Product Owner

Role Overview

As a Product Owner at Makai Labs, you’ll translate business strategy into actionable development work. You’ll manage the product backlog, define clear user stories, and ensure engineering and design teams have what they need to execute efficiently in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Own and manage the product backlog: keep priorities clear, current, and actionable
• Facilitate Agile/Scrum ceremonies: backlog grooming, sprint planning, stand-ups, retrospectives
• Track progress against goals and communicate updates to stakeholders
• Write detailed specs and documentation, including:
  • acceptance criteria
  • functional specs
  • user stories
  • backlog and sprint documentation that removes ambiguity
• Analyze and document business requirements so technical teams understand the “why” behind features
• Oversee testing and validation to ensure features meet acceptance criteria
• Collaborate with UX/UI designers to align user experience with business intent
• Document, analyze, and iterate based on user feedback and performance metrics
• Identify process improvements across teams and workflows
• Communicate proactively, especially via email and asynchronous channels

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of direct Product Owner (or similar) experience
• Strong understanding of Scrum and Agile product delivery
• Proven ability to write clear, detailed user stories and functional specs
• Excellent communication and documentation skills (responsive and concise)
• Highly organized, proactive, and strong follow-through
• Cross-functional experience in fast-moving or startup environments

Preferred / Nice-to-Haves

• Familiarity with SaaS, AI, or ML
• Experience with product marketing and go-to-market strategies
• Familiar with tools like Jira, Confluence, and Figma

Work Location & Schedule

• Fully remote role
• Eastern time zone
• Opportunities for in-person time with local colleagues

Compensation

• $120K - $130K