Product Specialist Level 1-3

Description

This position is eligible for telework which is currently one day per week. New hires are eligible to apply 30 days after their effective date of hire.

The purpose of this position is to collect and clarify business requirements for product development, typically under direction of a more senior product specialist. The specialist will assist in workflow planning, needs analysis, and business risk assessment, as well as consulting with the customer to best support the business through the effective use of technology. The product specialist collaborates on multiple products with a diverse set of cross-functional partners across Product, Engineering, Infrastructure, Design, Data Science, Data Engineering, and others. The product specialist collaborates with the product development team to; (a) maintain the workflow by continually maturing the backlog and (b) minimize impediments so the product team is not blocked or surprised.

• Conducts requirements gathering sessions, producing basic documentation to catalogue customer needs.
• Creates requirements documentation and simple functional specifications to ensure clarity around customer needs and corresponding deliverables.
• Validates and obtains sign-off for functional requirements/specifications.
•  Documents changes to requirements throughout the project and routes information to ensure timeliness and accuracy of deliverables.
• Determines business strategy, under guidance, for one or more products and translates it into user stories and business requirements for the development team.
  Builds product development documentation within JIRA and runs Scrum ceremonies including Sprint planning and Sprint review.
• Serves as point-person on products to clarify business requirements and UX strategy to IT.
• Analytical decision support draws conclusions by completing a thorough analysis of circumstances; considers various options and makes an informed decision.
• Risk management: prioritizes risk mitigation while supporting goals and objectives of the organization.
• Develops and utilizes relationships with a focus on productivity; works through conflict in a confident and objective manner.
• Completes daily tasks in an organized, efficient, and accurate manner—consistent with expectations.
• Other duties as assigned.

Level 2:

Same as level 1 with the following additional responsibilities:

• Facilitates requirements gathering sessions for basic requests, typically under a more senior product specialist, proactively drawing out requirements from stakeholders to catalogue customer needs. 
• Performs gap analysis to identify opportunities for process improvement or management control of workflows.
  Creates requirements documentation and simple functional specifications to capture business needs and for validation with the client and shared with project stakeholders.
• Validates and obtains sign-off for functional requirements/specifications.
• Takes ownership of changes to requirements throughout the project, documenting and routing any changes as appropriate. 
• Tracks and reports on project progress against BA defined requirements throughout the project life cycle to ensure timeliness and accuracy of deliverables.

Level 3:

Same as level 2 with the following additional responsibilities:

• Facilitates requirements gathering sessions to understand and document complex business needs, clarifying vague or unclear requirements.
• Provides direction and leadership to more junior level product specialists.
  Determines business strategy for products and translates it into user stories and business requirements for the development team.
•  Builds product documentation within JIRA and runs Scrum ceremonies including Sprint planning and Sprint review.
• Applies thorough understanding of business processes and user needs to formulate and define system scope and objectives.
•  Analyzes business operations and processes to identify opportunities for process. improvement, management control of work, or automation. Generates process and solution options and reviews with appropriate stakeholders.  
•  Serves as point-person on products to clarify business requirements and UX strategy to IT, and ultimately responsible for testing and approval of implementation.
• Analytical decision support draws conclusions by completing a thorough analysis of circumstances; considers various options and makes an informed decision.
•  Risk management: prioritizes risk mitigation while supporting goals and objectives of the organization.
• Works through conflict in a confident and objective manner.
• Develops and utilizes relationships in a productive manner; manages conflict in purposeful fashion.

Level 1:

•  Must possess basic understanding of the applications environment and the project execution process.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent organizational and presentation skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work with all internal levels within a given organization, including the MTA Board.
  Demonstrated ability to work in a high-profile, high-pressure environment effectively.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively with key internal and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to complete short- and long-term projects effectively and as efficiently as possible.
  Demonstrated analytical capabilities and quantitative skills.

Level 2:

Same as level 1 with the following additional qualifications:

• Must have knowledge of the business functions supported, existing systems, and the company’s products and services.

Level 3:

Same as level 2 with the following additional qualifications:

• Must possess a good understanding of the different systems/applications in use in the area supported and how they interrelate.
• Must possess good problem-solving and judgement skills to know who to engage and coordinate with when a system they are working on may impact another system/application.  
• Must possess a good understanding of how current systems are used and operate within the client area(s) supported.
• Demonstrated analytical capabilities and quantitative skills.

Level 1:

• BS in Computer Science or a related field. An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
• A minimum of 1 year of relevant experience.

Level 2:

•  BS in Computer Science or a related field. An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered in lieu of a degree. Master’s Degree preferred.
• A minimum of 3 years of relevant experience.

Level 3:

•  BS in Computer Science or a related field. An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered in lieu of a degree. Master’s degree preferred.
• A minimum of 5 years of relevant experience. 
• A master’s degree may substitute for 2 years of experience.

Other Information

Please be advised that pursuant to MTA Code of Ethics and New York State Ethics Law, you have been designated as a policy maker. Therefore, you will be required to file an annual financial disclosure statement with the Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government. The Commission will notify you of this filing requirement via your work email. Upon receipt of notification from the Commission you will have 30 days to complete your financial disclosure statement.

Equal Employment Opportunity

MTA and its subsidiary and affiliated agencies are Equal Opportunity Employers, including with respect to veteran status and individuals with disabilities.

The MTA encourages qualified applicants from diverse backgrounds, experiences, and abilities, including military service members, to apply.