Product Manager

We are the Metropolitan Council, the regional government for the seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan area. We plan 30 years ahead for the future of the metropolitan area and provide regional transportation, wastewater, and housing services. More information about us on our website.

We are committed to supporting a diverse workforce that reflects the communities we serve.

The Metropolitan Council's Metro Transit Division is one of the country's largest transit systems, employs more than 3,000 people, and provides ridership through an integrated network of buses, light rail and commuter trains, as well as a resource for those who carpool, vanpool, walk or bike in the Twin Cities.

How your work would contribute to our organization and the Twin Cities region:

The Product Manager is an exciting opportunity to serve as the voice of Metro Transit riders and ensure that investments in fare systems technology improve the transit customer experience. This position is responsible for working collaboratively to define and implement the roadmap for information technology products and tools focused on transit fare systems.

NOTE: This position is eligible for a hybrid (both remote and onsite; at least 2 days in office) telework arrangement. The candidate's permanent residence must be in Minnesota or Wisconsin.

1. Solicit, document, and advocate for transit customers' needs

• Develop new and leverage existing metrics and analytics tools (usage numbers, user flows, heat maps, error reporting, etc.)
• Work with researchers, data scientists, and UX designers to develop evaluation plans and frameworks to identify gaps, pain points, and customer needs
• Respond to customer feedback directly; document the feedback and use it to inform priorities
• Serve as the voice of the customer. Synthesize, summarize, prioritize, communicate, and advocate for user needs to internal stakeholders

2. Develop a shared vision and roadmap for transit fare payment products and tools

• Work with internal users and systems administrators to understand workflows and pain points
• Work with developers and software engineers (both vendor and staff) to understand technical opportunities, constraints, and tradeoffs
• Convene stakeholders from across the agency to develop and update internal consensus on priorities
• Develop and maintain familiarity with the market and industry trends for tools and systems

3. Implement the shared vision and roadmap for transit fare payment products by leading procurement processes, managing contracts, and leading vendor communications and relationship management to ensure deliverables are met

• Document technical and system requirements and scopes of work; develop RFPs, RFQs, and RFI documentation
• Lead procurement processes
• Serve as day-to-day Vendor liaison for key contracts ensuring smooth operations
• Work with vendors to resolve issues, scope enhancements, and implement changes

4. Communicate business requirements to technical staff (business systems analysts, systems administrators, data scientists, and software engineers / developers). Work collaboratively with technical staff to ensure requirements are met and business outcomes are understood

• Clearly communicate priorities and technical requirements, both verbally and in writing
• Lead and facilitate User Acceptance Testing
• Participate in technical discussions to sure the proposed approaches and solutions meet the business needs

5. Lead technical documentation and user communications for the assigned portfolio of tools

• Maintain technical systems documentation, SOPs, training/onboarding documentation, and user instructions
• Lead communication to internal stakeholders about upgrades, system maintenance, and any performance issues

6. Oversee the performance of transit information systems; ensure appropriate system performance

• Facilitate issue postmortems; identify and implement mitigation strategies
• Develop Service Level Agreements

Any of the following combinations of experience successfully delivering solutions within designated timelines, working with technology and data, facilitating consensus and stakeholder buy-in, and integrating user feedback into decisions or closely related AND completed education in business administration or closely related field:

• High school diploma/GED and 7 years of experience
• Associate's degree and 5 years of experience
• Bachelor's degree and 3 years of experience
• Master's degree and 1 year of experience

What additional skills and experience would be helpful in this job (desired qualifications):

• Knowledge of transit data, tools, and systems
• Knowledge of project management, team leadership, and change management
• Knowledge of planning and program development
• Knowledge of software development processes
• Knowledge of user experience testing processes for gathering customer feedback
• Skilled in influencing others
• Skilled in in translating business needs into technical outcomes and technical constraints and opportunities to business users
• Skilled in problem solving, especially the ability to collaborate with others to develop creative solutions
• Skilled in analytical skills
• Skilled in documenting business needs and processes
• Skilled in presentation development and delivery
• Ability to use data to inform goals, deliverables, and business decisions
• Ability to apply collaborative work strategies and communicate complex data to gain the cooperation of employees at all levels of the organization
• Ability to incorporate feedback and learning to implement continuous improvement processes
• Ability to understand technical systems and data flows
• Experience promoting an equitable, positive, and respectful work environment that values culture and diversity among all employees

What you can expect from us:

• We offer the opportunity to make a difference and positively influence the Twin Cities metropolitan area.
• We encourage our employees to develop their skills through on-site training and tuition reimbursement.
• We provide a competitive salary, excellent benefits and a good work/life balance.

More about why you should join us!

Union/Grade: Non-Represented Grade G
FLSA: Non- Exempt
Safety Sensitive: No

What your work environment would be:
You would perform your work in a standard office setting. Work may sometimes require travel between your primary work site and other sites.

What steps the recruitment process involves:

• We review your minimum qualifications.
• We rate your education and experience.
• We conduct a structured panel interview.
• We conduct a selection interview.

Once you have successfully completed the steps above, then:

If you are new to the Metropolitan Council, you must pass a drug test (safety sensitive positions only), and a background check which verifies education, employment, and criminal history. A driving record check and/or physical may be conducted if applicable to the job. If you have a criminal conviction, you do not automatically fail. The Metropolitan Council considers felony, gross misdemeanor and misdemeanor convictions on a case-by-case basis, based on whether they are related to the job and whether the candidate has demonstrated adequate rehabilitation.

If you are already an employee of the Metropolitan Council, you must pass a drug test (if moving from a non-safety sensitive position to a safety sensitive position) and criminal background check if the job you're applying for is safety sensitive, is a supervisory or management job, is in the Finance, Information Services, Audit, or Human Resources departments, or has access to financial records, files/databases, cash, vouchers or transit fare cards. A driving record check and/or physical may be conducted if applicable to the position.

IMPORTANT: If you make a false statement or withhold information, you may be barred from job consideration.