Location: Aurora IL, Virtual

Summary:

The Product Manager (PM) is responsible for understanding customer needs and using that understanding to create solutions that are desirable by the customer, technically feasible, viable from a business model perspective, and sustainable. This is a leadership role with accountability to build and manage relationships with insurance product leaders, sales and market leadership, ART members, designers, and technology partners to identify areas of opportunity for customer experience enhancements.

PMs, in partnership with the RTEs, are accountable for delivery outcomes and decisions that solve product related problems. They set the vision and priorities for the solutions built by the ART, and work with other ART leaders to define objectives and key results (OKRs) for the ART.

PMs are effective at creating psychological safety through creating an environment of trust and honesty without fear so that they are informed of risks and problems and can work with others to actively explore solution options, ensuring decisions are taken by those with accountability for delivering outcomes that meet the needs of MetLife’s customers and our business goals.

A PM is:

• A person able to understand customer and business needs and identify applicable technology solutions.
• The voice of the customer and business needs for the ART.
• A leader that shapes and defines the roadmap for the agile release train.
• A person who ensures we are delivering business value by communicating objectives, prioritizing features, and tracking metrics and outcomes.

Accountable for execution and delivery across all teams

A Product Manager’s focus on customer value is evident when we see them…

• Constantly reviewing and understanding customer feedback, turning pain points into opportunities.
• Ensuring teams are optimizing and prioritizing work, to achieve ART and portfolio OKRs.
• Regularly re-examining our priorities to optimize the ART’s alignment with stakeholder and business demands. Ensuring that outcomes are achieved.

A Product Manager’s fixation on clarity is evident when they:

• Seek first to understand – our customers, stakeholders, and team members – and then to be understood.
• Provide prioritized features to the ART (not having multiple #1 priorities) using transparent methods.
• Visualize their work and make the ARTs results visible through system demos, metrics and transparent processes.
• Provide clarity on the business objectives and key results the ART and teams will be measured by.

A Product Manager continuously employs agile practices that will sustain flow when they:

• Apply lean/agile principles when making decisions and resolving problems
• Maintain a backlog of well-refined features for the ART.
• Allocate capacity to enabler features that will speed delivery and improve quality as well as to business features
• Respond quickly to requests for clarification and feedback so teams are not delayed.
• Respect the team’s need for focus by leveraging regularly scheduled, time-boxed meetings and minimizing ad-hoc demands.

A Product Manager champions Lean and reduces waste when they:

• Empower the teams to design and deliver valuable solutions instead of inserting approval states
• Educate themselves, the teams, and others on how to recognize waste, streamlining processes and interactions to be as efficient and effective as possible.
• Help to manage work-in-progress (WIP) and reduce batch sizes.
• Make continuous improvement and resolving root causes a foundation of all our processes.
• Recognize that time is our most precious resource, and they protect it vigorously.

A Product Manager leads by example when they:

• Act as a Mentor and Coach for others, building trust and providing guidance.
• Act as a Negotiator to help analyze the advantages and disadvantages of each possibility and evaluate which trade-offs to make.
• Identify areas of opportunity for cultural change and lead by example, showcasing respect for others and empathy for our customers.
• Use real-time feedback to coach Product Owners and team members on key behaviors and ways to display the work done.

Celebrates wins across the teams and foster ways to let the team members demo their work proudly to leadership audiences.

Key Responsibilities:

The Work:

• 
  Partner with Business Owners to identify ways to enhance the customer journey and business outcomes, creating epics and features as a result
• Ensure each Program Increment focuses on features with a maximum value, aligned with product strategy, roadmap, and key milestones
• Help refine, prioritize, and accept the work delivered across the agile release train to ensure the outcomes meet the defined customer and business needs
• Ensure all features are delivered whole, and released to customers as a product to be proud of
• Develop program level Objectives and Key Results that align business goals with prioritized epics higher level objectives, tracking progress throughout
• Make decisions to solve product related problems, trade-off discussions, to stay on track to committed outcomes. (acceptance, prioritizing, making trade-offs, etc.)

The Interactions:

• 
  Lead Product Owners and teams to create viable and sustainable plans that align to business expectations
• Set and manage stakeholders’ expectations through regular discussions about future needs and iterative demonstrations of completed work
• Identify methods for gathering and incorporating feedback from multiple sources to better define solutions
• Active interaction with Business Owners and other partners to protect the integrity of the deliverables
• Interactions with other Product Managers in service of holistic customer journeys and experiences, ensuring consistency and connectivity
• Work with Product Owners to ensure alignment of team’s vision
• Work with RTE to coordinate and facilitate key meetings
• Work with system architect to understand what is possible and maintain the architectural runway

Salary Grade

13 M

Contact Information

Bernadette Jones -bernadette.jones@metlife.com

At MetLife, we’re leading the global transformation of an industry we’ve long defined. United in purpose, diverse in perspective, we’re dedicated to making a difference in the lives of our customers.

The role is eligible for incentive compensation under the MetLife Annual Variable Incentive Plan ("AVIP"). Your eligibility for and award of incentives are governed by the terms of the plan. MetLife offers a comprehensive benefits program that includes Medical, Dental, Life, Vision plus Retirement benefits and Paid Time Off.

MetLife:

MetLife, through its subsidiaries and affiliates, is one of the world’s leading financial services companies, providing insurance, annuities, employee benefits and asset management to help its individual and institutional customers navigate their changing world. Founded in 1868, MetLife has operations in more than 40 countries and holds leading market positions in the United States, Japan, Latin America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

We are one of the largest institutional investors in the U.S. with $642.4 billion of total assets under management as of March 31, 2021. We are ranked #46 on the Fortune 500 list for 2021. In 2020, we were named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) for the fifth year in a row. DJSI is a global index to track the leading sustainability-driven companies. We are proud to have been named to Fortune magazine’s 2021 list of the “World’s Most Admired Companies.”

MetLife is committed to building a purpose-driven and inclusive culture that energizes our people. Our employees work every day to help build a more confident future for people around the world.

The wage range for applicants for this position is 105K-140K. This role is also eligible for annual short-term incentive compensation. MetLife offers a comprehensive benefits program, including healthcare benefits, life insurance, retirement benefits, parental leave, legal plan services and paid time off. All incentives and benefits are subject to the applicable plan terms.

We want to make it simple for all interested and qualified candidates to apply for employment opportunities with MetLife. For further information about how to request a reasonable accommodation, please click on the Disability Accommodations link below.

MetLife is a proud Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer dedicated to attracting, retaining, and developing a diverse and inclusive workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment at MetLife without regards to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, national origin, marital or domestic/civil partnership status, genetic information, citizenship status, uniformed service member or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

MetLife maintains a drug-free workplace.