Director, Product Owner Management

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Date: Jan 30, 2026

Primary Location: Hartford, CT, US

Company: Lincoln Financial

Alternate Locations: Hartford, CT (Connecticut); Fort Wayne, IN (Indiana); Greensboro, NC (North Carolina)

Work Arrangement:

Hybrid : Employee will work 3 days a week in a Lincoln office

Relocation assistance: is not available for this opportunity.

Requisition #: 75705

The Role at a Glance

We are excited to bring on a Director, Product Owner Management to drive transformation, lead and build a high-performing Product Owner team supporting the Life and Annuity business and powering the FAST administrative platform, a cornerstone of Lincoln’s modernization strategy. This role will be hybrid and we are open to candidates in the following key city locations: Hartford (CT), Fort Wayne (IN), or Greensboro (NC).

Background Details

The Director, Product Owner Management will:

Lead and inspire a team of Product Owners to deliver capabilities that transform how we serve customers.
Drive collaboration across business and technology teams to ensure alignment and seamless delivery.
Shape outcomes by applying governance and prioritization frameworks that maximize business value.
Develop top talent through coaching, mentorship, and growth opportunities.
Champion innovation by identifying process improvements and leveraging data to measure success.

This is an amazing opportunity to make a real impact—improving customer experience, operational efficiency, and compliance across the policy lifecycle. If you thrive in a fast-paced environment, love solving complex challenges, bring strong Agile product management expertise, and want to be part of a program that’s redefining the future of our business, please read on!

What you'll be doing

You will lead a team of Product Owners through discovery, definition, and delivery of system capabilities in support of our Life and Annuity business on the FAST administrative platform.
You will proactively manage cross team dependencies and resolve conflicts impacting scope, schedule, quality, or risk; escalate through program channels when needed.
You will ensure stakeholder alignment at each lifecycle stage—requirements, design, testing, deployment, and post release validation—in coordination with the designated program and technology leads.
You will execute the FAST program vision and roadmap; ensure Product Owners align epics, features, and backlog to approved priorities.
You will apply the program’s prioritization and intake framework, balance business value, risk, dependencies, and team capacity within established guardrails.
You will champion Agile delivery by ensuring Product Owners maintain clear, prioritized backlogs, define high‑quality user stories and acceptance criteria, and collaborate with teams to enable predictable, value‑driven iterations.
You will hire, develop, and retain top talent Product Owners; provide coaching, stretch assignments, and candid feedback to build domain and delivery excellence.
You will build team expertise in policy administration and FAST platform capabilities; raise product owner maturity through training and practice improvements.
You will represent Product Owner perspectives in program forums and working groups; coordinate with the program’s designated points of contact.
You will identify and implement process improvements that reduce time to value, improve quality, and streamline collaboration across product and operations.
You will collaborate with program leadership to define KPIs and success measures (e.g., for FAST capabilities, leveraging data to assess adoption, ROI, and operational impact); publish dashboards and retrospectives that inform future prioritization
You will ensure alignment between business units and product owner teams at each stage of the FAST development lifecycle, from requirements through deployment.
You will provide subject matter expertise to team members and internal/external stakeholders on the FAST Program.

What we’re looking for

Must-have experience (Required):

4 Year/Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience (4 years of experience in lieu of Bachelor's)
7+ Years of experience in Business Analysis, Project Management, or a product-related role within a development team, including 3+ years of managerial, supervisory, and/or demonstrated leadership experience.
Strong project management leadership skills including, critical ability to coordinate and balance multiple projects in a time-sensitive environment, under pressure, and meeting deadlines. 
Ability to successfully hire, retain, develop and coach staff via a culture of real-time performance feedback, with ability to build both technical and leadership skills. 
Strong relationship management skills with internal clients (e.g. senior management, peers and colleagues); proven ability to develop creative and collaborative approaches.  
Finds common ground and can gain collaboration among senior management, colleagues and peers; can influence outcomes without directing or commanding. 
Ability to identify, recommend and champion process improvements.
Demonstrated experience applying Agile methodologies (Scrum, SAFe, or Agile Product Management) to deliver digital and operational capabilities; ability to coach teams in Agile practices and ensure strong backlog discipline.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).

