Job Description

Consumers Energy is Michigan’s largest energy provider, providing natural gas and/or electricity to 6.8 million of the state’s 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties. Consumers Energy knows job number one is to keep the lights on for customers. We are committed to delivering reliable, clean, and affordable energy to our customers 24/7. 

This position is not eligible for immigration sponsorship, e.g., H-1B, TN, etc. Please do not apply if you will need immigration sponsorship for a work visa now or in the future, including sponsorship for H-1B, TN, etc., now or in the future. We are unable to hire individuals with CPT, OPT, or STEM OPT for this position as the position is not eligible for participation in the H-1B lottery program and is not eligible for current or future immigration sponsorship for a work visa.

Location This is a hybrid (virtual/onsite) position with required onsite days on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday assigned to the Parnall Service Center, or One Energy Plaza located in Jackson, MI.  The selected candidate must be within a commutable distance or willing to relocate (relocation package is available for those that qualify).

General Summary of Job Responsibilities

The Product Owner will gather and consider product input from research, stakeholders, past experience and Agile team members so potential work can be evaluated based on value. Accountable for defining new work and visions into a product backlog (list of new or changing features for a product) for Agile delivery teams, ensuring well-defined business value in each product backlog item. Develop and/or contribute to business cases/justification for product backlogs, including justification for annual/ongoing product funding as required for financial planning and/or regulatory approvals. Takes ownership over a product, often working with a Product Manager, to constantly analyze the product's current state, potential new work and completed work to determine the next step for improving the product and meeting business objectives.

Additionally, the Product Owner is accountable for the end‑to‑end ownership of a defined Electric Distribution function, ensuring digital solutions are delivered effectively and incrementally through agile execution. This role serves as the clear decision owner for product outcomes, maintaining the backlog for their assigned areas, enforcing quality and usability standards, and driving measurable value realization. The Product Owner partners closely with IT delivery teams to ensure work is ready for execution, business desired outcomes are achieved as intended, and delivered solutions balance near‑term value with sustainable product health.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Elicit and express customer/stakeholder needs into a product backlog. This will include gathering and analyzing input from research, stakeholders, past experience and Agile team members so need/value can be clearly documented in product backlog items (Agile teams list of work). This should be done with a goal of defining the backlog in a manner where it can be delivered sequential and incremental to realize business value in a frequent manner
• Manage, prioritize and clarify backlog items according to evolving business and project conditions; includes continually analyzing, changing and re-prioritizing the current product backlog and adjusting based on feedback, new input, questions, new learnings or other changing circumstances that provide new insight on achieving business outcomes and value for the product
• Participate in Agile team events. Attend, represent customers/stakeholders and make decisions around product priorities/conflicts that arise in Agile team events. Requires being prepared to clarify and communicate the vision/known detail around value and objectives of product backlog items
• Make the decision on when items are "done" and in a state to begin realizing value/objectives; including validating completed increment of work is done according to the team "definition of done" (an agreed list of items that all work must be complete before considering done), stakeholder feedback, risks/issues and unique defined acceptance criteria (specific objectives unique to that work item) is meet
• Manage customer and stakeholder expectations, including resolving ambiguous business priority conflicts. Evaluate expectations against all work in a product backlog then clearly setting expectations with all known work in mind, this will include saying "no" in many cases
• Approve work for release and identifies release timing needs with stakeholder input to ensure customer needs are met. Align with stakeholders to ensure they are expecting the release and ready for new functionality as needed
• Include technical debt in all priority considerations; focus on reducing tech debt and understanding the results of approaches that expedite work to achieve value quicker at the expense of creating complexity or issues for future work. Focus on improving the flow of work and reducing the overall technical debt in their product
• Communicate as needed an overall product vision with a large focus on the what and why in regards to product work; includes developing and/or contributing to presentations, business cases/justification for product backlogs and justification for annual/ongoing product funding
• Other duties as assigned or may be necessary

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

• Business area and product knowledge
• Analytical skills
• Conflict and negotiation skills
• Ability to understand, analyze and anticipating stakeholder needs
• Ability to define a vision based on input from many stakeholders
• Ability to navigate ambiguity
• Verbal, Written and Facilitation Skills
• Ability to quantify, evaluate and communicate product progress
• Ability to manage and prioritize product backlog, according to operational/business priorities
• Ability to act as primary liaison with decision-making authority

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's Degree in Product Management, Engineering, or Information Technology with 2 years of experience as a subject matter expert in product or industry/business area; this should include experience working directly with the product and stakeholders; experience analyzing, determining value and prioritizing of potential new improvements to product/area; experience communicating, negotiating and managing stakeholders expectation

• Associate Degree in Product Management, Engineering, or Information Technology with 4 years of experience as a subject matter expert in product or industry/business area; this should include experience working directly with the product and stakeholders; experience analyzing, determining value and prioritizing of potential new improvements to product/area; experience communicating, negotiating and managing stakeholders expectation

• [OR] High School Diploma with 6 years of experience as a subject matter expert in product or industry/business area; this should include experience working directly with the product and stakeholders; experience analyzing, determining value and prioritizing of potential new improvements to product/area; experience communicating, negotiating and managing stakeholders expectation

Why should you join our team?

At Consumers Energy, we offer more than just a place to work. We foster a culture that supports career development, growth, and stability, and we take pride in offering our co-workers excellent benefits and compensation packages. We are deliberately creating an inclusive culture that makes our diverse team of co-workers feel valued, supported, and empowered every day. We're a company made up of thousands of people, all with different stories to share and work to do, but we stand united in our company purpose: world class performance delivering hometown service.

What we offer:

• Competitive compensation packages
• Medical, Dental and Vision
• 401k with company match
• Paid parental leave
• Up to 13 paid Holidays
• Paid time off
• Educational Assistance Program

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion:

We, at CMS Energy, value Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion. It is part of our DNA. We treat our employees with respect, we treat each other fairly and we value the opinions of others. We are passionate about building and nurturing an environment where everyone feels included. We don’t discriminate. We seek to learn about each other and better understand our unique differences. Our uniqueness makes us authentic. We create safe spaces where everyone can be who they truly are. We invite difficult conversations and uncomfortable topics. We value diverse perspectives; this is what makes us great together. We harbor an inclusive environment where employees feel empowered to share their backgrounds, experiences, and ideas. Our Employee Resource Groups, Women in Energy (WE), Minority Advisory Panel (MAP), Pride Alliance of Consumers Energy (PACE), GENERGY, capABLE, Interfaith and Veterans Advisory Panel (VAP) are key enablers to living the values of our company culture: Caring, Empowered, Deliberate, Agility, and Ownership.

All qualified applicants will not be discriminated against and will receive consideration for employment without regard to protected veteran status, disability, race, color, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin.