The Digital Agriculture Innovations Team at Iowa State University is accepting applications for an Engineering Product Owner who will provide vision and leadership to engineering project teams in vehicle systems with a focus on automation and sensing technologies. The ISU Digital Agriculture Innovation Team (www.isudigitalag.org) consists of professional staff and graduate students who work closely with agricultural industry partners to develop innovative technology solutions for agriculture. The team has a strong innovation record with over 30 patents and licensed technologies. As an Engineering Product Owner with a focus on automation, your job duties will involve defining and prioritizing innovation-based feature development and providing a product vision to an engineering team focused on off-road vehicle solutions. This work will focus on translating technology from early proof of concept (TRL 3) to a system prototype (TRL 7).
Daily responsibilities of this position may include:
- Own and drive the product vision, strategy, and roadmap, collaborating with key internal and external stakeholders to define priorities and align with business objectives.
- Translate high-level product requirements into actionable steps, detailed features, and technical specifications that guide the development team.
- Act as the primary point of contact between business stakeholders and development teams, ensuring clear communication and understanding of expectations.
- Prioritize and manage the product backlog, continually refining and adjusting priorities based on user feedback, market trends, and business needs.
- Lead project management activities including facilitating internal and external meetings, maintaining team communication, and recurring grooming of priorities.
- Collaborate with engineering teams to provide clarity on milestones, resolve technical queries, and make timely decisions to ensure smooth development progress. Monitor project progress, identify potential risks, and implement mitigation strategies to ensure on-time delivery of high-quality products.
- Maintain a keen awareness of industry trends, competitive landscape, and emerging technologies, incorporating innovative ideas into the product strategy.
- Foster a collaborative and innovative environment by promoting cross-functional teamwork, knowledge sharing, mentoring of junior team members, and a culture of continuous improvement.
The successful candidate will demonstrate the ability to work independently and collaboratively; complete projects within a specified timeline; meet project design criteria; communicate effectively and provide technical leadership to design team members; and ensure a safe working environment for project staff. All staff members are expected to interact collegially and maintain the highest standards of confidentiality, integrity, and ethics.
This is an initial three-year term position, with expectation for renewal based on availability of funding. Multiple positions are available and recruitment will be ongoing until positions are filled.