Data Science Manager

The Industrial System Analytics (ISA) team within GDIA develops cutting-edge cloud analytic solutions using GCP tools and techniques to drive strategic insights across Ford. As a Product Owner (Supervisor), you will be a critical leader within our product-driven organization. You will be responsible for defining, prioritizing, and delivering high-value data products and analytical solutions that directly address key business challenges. This role requires a strong blend of strategic product thinking, hands-on agile execution, and the ability to lead, mentor, and guide your team (or cross-functional teams) to achieve exceptional outcomes in a dynamic, data-intensive environment.

Product Strategy & Vision:

• Translate high-level business objectives and customer needs into clear product vision, strategy, and measurable outcomes for your product area.
• Communicate product vision and strategy effectively to the development team, stakeholders, and leadership, ensuring alignment and buy-in.
• Gather and analyze customer/internal feedback to continuously refine the product roadmap and drive improvements.

Backlog Management & Prioritization:

• Own, define, and prioritize the product backlog, ensuring it is well-groomed with clear, actionable user stories and acceptance criteria.
• Collaborate closely with engineering, data science, and UX teams to refine requirements and ensure technical feasibility and optimal solution design.
• Manage interdependencies across features and product releases, identifying and proactively mitigating risks to delivery.

Stakeholder Collaboration & Communication:

• Act as the primary liaison between business stakeholders, customers, and the development team, fostering strong relationships.
• Translate complex technical concepts into understandable business language and vice versa, facilitating effective decision-making.
• Manage stakeholder expectations and provide regular, transparent updates on product progress, risks, and achievements.
• Act as a strategic consultant to the business, guiding them towards optimal data-driven solutions rather than just fulfilling requests.

Product Delivery & Quality Assurance:

• Ensure that delivered software and analytical solutions meet desired business outcomes, quality standards, and compliance requirements (e.g., security, legal, Ford policies).
• Collaborate with the team to define relevant analytics and metrics to track product performance, adoption, and realized business value.
• Facilitate user acceptance testing and feedback loops to ensure product adoption and satisfaction.

Agile Leadership & Process Improvement:

• Champion Agile software development principles, culture, and best practices within your team and across the organization.
• Lead and facilitate team ceremonies (e.g., sprint planning, reviews, retrospectives) to ensure efficient and effective delivery.
• Mentor, coach, and guide team members (including junior Product Owners, if applicable, or cross-functional team members) in product ownership best practices, problem-solving, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure effective usage of agile tools (e.g., Jira) and derive meaningful insights for continuous improvement of processes and delivery.
• Drive adoption of DevSecOps and software craftsmanship practices (CI/CD, TDD) where applicable.

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You’ll have…

• Bachelor's degree in a quantitative field such as Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, Business Analytics, or a related discipline.
• 5+ years of experience as a Product Owner, Business Analyst, or similar role managing digital products or data solutions.
• Demonstrated experience in defining product roadmaps, managing backlogs, and prioritizing features.
• Proven experience working within an Agile software development environment.
• Experience gathering and translating business requirements into technical specifications and user stories.
• Strong understanding of data analytics, AI/ML concepts, and how they can drive business value.
• Familiarity with cloud platforms, preferably Google Cloud Platform (GCP) services (e.g., BigQuery, GCS, Dataflow).
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and stakeholder management skills.

Even better, you may have…

• Master's degree or PhD in a quantitative field.
• Experience supervising or mentoring other Product Owners or team members.
• Hands-on experience with data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI, Looker).
• Proficiency in SQL and/or scripting languages (e.g., Python) for data exploration.
• Knowledge of Ford's internal data ecosystems or IT systems.
• Experience with DevSecOps practices and tools (e.g., CI/CD pipelines, Jira, GitHub).
• Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) or similar Agile certification.
• Proven ability to balance "doing it right" with "speed to delivery" in a fast-paced environment.
• Inquisitive, proactive, and interested in learning new tools and techniques.

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