sprint execution by providing clarity and removing blockers
- Ensure alignment between product vision and delivery outcomes
Program Planning & Coordination (SAFe)
- Contribute to Program Increment (PI) Planning and align team objectives with ART goals
- Break down features into deliverable user stories
- Identify and manage cross-team dependencies and risks
Stakeholder Collaboration
- Act as the primary voice of the customer
- Partner with Product Managers, stakeholders, and cross-functional teams
- Facilitate workshops, gather requirements, and validate solutions
- Build strong relationships and drive stakeholder alignment
Value Delivery & Continuous Improvement
- Ensure delivered features meet business outcomes and acceptance criteria
- Track product performance using KPIs and user feedback
- Drive continuous improvement through retrospectives and feedback loops
Key Skills & Competencies
- Strong knowledge of SAFe and Agile methodologies (Scrum/Kanban)
- Expertise in backlog prioritisation and value-driven delivery
- Strong stakeholder management and communication skills
- Ability to translate business needs into technical requirements
- Analytical and data-driven mindset
- Experience with JIRA, Confluence, Azure DevOps
What You Must Have
- 6+ years of experience as a Product Owner
- Strong experience in Agile delivery and backlog ownership
- Consulting or client-facing experience
- Proven ability to define product strategy and roadmap
Nice to Have
- Experience in digital transformation or product-led initiatives
- Exposure to data-driven decision-making
- Ability to influence without authority
Work Model (Hybrid)
We believe hybrid work is the way forward as we strive to provide flexibility wherever possible. Based on this role’s business requirements, this is a hybrid position requiring 3 days per week onsite at a Cognizant office in Washington, DC (downtown). We remain committed to supporting work-life balance through our wellbeing programs.
Salary and Other Compensation
The annual salary for this position is expected to be between $85,000 – $101,000 USD, depending on experience and qualifications. This role is also eligible for Cognizant’s discretionary incentive programs and a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, paid time off, and retirement benefits.
Why Cognizant?
- Work on high-impact consulting engagements with leading global clients
- Be part of a collaborative culture built on Work as One, Own It, and Raise the Bar
- Grow your career through continuous learning and development opportunities
- Contribute to innovative, product-led transformation initiatives
Application Details
Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States without employer sponsorship.
Over Cognizant
Cognizant (NASDAQ: CTSH) is een bouwer van AI-oplossingen en een leverancier van technologiediensten. Wij slaan de brug tussen AI-investeringen en ondernemingswaarde door het bouwen van full-stack AI-oplossingen voor onze klanten. Onze diepgaande kennis van sectoren, processen en engineering stelt ons in staat om de unieke context van een organisatie te verankeren in technologische systemen. Deze systemen versterken het menselijk potentieel, realiseren tastbare resultaten en geven wereldwijde ondernemingen een voorsprong in een snel veranderende wereld. Ontdek hoe op cognizant.ai of @cognizant.
Aanvullende arbeidsinformatie
De informatie over de beloning is correct op de datum van deze vacature. Cognizant behoudt zich het recht voor om deze informatie op elk moment te wijzigen, met inachtneming van de toepasselijke wetgeving.
Van sollicitanten kan worden verwacht dat zij gesprekken bijwonen, persoonlijk of via een videogesprek. Daarnaast kan van kandidaten worden gevraagd om tijdens elk gesprek een geldig, door de overheid uitgegeven identiteitsbewijs (zoals een identiteitskaart of paspoort) te tonen.
Cognizant is een werkgever die gelijke kansen biedt. Je sollicitatie en kandidatuur worden niet beoordeeld op basis van ras, huidskleur, geslacht, religie, levensovertuiging, seksuele geaardheid, genderidentiteit, nationale afkomst, handicap, genetische informatie, zwangerschap, veteranenstatus of enige andere eigenschap die wordt beschermd door federale, regionale of lokale wetgeving.
