Product Owner - Research

About the Role

We’re looking for a Product Owner to support complex research administration institutions, lead enablement initiatives, and provide structured insights that shape product direction and improve customer outcomes. 

The Product Owner will serve as the bridge between customer needs and product execution—translating institutional workflows into actionable backlog items and measurable outcomes. Partnering closely with Product Management, Engineering, Customer Success, and Design, you’ll ensure Kuali Research delivers exceptional value and impact. 

 Who are we? 

Kuali builds software solutions for higher education. We help our customers — colleges & universities — focus on providing a fantastic education to students by decreasing their administrative costs. We work in a competitive space, ripe for innovation, with users ready to be delighted.

Our Culture
As a company, we are guided by our cultural values:

• Iterate to evolve
• Cultivate openness
• Act with accountability
• Assume the best
• Practice humility
• Deliver amazing experiences

At Kuali, we learn from and teach each other, we practice transparency and empathy, we delight in delivering value to our customers, and we WIN!

We work remotely, and have for years. Distributed work is in our bones, with a history of institutions working across state lines on open-source software for more than ten years. Our employees each work in the environment where they’re happiest, from Pennsylvania to Seattle. We work consciously to create a collaborative and healthy remote work culture, and we travel to meet in person a few times each year. 

Everyone should love their work.

At Kuali, we embrace diversity and inclusion at every level. We value and respect individuals from all backgrounds, recognizing that a rich tapestry of experiences and perspectives fuels our success as a company and enriches our collective human experience.

What you’ll be responsible for

• Own the product backlog for Kuali Research, ensuring clarity, prioritization, and alignment with strategic goals.
• Translate customer feedback, institutional requirements, and product vision into actionable user stories and acceptance criteria.
• Collaborate daily with engineering and design teams to ensure timely, high‑quality delivery.
• Partner with Product Managers to refine roadmap priorities and validate outcomes against customer needs.
• Support release planning, sprint reviews, and retrospectives to drive continuous improvement.
• Serve as the voice of the customer within the scrum team, ensuring solutions meet real‑world research administration challenges.
• Monitor product performance and collaborate on data‑driven decisions to enhance usability and adoption.

Ideal candidates have experience with:

• 3+ years of experience in product ownership, business analysis, or software delivery.
• Strong understanding of Agile/Scrum principles and backlog management.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills across technical and non‑technical teams.
• Ability to translate complex workflows into clear, actionable requirements.
• Passion for improving research administration processes and higher‑education outcomes.

We’d be delighted if you bring experience with:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Computer Science, or a related field.
• Experience with SaaS products or enterprise software in higher education or research administration.
• Familiarity with HRIS, ERP, or grant management systems.
• Working knowledge of Jira, Aha!, or similar backlog tools.
• Comfort with data analysis and metrics‑driven decision making.
• Demonstrated curiosity and initiative to learn new tools and practices.

Perks

• Remote-first work
• Top-of-the-line equipment of your choice to get your job done
• A truly exceptional benefits package including full premium coverage for employee and dependent medical and dental care
• 401(k) matching
• Employee stock option plan
• Paid Maternity/Parental leave
• All the paid time off you need (just work it out with your manager)
• Encouragement and support in learning and improving your skill-sets.
• Employee resource groups and community events