Product Owner (m/f/d)

About the job

SciSure is building the Scientific Management Platform (SMP) — a unified, modern platform designed to serve researchers, scientists, and health and safety professionals at institutions around the world. As SciSure transitions into an AI-first engineering organization, we are separating the combined Product Manager and Product Owner role into two clearly distinct functions: a Principal Product Manager (strategic, outward-facing) and a Product Owner (tactical, inward-facing, embedded in the engineering team).

We are looking for an experienced and driven Product Owner to join our Groningen-based engineering team. This is a critical, embedded role at the heart of product delivery — the primary interface between the product strategy defined by the Product Manager and the engineering team executing that strategy in sprints.

The Product Owner owns the backlog and is accountable for translating product requirements, user stories, and acceptance criteria into a well-maintained, prioritized, and clearly specified backlog that enables the engineering team to deliver high-quality features at pace. A scientific background is a strong advantage, given the complexity of the domain and the technical depth of our users.

What you will do

Backlog Ownership & Prioritisation

• Own, maintain, and continuously prioritise the product backlog for the Groningen engineering team.

• Translate requirements from the Product Manager into clearly specified, actionable backlog items with defined acceptance criteria.

• Ensure the backlog is always groomed, ordered, and ready for upcoming sprints — removing ambiguity before it reaches the engineering team.

• Make priority decisions on backlog items in close collaboration with the Principal Product Manager and engineering leadership.

Sprint Facilitation

• Facilitate sprint planning, backlog refinement, and sprint review sessions as an embedded member of the Groningen engineering team.

• Work closely with engineers, the UX Designer, and the Principal Product Manager to ensure shared understanding of scope, intent, and acceptance criteria.

• Monitor sprint progress, identify and escalate blockers, and support the team in maintaining delivery velocity.

User Story & Acceptance Criteria Authoring

• Write high-quality user stories and acceptance criteria that faithfully represent the product requirements defined by the Principal Product Manager.

• Ensure stories are sized appropriately, well-structured, and testable before they enter a sprint.

• Maintain clarity on what “done” looks like for each feature and capability before development begins.

Stakeholder Interface within Engineering

• Serve as the primary product representative within the engineering team — the single point of contact for product-related questions during sprints.

• Partner with Professional Services and Support to gather input on customer pain points or defects and translate them into actionable backlog refinements.

• Participate in sprint demos and maintain transparent communication with the Principal Product Manager on delivery status, risks, and scope changes.

AI-Enabled Engineering

• Embrace and contribute to SciSure's transition to an AI-first engineering organization — including understanding and applying AI tools and capabilities affect product delivery practices.

• Collaborate with engineering and design on AI-powered features and workflows, helping define requirements that balance capability, usability, and scientific integrity.

• Stay informed about developments in AI tooling relevant to scientific research and laboratory management.

Domain Knowledge & Scientific Context

• Develop deep familiarity with SciSure's product domains and the workflows of researchers, scientists, and laboratory professionals.

• Apply scientific background to critically evaluate feature proposals, acceptance criteria, and product decisions with a researcher's perspective.

• Build strong relationships with internal domain experts, UX, and engineering to ensure product decisions are grounded in real user needs.

What we are looking for

Experience & Skills

• 3+ years of proven experience with product owner roles and responsibilities in a software product company, preferably in enterprise SaaS or a scientific/technical domain.

• Demonstrable mastery of agile delivery practices — backlog management, sprint planning, refinement, and story writing.

• Experience writing high-quality user stories and acceptance criteria that engineering teams can execute on without ambiguity.

• Proficiency with Jira or equivalent backlog management tools.

• Comfortable navigating the boundary between strategic product requirements (what and why) and tactical backlog execution (how and when).

• Experience or affinity with use or AI within product building and delivery practices.

Scientific Background

• A background in a scientific discipline (life sciences, chemistry, biology, research informatics, or related fields) is strongly preferred.

• Ability to quickly develop fluency in complex, data-intensive scientific workflows and earn the trust of domain experts and power users.

• Experience designing or delivering software for research, laboratory, or regulated scientific environments is a distinct advantage.

Collaboration & Communication

• Strong communicator, able to translate between product strategy and engineering implementation with clarity and precision.

• Team player who thrives as an embedded member of an engineering squad — present, engaged, and accountable.

• Self-directed and organized — able to manage a complex backlog with competing priorities in a fast-moving environment.

• Fluent in English; Dutch language skills are an advantage for working in the Groningen office context.

• Experience with or at least affinity with the application of AI within product management and product delivery practices.

What we offer

• Be part of a pivotal organizational transformation — as SciSure's first dedicated Product Owner in Groningen, you will help define what this role looks like in practice.

• Work on a platform that genuinely matters: SciSure's SMP protects researchers, keeps laboratories compliant, and supports some of the world's most important scientific work.

• Close collaboration with experienced engineering and product teams in a company investing seriously in AI-first product development.

• Groningen-based role with strong team culture and direct access to engineering leadership and the Director of Product.

• A company in the middle of a major platform transformation, creating real opportunities for high-impact contributions and career growth.

• Competitive, market-aligned compensation based on experience and track record.

• Flexible, trust-based work environment with work-from-home options and the ability to work abroad up to 30 days per year.

• Yearly training budget for courses, certifications, and conferences.