Product Owner Career Path: Key Steps for Growth and Success

I have had the privilege of supporting numerous aspiring Product Owners build their career paths, and I can confidently say that this role has become a focal point in the technology sector. Whether you are just starting to dip your toes into the world of WORKING As a Product Owner or looking to expand your opportunities, this guide has all the information that you will need to navigate through every stage.

The world of a Product Owner is simply unique because it brings together business, technology, and user experience. I've had my fair share of experiences with this career track; I started working in a small company as a Product Owner Intern, then transitioned to a Junior Product Owner, Senior Product Owner, and most recently to Head of Product. The journey was laden with a lot of lessons regarding building a successful product owner career path, and I'm delighted to share some of those with you today.

A Product Owner is a role that stems out of Scrum and has changed in meaning over time. Simply put, a Product Owner is the primary advocate of the given product which means they need to balance business goals in terms of revenue, profitability, and growth with user-centric features while working with the development teams to realize the product.

The difference between a Product Owner and a Product Manager can be somewhat ambiguous. While it is nuanced, Product Owners tend to have an internal and more operational, day-to-day, Scrum-facing interface with teams. Product Managers, on the other hand, may take a more holistic and longitudinal approach across several teams or products. This is often the case in smaller organizations where there is less resource, more limited funding, and in many cases, the two roles are performed by the same individual.
 

To create an appropriate career path for a Product Owner, it is important to consider the gradual progression one is likely to take. Here's what I've observed from the experience of many practitioners:

Entry Level: Associate or Junior Product Owner

As an aspiring Product Owner, your first step will be to work as an auxiliary to an experienced Product Owner. During this time, you will assist in backlog organization, writing user stories, and communicating with stakeholders, gaining exposure to the product development process.

Key responsibilities

• Writing of user stories with the Product Owner's guidance
• Active involvement in various ceremonies, such as standup meetings and retrospective meetings
• Requirement gathering and documenting information
• Carrying out Product Owner's research assignments

Skills to be acquired: Working knowledge of agile frameworks, some methods of prioritization, and user story crafting, as well as domain-specific technological expertise related to the product.

Mid-Level: Product Owner

Then, after some time, further down the line, 2-3 years as an Associate, you will probably be promoted to a fully-fledged Product Owner who will manage specific product parts or components features. At this stage, you'll own significant product components or features independently.

Key responsibilities

• Overseeing the product backlog for your area
• Taking initiation on product backlog refinement and sprint planning
• Direct collaboration with development
• Usability research and validation
• Constructing relationships with major stakeholders

Skills to develop: Advanced frameworks for prioritization, influence without authority, stakeholder engagement, data scrutiny, and more profound technical comprehension.

Senior Level: Senior Product Owner

With 5+ years of experience you are eligible to progress to Senior Product Owner. With this new level comes an increase in the expected complexity of the product set, or managed product teams - in addition to overseeing more complex products, you may now manage multiple staff and help mentor junior resources.

Key responsibilities

• Management of strategic initiatives at the Product level
• Participation in relationship management of more complex stakeholders
• Mentoring junior Product Owners
• Involvement with product strategy
• Cross-departmental leading

Skills to develop: Strategic and forward-thinking, leadership, executive-level communication, market analysis, business savvy.

Leadership Track: Head of Product/Director/CPO

The most senior progression for many Product Owners is into product leadership at executive level. These roles focus less on day-to-day product management and more on the organizational strategy, team building, and overall direction of the company.

Strategic Actions

• Define the product vision and strategy
• Develop and manage product teams
• Coordinate product vision and roadmaps alongside business objectives
• Advocate and negotiate product scope during key management discussions
• Control and allocate finances and resources toward product initiatives

Further, I would note organizational leadership, presence, advanced business acumen, strategic foresight, financial resource allocation, and personnel management as area of development.
 

The single most common question that I receive from aspiring Product Owners is, "How do I get my first Product Owner job?" Here is my approach, which is proven to work:

1. Making a Move From Relevant Roles

These are the roles that I have had the most success with:

• Business Analysts - They already understand stakeholder management and requirements gathering
• QA/Testing Professionals - They have a great quality and critical thinking mindset
• Developers - They have credibility and understanding technical aspects and the processes associated with development
• UX Designers - They advocate for users and understand design thinking
• Customer Support - They have first-hand deep knowledge and understanding of user pain points

2. Constructing a Suitable Portfolio

You can also demonstrate product thinking without formal Product Owner experience through:

• Starting a side project: Use the "show, don't tell" approach and launch a small product or feature
• Writing case studies: Create a detailed analysis of products that you admire
• Improving processes: Document the workflows in your current role that you have improved
• Proposing a new feature: Sample user stories and requirements for an existing product

3. Networking Techniques

The network of Product Owners is surprisingly open than I expected and I recommend:

• Joining the community of product management (Mind the Product, Product School)
• Attending neighborhood agile and product meetups
• Participating in online forums such as Reddit's r/productmanagement or LinkedIn Groups
• Searching for a mentor on sites like ADPList or MentorCruise

4. Searching for mentorship

A mentor can help accelerate your career growth exponentially. For example, try looking for:

At the current company around you:

• Product Owners
• Ex-colleagues who have transitioned to Product Owner roles
• Product management group community leaders
• Within professional bodies that deal with your field of study, there are other people who have worked as product managers in different companies for training purposes
   

The role of the Product Owner differs from one industry to another. These are an example of how the product owner career path might differ depending on your particular field.

