Part-Time Product Owner (Contract)

Think Company is looking for a Product Owner with experience leading complex platform modernization efforts in enterprise, public sector, or nonprofit environments. This is a contract role at part-time capacity, ideal for someone who thrives on turning a strategic roadmap into shipped product in a multi-vendor environment. You'll own the product backlog for a national data platform undergoing its first major modernization in several years. Extensive design research and user interviews have been completed, and a prioritized roadmap will be in place when you start. Prototypes exist for many of the key features, with others to be developed alongside delivery. Your job is to take that foundation, decompose it into developer-ready work, and drive execution in close coordination with the client's stakeholders, Think Company's design team, and an external development vendor. The platform supports data-driven decision-making for a national nonprofit focused on community impact and equitable outcomes. Quick Facts Location: Remote-first (U.S. – East Coast) Employment Type: 1099 Contractor, Part-Time (20 Hours/Week) Contract Rate: $55 - $68/Hour What You'll Do Translate a prioritized product roadmap into a sprint-ready backlog: decomposing epics into features and developer-ready user stories with clear acceptance criteria Coordinate delivery across three organizations: the client's internal stakeholders, Think Company's design team, and an external development vendor Lead sprint planning, backlog refinement, and sprint reviews, ensuring the dev vendor has clearly scoped, estimated, and acceptance-tested stories before each sprint Collaborate with Think's design team to ensure design specs stay 1-2 sprints ahead of development, preventing dev bottlenecks Establish and run the product cadence from scratch, setting up ceremonies, communication rhythms, and decision-making norms rather than inheriting them Manage scope, timeline, and trade-off decisions within the roadmap's strategic direction, escalating to the Product Manager when priorities or sequencing need to shift Provide the client's primary stakeholder with structured visibility (sprint reviews, progress updates) so they can stay informed and make strategic decisions without carrying the operational burden Track delivery progress against outcome-based success metrics defined during the roadmap phase What You Bring Demonstrated experience as a Product Owner or Product Manager on platform modernization or data-heavy product efforts, with a track record of shipping real outcomes rather than just managing backlogs Ability to decompose epics into feature and developer-ready user stories with clear acceptance criteria Strong written communication: concise requirements, clear decision documentation, and stakeholder updates that respect people's time Solid understanding of user experience principles: you don't need to be a designer, but you should be able to evaluate whether a proposed solution serves the user's workflow, provide meaningful feedback on design specs, and advocate for usability when making trade-off decisions with the dev team Comfort working with data-intensive products: you don't need to be a data engineer, but you should understand concepts like data pipelines, APIs, database architecture, and data quality well enough to hold credible conversations with technical teams Practical experience implementing Agile principles in environments where the process is being introduced or formalized, not just maintained Experience coordinating with external development vendors or distributed engineering teams where you lead without direct authority over the builders Strong facilitation skills that include demoing shipped features to non-technical stakeholders and running a backlog refinement session with engineers, adjusting your language depending on the stakeholder. Nice-to-Haves Background in multi-vendor environments where design and development are handled by separate teams Familiarity with geospatial platforms, GIS tools (Esri, PostGIS), or map-based data products Knowledge of product analytics tools and data-driven prioritization methods Experience with nonprofit, public sector, or civic technology products Experience helping organizations transition from ad hoc or informal product management to a structured product operating model CSPO, PSPO, or equivalent certification Experience with AI-enabled product development and leveraging AI tools to enhance product workflows About Working at Think Company Think Company is a design and technology consultancy that helps organizations solve meaningful problems through thoughtful strategy, design, and delivery. You'll work with smart, kind people across disciplines and industries while gaining opportunities to grow your skills, expand your influence, and shape how we work. We offer competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits, and ongoing opportunities for learning and development. How We Work We collaborate primarily remotely, with intentional in-person time for company gatherings and client needs. Our teams balance autonomy with partnership, and we believe great work comes from trust, transparency, and shared ownership. AI is becoming a foundational part of how we work at Think Company. Team members are expected to use AI tools responsibly, stay curious about advancements, and participate in training and enablement as part of their growth. Interested? If you're someone who excels at turning a strategic roadmap into a shipped product while keeping stakeholders, designers, and engineers aligned across organizations, we'd love to hear from you. Send in your application and tell us about a product you helped take from plan to delivery.