Nice-to have Experience (Preferred):

Life and Annuity product experience.
Experience and understanding of the FAST administrative platform.

Application Deadline

Applications for this position will be accepted through February 27, 2026, subject to earlier closure due to applicant volume.

What’s it like to work here?

At Lincoln Financial, we love what we do. We make meaningful contributions each and every day to empower our customers to take charge of their lives. Working alongside dedicated and talented colleagues, we build fulfilling careers and stronger communities through a company that values our unique perspectives, insights and contributions and invests in programs that empower each of us to take charge of our own future.

What’s in it for you:

Clearly defined career tracks and job levels, along with associated behaviors for each of Lincoln's core values and leadership attributes
Leadership development and virtual training opportunities
PTO/parental leave
Competitive 401K and employee benefits
Free financial counseling, health coaching and employee assistance program
Tuition assistance program
Work arrangements that work for you
Effective productivity/technology tools and training

The pay range for this position is $96,900 - $176,200 with anticipated pay for new hires between the minimum and midpoint of the range and could vary above and below the listed range as permitted by applicable law. Pay is based on non-discriminatory factors including but not limited to work experience, education, location, licensure requirements, proficiency and qualifications required for the role. The base pay is just one component of Lincoln’s total rewards package for employees. In addition, the role may be eligible for the Annual Incentive Program, which is discretionary and based on the performance of the company, business unit and individual. Other rewards may include long-term incentives, sales incentives and Lincoln’s standard benefits package.

About The Company

Lincoln Financial (NYSE: LNC) helps people to confidently plan for their version of a successful future. We focus on identifying a clear path to financial security, with products including annuities, life insurance, group protection, and retirement plan services.

With our 120-year track record of expertise and integrity, millions of customers trust our solutions and service to help put their goals in reach.

Lincoln Financial Distributors, a broker-dealer, is the wholesale distribution organization of Lincoln Financial. Lincoln Financial is the marketing name for Lincoln Financial Corporation and its affiliates including The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company, Fort Wayne, IN, and Lincoln Life & Annuity Company of New York, Syracuse, NY. Lincoln Financial affiliates, their distributors, and their respective employees, representatives and/or insurance agents do not provide tax, accounting or legal advice.

Lincoln is committed to creating an inclusive environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

Be Aware of Fraudulent Recruiting Activities

If you are interested in a career at Lincoln, we encourage you to review our current openings and apply on our website. Lincoln values the privacy and security of every applicant and urges all applicants to diligently protect their sensitive personal information from scams targeting job seekers. These scams can take many forms including fake employment applications, bogus interviews and falsified offer letters.

Lincoln will not ask applicants to provide their social security numbers, date of birth, bank account information or other sensitive information in job applications. Additionally, our recruiters do not communicate with applicants through free e-mail accounts (Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail) or conduct interviews utilizing video chat rooms. We will never ask applicants to provide payment during the hiring process or extend an offer without conducting a phone, live video or in-person interview. Please contact Lincoln's fraud team at fraudhotline@lfg.com if you encounter a recruiter or see a job opportunity that seems suspicious.

Additional Information

This position may be subject to Lincoln’s Political Contribution Policy. An offer of employment may be contingent upon disclosing to Lincoln the details of certain political contributions. Lincoln may decline to extend an offer or terminate employment for this role if it determines political contributions made could have an adverse impact on Lincoln’s current or future business interests, misrepresentations were made, or for failure to fully disclose applicable political contributions and or fundraising activities.

Any unsolicited resumes or candidate profiles submitted through our web site or to personal e-mail accounts of employees of Lincoln Financial are considered property of Lincoln Financial and are not subject to payment of agency fees.

Lincoln Financial ("Lincoln" or "the Company") is an Equal Opportunity employer and, as such, is committed in policy and practice to recruit, hire, compensate, train and promote, in all job classifications, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin or disability. Opportunities throughout Lincoln are available to employees and applicants are evaluated on the basis of job qualifications. If you are a person with a disability that impedes your ability to express your interest for a position through our online application process, or require TTY/TDD assistance, contact us by calling 260-455-2558.

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