Software and Technology

• Advancement speed: Very High (every 1-2 years promotion)
• Key skills: Technical skills, iterative development, competitive benchmarking
• Unique challenges: Extreme competition, ongoing technological change
• Salary potential: Dominant over all other industries
• Job availability: Plentiful

Financial Services

• Advancement speed: Average (every 2-3 years)
• Key skills: Knowledge of compliance, security, and risk management
• Unique challenges: Regulatory Framework, multi stakeholder complex structures
• Salary potential: Very high, During investment banking
• Job availability: Top, but not universally

Healthcare

• Advancement speed: Slow (generally more than 3 years)
• Key skills: Knowledge of compliance, patient journey, Privacy
• Unique challenges: Regulatory hurdles, complex approval processes
• Salary Potential: Moderate to high
• Remote job availabaility: High

Retail and E-commerce

• Advancement speed: Ranging from moderate to fast
• Important skills: Knowledge of consumer behavior, A/B testing, conversion optimization
• Unique challenges: Thin margins, seasonal fluctuations
• Salary potential: Moderate, higher in large enterprises
• Remote opportunities: Very Good, especially in e-commerce

From my experience hiring and mentoring Product Owners in different companies, here is what you should expect for the salary progression in the US market:

Bear in mind that these figures vary a lot depending on:

• Location (highest salaries in SF Bay Area, NYC, Seattle)
• Industry (tech generally paying more than other sectors)
• Company size and funding stage
• Your negotiation skills
   

The emergence of remote work has greatly changed the landscape for Product Owners. I've witnessed a significant move towards remote-based Product Owner positions since 2020.

Remote Product Owner Positions

Since 2020, remote Product Owner positions have increased by more than 300%, based on my research on job boards and professional social media. Companies such as Atlassian, Spotify, and GitLab have had success fully incorporating remote Product teams.

Advantages of remote Product Owner roles:

• Ability to access roles irrespective of geographical boundaries
• Enhanced work-life integration
• Ability to earn wages similar to Silicon Valley remunerations from other locations
• Increased individual discretion and attention toward roles

Consulting and Freelancing

For senior-level Product Owners, freelancing as a consultant is a highly lucrative alternative career opportunity. I have mentored a number of Product Owners who, after spending 5 years in the industry, moved into consulting.

Standard freelance Product Owner services include:

• Fractional Product Owner for new companies
• Product strategy and discovery consulting
• Development of Product backlog and roadmap
• Coaching on Agile transformation
• Facilitating product workshops

Usual fees for freelance Product Owners:

• Junior (2 to 4 years experience): $500 to $800/day
• Middle-level (4-6 years): $800 to $1,200/day
• Senior (7 and above): $1,200 to $2,000/day and more
   

The role of a Product Owner is continuously shifting. In conjunction with many industry shifts, here are the observations that inform the future of the Product Owner career path based on my considerations:

Impact of AI and Automation on Work

The use of AI tools has dramatically shifted the way Product Owners work. Recently, I have incorporated a number of AI tools in my workflow, including:

• Creation and refinement of user stories
• Automation of competitive analysis
• Finding patterns in data
• Modeling various scenarios of prioritization
• Analyzing customer feedback

These technologies do not displace Product Owner positions, but re-frame the focus of the role to more strategic decisions while automating operational aspects of the work.

I'm noticing the emergence of new Product Owner specializations, such as:

• AI Product Owners – Focused on AI/ML products with domain knowledge in data ethics and model performance
• Platform Product Owners – Specializing on the construction of internal developer platforms and developer experience
• Growth Product Owners – Focused on optimization of acquisition, activation, and retention
• Enterprise Product Owners – Dealing with sophisticated B2B environments and stakeholder ecosystems

These specializations tend to be associated with higher labor compensations and accelerated career advancement.

In the previous section, I discussed climbing the career ladder within an organization until you outperform a given position.

The Product Owner career path offers incredible opportunities for those willing to learn endlessly and adapt. From my experience as a Junior Product Owner to Head of Product, I noticed that achieving success is not about executing all tactical maneuvers flawlessly, but is more about adopting a strategic and leadership-oriented approach.

While having a job title typically denotes being further along in the career ladder within the organization, the aspiring Product Owner should attempt to build a career portfolio depicting work that resonates deeply within the organization alongside impactful collaborations.

With commitment and strategically planning your career, you stand to gain tremendous rewards and market value in this ever changing landscape.

These Product Owner specializations often come with higher starting salaries, stunted compensation growth, and slower career development, driving wider talent competition.

What will you do today to move forward in your career as a Product Owner?