Product Owner

Coursedog is a remote-first Intelligent Academic Operations Platform trusted by 400+ colleges and universities. The Product Owner will translate product strategy into high-quality execution by owning prioritization, writing detailed PRDs/specs, and partnering closely with engineering and design across key platform domains. The role focuses on driving delivery across the design system/accessibility rollout, AI roadmap execution, and platform stability improvements.

• Write detailed PRDs and specs for epics, translating strategy into clear user stories with testable acceptance criteria.
• Own prioritization for assigned product areas in collaboration with platform leadership and ensure alignment with roadmap and PDLC.
• Partner with engineering to refine, sequence, and maintain a well-prepared backlog.
• Triage product issues, validate bugs, and integrate them into the development backlog as appropriate.
• Uphold a strong Definition of Done to ensure release readiness and quality.
• Collaborate with design to create wireframes and clickable prototypes to validate direction and accelerate engineering handoff.
• Ensure UX consistency and accessibility through adoption of the company’s design system.
• Own product areas end-to-end from discovery through development and rollout, accountable for outcomes.
• Serve as primary product point of contact for the development team; resolve ambiguities to keep engineering unblocked.
• Support roadmap execution by delivering stories/epics on timelines and quality standards.
• Monitor post-release performance and iterate based on feedback and product metrics.
• Represent the voice of the customer in ceremonies and cross-functional discussions.
• Communicate feature updates and release details to Customer Success, Sales, and Support.
• Gather insights from customers and internal teams to inform backlog refinement and future iterations.
• Support early-stage product implementations as a product expert and feedback gatherer.
• Contribute as needed to sales enablement, user documentation, and internal demos; flex with evolving priorities.
• Lead rollout of the design system and accessibility standards across the platform.
• Own execution of multiple AI feature initiatives, breaking complex work into shippable increments and maintaining momentum.
• Lead platform stability initiatives to reduce bugs, eliminate technical debt, and improve reliability/performance.

• 1–3+ years of experience as a Product Owner or Product Manager in an Agile SaaS environment with a track record of managing backlogs and shipping software.
• Technical or analytics background; comfortable communicating with engineers, reading data, and understanding how software is built.
• Hands-on experience collaborating closely with engineering teams and earning trust through clarity and follow-through.
• Experience writing detailed specs and PRDs (beyond basic user stories).
• Ability to create wireframes or clickable prototypes (Figma or equivalent).
• Exceptional communication skills with a proactive, resourceful working style.
• Comfort operating in fast-paced environments with evolving priorities.

• Nice to have:

  • Higher education/edtech experience; familiarity with university administrative workflows.
  • Client-facing experience translating user needs into product improvements.
  • Exposure to AI/ML product development or shipping AI-powered features.
  • Accessibility experience (e.g., WCAG familiarity, accessibility testing practices).
  • Developer-facing documentation experience (API docs, integration guides, SDK docs).
  • Experience managing a bug backlog and balancing stability work with feature delivery.
  • Experience with performance/reliability initiatives and prioritizing technical debt.
  • Experience with platform/developer experience initiatives and developer ecosystems.

• Compensation:

  • Base salary range: $90,000–$120,000 annually (performance-based variable compensation; OTE $100,000–$130,000).

• Work model:

  • Remote-first (distributed work indefinitely).

• Benefits:

  • Medical, dental, and vision coverage with fixed contribution model; company covers a portion of premiums based on coverage level.
  • Wellness/support programs (Spring Health, XP Health, Carrot Fertility, One Medical).
  • HSA and FSA options.
  • Safe Harbor 401(k) with 4% employer match from day one (subject to limits).
  • Unlimited paid time off.
  • Equity grants aligned to role and tenure, reviewed with promotions.
  • Up to 12 weeks fully paid parental leave for eligible employees.