IT Product Owner

This role owns the evolution of a business-critical platform currently transitioning from a fully custom, in-house application to a modern ecosystem combining vendor solutions, integrations, and internally developed capabilities.

The IT Systems Analyst/Product Owner will help lead the modernization of this platform while maintaining operational stability and introducing new capabilities across finance, sales & marketing, and asset management functions. The platform supports hundreds of users and drives revenue-generating operations across the organization.

Unlike many product owner roles, this position intentionally combines product ownershipwith hands-on technical involvement. The role participates directly in configuration, integration design, troubleshooting, and delivery of complex platform capabilities.

This position is well suited for a senior technical professional—such as a systems analyst or technical product owner—who wants to lead product direction while remaining close to the technology.

Following modernization, this role will continue as the long-term product owner of the platform, with opportunities to grow into platform architecture or technical leadership depending on organizational needs and individual strengths.

This position reports to the Director, Finance Systems and works closely with developers, system analysts, and business partners across finance, sales, marketing, and asset management teams. The role is part of a small platform team responsible for maintaining and evolving a critical enterprise application ecosystem.

Experience is Everything.

At LCS, experience is everything. We provide you the opportunity to use your talents in a progressive, growing organization that makes a positive difference in the lives of the seniors we serve. If you are seeking an organization that gives back, you’ll love working here. Our principles and hospitality promises define our company culture. LCS employees can be found participating in volunteer activities, getting involved in our committees or collaborating with team members in our innovative workspace. You’ll find several opportunities to grow as a professional, serve the community, and enhance the lives of seniors. 

What You’ll Do:

• Product Ownership & Platform Direction 
  • Serve as the product owner for the platform, partnering closely with business stakeholders to understand needs and translate them into scalable and supportable solutions. 
  • Define and maintain the platform roadmap, prioritizing enhancements, integrations, technical improvements, and modernization initiatives. 
  • Lead decisions around retaining, redesigning, replacing, or retiring legacy capabilities as the organization transitions away from the existing custom system. 
  • Balance business priorities, technical considerations, and operational stability when determining platform direction. 
  • Build strong relationships with stakeholders across multiple departments to ensure the platform continues to support evolving business needs. 
• Modernization & Platform Evolution 
  • Help lead the transition from the current custom legacy platform to a modern architecture consisting of vendor-delivered capabilities, integrations, and internally developed extensions. 
  • Participate in solution design for new platform capabilities and evaluate opportunities to simplify or replace legacy functionality. 
  • Collaborate with developers and technical partners to design integrations, automation, and data flows across enterprise systems. 
  • Ensure modernization decisions align with long-term architectural direction and maintainability. 
• Backlog Management & Agile Delivery 
  • Own and maintain a prioritized backlog of platform enhancements, defects, modernization initiatives, and technical improvements. 
  • Work directly with business users to gather requirements and translate them into epics, features, and user stories with clear acceptance criteria. 
  • Participate in sprint planning, backlog refinement, demos, and retrospectives. 
  • Validate delivered functionality and approve work for release. 
  • Coordinate moderately complex initiatives that involve multiple systems or vendor platforms. 
• Technical Delivery & Integration Design 
  • Participate in hands-on configuration of platform functionality including business rules, workflows, security, and data structures. 
  • Design and oversee system integrations and data flows across enterprise systems, working closely with developers implementing integrations using Python and Azure-based tooling. 
  • Troubleshoot complex issues involving system behavior, integrations, or data flow and perform root cause analysis. 
  • Collaborate with vendors and internal teams on solution design, upgrades, and issue resolution. 
  • Ensure platform solutions are scalable, maintainable, and aligned with enterprise architecture. 
• Testing, Documentation & Change Enablement 
  • Lead system testing activities including test planning, execution, and user acceptance testing. 
  • Develop and maintain documentation including system configuration details, process flows, and technical references. 
  • Support training efforts and help drive user adoption of new capabilities introduced during modernization. 
  • Assist with cutover planning, stabilization activities, and legacy system decommissioning. 
• Production Support & Operational Stability 
  • Provide escalation support for complex production issues affecting the platform. 
  • Work with the broader support team to resolve incidents while maintaining focus on platform improvements and roadmap delivery. 
  • Mentor less experienced team members and share technical knowledge where appropriate. 

What We’re Looking For:

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Information Systems, Business, or related field, or equivalent experience. 
• 5+ years of experience supporting enterprise business systems, including configuration, integrations, and production support. 
• Experience working with complex or custom business applications. 
• Demonstrated experience contributing to modernization or replacement of legacy platforms. 
• Experience working in Agile or Scrum delivery environments. 

Why Join Us?  

• Industry Leader. 
• Inclusive & collaborative culture. 
• Top Workplace USA. 
• Top Workplace Iowa. 
• Charity and community involvement. 
• Outstanding advancement opportunities. 
• Ongoing career development. 

Benefits

Competitive pay, great benefits and vacation time. We are an equal opportunity employer with benefits including medical, dental, life insurance, disability, 401(K) with company match and paid parental leave. 

Our Commitment 

LCS creates living experiences that enhance the lives of seniors. You’ll see this commitment in our people. They’re talented, dedicated professionals who truly care about residents, with each conducting his or her work with integrity, honesty and transparency according to the principles of LCS. We strive to help every community succeed—strengthening available resources, establishing proven practices that lead to long-term growth and value for those living in, working for and affiliated with the community. Check us out on our website: https://www.lcsliving.com

Additional Information 

Travel frequency: 0-10%

Estimated Salary: $98,000 - $122,000

The actual title & salary will carefully consider a wide range of factors, including your skills, qualifications, experience, and other relevant factors. 

A POST-OFFER BACKGROUND CHECK, INCLUDING REFERENCES IS REQUIRED.

LCS IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.