Senior Product Manager - Remote in Colorado

About the Department

The Governor's Office of Information Technology (OIT) in Colorado pursues innovation and collaboration to enhance the lives of all Coloradans. OIT is transforming government IT operations by partnering with agencies to build inclusive, cutting-edge applications and support services equitably statewide.

Position Overview

This role is part of an ongoing recruitment to fill multiple Senior Product Manager positions. Candidates who applied within the last 90 days need not reapply. The Senior Product Manager will act as a key liaison between agency missions and delivery pods responsible for creating effective public services. This role prioritizes the work for pods by managing product backlogs, steering planning cycles, and making decisions guided by user research and impact metrics rather than mere activity reports.

Core Responsibilities

• Create and maintain a prioritized backlog of outcome-oriented user stories tied to real constituent needs and agency goals.
• Develop initial backlogs for procurement requests translating problem areas into user story formats without rigid scope constraints.
• Utilize prioritization frameworks such as Value vs. Effort and Now/Next/Later to make justified prioritization decisions.
• Manage project scope actively by declining requests that do not align with current priorities, maintaining clear communication with stakeholders.
• Facilitate essential agile ceremonies including sprint planning, refinements, reviews, and retrospectives.
• Conduct quarterly roadmap discussions with agency leadership to sync long-term objectives with delivery capabilities.
• Regularly report progress and outcomes to IT leadership and agency programs focusing on mission impact.
• Collaborate closely with Service Designers to interpret journey maps and problem definitions into actionable product backlog items.
• Define and monitor success metrics and OKRs, assessing feature effectiveness post-launch.
• Educate and develop agency personnel's product management capabilities, cultivating agency ownership and partnership.
• Oversee the entire product lifecycle from discovery to continuous improvement.
• Partner with engineering teams to validate technical decisions and contribute backlog insights in build/buy/SaaS evaluations.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum five years' experience in technology product management within cross-functional, iterative, user-centered teams.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate across disciplines such as design, engineering, policy, and operations to deliver practical solutions.
• Strong grasp of product management fundamentals including backlog ownership, user story writing, prioritization techniques, and product governance.
• Understanding of agile methodologies such as sprint planning, refinement, reviews, retrospectives, and the PM’s role therein.
• Familiarity with user-centered design principles to work effectively with service designers and incorporate constituent insights.
• Knowledge of Colorado state agency program contexts and their service delivery, decision-making, and prioritization frameworks.
• Insight into product lifecycle management from discovery phases through ongoing enhancement.
• Awareness of technology investment decisions including considerations for build vs. buy vs. SaaS models in state government.
• Capability to set and track meaningful success metrics focused on mission outcomes rather than mere activity.
• Skill in managing scope by constructively saying no to non-prioritized work, maintaining transparency with stakeholders.
• Effective communication skills to convey status focused on outcomes, facilitate decisional conversations, and mediate between user needs and stakeholder requests.
• Ability to independently own product success and adapt communication styles suited to different audiences.

Preferred Qualifications

• Relevant certifications such as Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO), Pragmatic Institute Product Management, or Professional Product Manager (PPM).
• Experience in digital service agencies or government technology firms specializing in turning policy goals into executable product plans.
• Experience managing software solutions evaluation and vendor relationships to align with agile and outcome-centered methodologies.
• Background in User-Centered Design (UCD) is advantageous.

Employment Terms and Additional Information

Salary offers are based on a comprehensive analysis considering experience, education, certifications, and seniority in line with Colorado's Equal Pay for Equal Work Act. Actual compensation may vary within a broad posted range.

A background check and potential additional screenings (polygraph, fingerprinting, drug tests, references) are part of employment conditions.

The role entails remote work from anywhere within Colorado, with some travel inside the state and periodic reporting to a designated primary location.

Applicants from outside Colorado may apply but must relocate to Colorado on or before their start date. The agency supports reasonable accommodations and is committed to an inclusive workplace valuing equality and merit-based hiring.

The office does not provide visa sponsorships.

How to Apply

Only the information submitted within the application will be reviewed; do not attach resumes or cover letters. Applications with duplicates within 90 days will be rejected. Multiple vacancies may be filled from this posting.