At Community Bank System, Inc. (CBSI), we are dedicated to providing our customers with friendly, personalized, high-quality financial services and products. Our retail division, Community Bank, N.A., operates more than 200 customer facilities across Upstate New York, Northeastern Pennsylvania, Vermont and Western Massachusetts. Beyond retail banking, we also offer wealth management, investment management, insurance and risk management, and benefit plan administration.

Just as our employees are committed to helping our customers manage their finances, we're committed to our employees. After all, they make it happen for our customers every day.

To ensure our people can enjoy long and successful careers here at CBSI, we offer competitive compensation, great benefits, and professional development and advancement opportunities. As an equal-opportunity workplace and affirmative-action employer, we celebrate and support a diverse workplace for the benefit of all: our employees, customers and communities.

The Product Owner in the Process Improvement department is a key contributor with 3-5 years of proven experience in the financial industry, preferably in banking. This role entails collaborating with stakeholders, conducting comprehensive process assessments, managing the project pipeline, presenting process improvement initiatives, and ensuring continuous improvement through strategic alignment and innovative automation solutions. Proficiency in tools such as Azure DevOps, SharePoint, and MS Office suite, coupled with agile experience, is essential. The Product Owner must excel in a dynamic environment, demonstrating analytical skills, effective communication, and adaptability to evolving business needs.

• Collaborate with stakeholders, subject matter experts, and process owners to identify end-to-end processes for automation. Document impacted processes and outline precise business requirements with clarity.
• Engage in the assessment of current business processes, documenting problem statements, mapping comprehensive process flows, and offering well-founded recommendations for future-state solutions.
• Manage and monitor the project pipeline alongside business stakeholders and the steering committee, ensuring seamless alignment with organizational objectives.
• Engage in presentations aimed at promoting RPA to diverse business groups, fostering an environment conducive to generating innovative automation ideas.
• Regularly review and assess implemented processes to pinpoint areas for continuous improvement, ensuring ongoing refinement and optimization.
• Collaborate with process improvement teams and cross-functional business units to align strategies, fostering the seamless integration of automated solutions.
• Leverage Azure DevOps for effective requirements management, prioritization, and streamlined backlog management.
• Maintain compliance with data governance and protocols through all processes.
• Perform related and/or additional job duties as required
• Maintain proficient knowledge of, and demonstrate ongoing compliance with all laws and regulations applicable to this position, ensure ongoing adherence to pertinent policies, procedures and internal controls, and meet all job-specific requirements in a timely fashion

Education/Training:

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Information Technology, or a related field.

Skills:

• Proven experience as a Product Owner in the financial industry, preferably within a banking environment.
• Strong proficiency in using Azure DevOps, SharePoint, and MS Office suite for requirements gathering, prioritization, and backlog management.
• Agile experience, with a solid understanding of agile methodologies.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with a keen attention to detail.
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills to collaborate with diverse stakeholders.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and adapt to evolving business needs.
• Preferred experience working with software or process improvement teams/organizations.

Experience:

• Minimum 3 - 5 years proven experience in a Product Owner role. Banking experience preferred.

Compensation: Commensurate with experience plus potential for annual merit increase. In addition to your competitive salary, you will be rewarded benefits including: 11 paid holidays, paid vacation, Medical, Vision & Dental insurance, 401K with generous match, Pension, Tuition Reimbursement, Banking discounts and the list goes on!

Physical Requirements:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee may be required to stand, walk or sit. Use hands and fingers, handle or feel, reach with hands or arms, and speak and hear. The employee may occasionally be required to lift and or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, and the ability to focus.

Community Bank System, Inc. is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation and gender identity), national origin, citizenship status, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local law.

Community Bank System, Inc. will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with a disability. If you have a physical or mental impairment and would like to request an accommodation with respect to the application process, please contact the Human Resources Department: