Job Description
Job ID: 38136
Agency: Department of Social Services/ Office of Secretary
Location:Sioux Falls or Pierre, SDSalary: $79,138.33-$111,724.70 Annual Salary, depending on qualifications
Pay Grade: L
Closing Date: 11.06.2026
This is a Full-Time position with the Department of Social Services. For more information on the Department of Social Services, please visit https://dss.sd.gov .
Strong Families, South Dakota's Foundation and our Future: We are looking for talent with expertise in information technology and a passion for strengthening families. The Department's mission is focused on supporting families to strengthen health, well being, and independence.
The Department of Social Services is looking for up to three individuals with a strong technical background in product management as well as prior experience in software development projects to serve as an IT Product Manager with a focus on Behavioral Health and the Human Services Center, Medical Services, and the Secretaries Office.
The Product Owner for Behavioral Health and the Human Services Center (HSC) serves as a collaborative strategic leader who works alongside partners across the organization to define, prioritize, and guide technology initiatives that strengthen clinical operations, enhance staff efficiency, improve patient experience, support effective data management, and ensure regulatory compliance. In this role, the Product Owner actively engages division leadership, SMEs, clinicians, operational staff, and IT teams to co-create solutions that align with the Department's strategic objectives and deliver meaningful, sustainable outcomes through shared direction and joint ownership.
The Product Owner with a focus in the Medicaid program will work with division leadership to support efforts focused on the 150K Medicaid recipients. This individual should be a strategic leader with MMIS and claims processing experience who partners across the organization to prioritize and guide technology initiatives that improve clinical operations, staff efficiency, patient experience, data management, and regulatory compliance. In this role, the Product Owner works closely with leadership, SMEs, clinicians, operations, and IT teams to co create effective solutions
The Product Owner with a focus in the Office of the Secretary focuses on supporting a team tasked with regulatory and compliance work. The position will lead and oversee the technology and business processes to assist both our teams and providers in the important work we do to license foster homes, child care providers, youth care providers, and behavioral health facilities. In addition, the position will work closely with our Data Strategy team to advance forward efforts to enhance our ability to use data to inform service delivery. This product owner role will also support various enterprise tools that are used across all DSS.
The positions will work collaboratively with product users within these Divisions as well as the Bureau of Information and Technology and other stakeholders.
If you have strong problem-solving and prioritization skills; excellent interpersonal and communication skills; and can work effectively with a cross- functional team, and want to make a difference in people's lives, this is the ideal position for you.
The Ideal Candidate Will Have: The ideal candidate will Have 4-5 years' experience as an IT product owner or related IT field. Preference for prior experience in managing a product throughout its lifecycle (SDLC) and/or have a project management certification like PMP or similar certification.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:- understanding and manage the stakeholders both internal and external that support the IT products utilized by the programs;
- actively utilize and review program specific software programs and processes to better influence system support;
- collaborating with the teams that are users of the products;
- build and manage product roadmaps;
- knowledge and experience with healthcare transaction standards including ASC X12 and NCPDP. Translate goals into product strategy;
- read, review, and understand technical specification manuals as needed to ensure project scope is well defined and encompassing of project goals;
- work collaboratively with other Divisions that share synergy with each other;
- become the SME where one is absent;
- assisting in building and completing IT Strategy related projects working in collaboration with internal and external resources;
- maintain and refine product backlog;
- responsible for the strategic planning and development of IT products and solutions including defining product roadmaps, prioritize features, and oversee product development processes;
- collaborate with cross-functional teams, including development, design, and training, to ensure successful product launches;
- collaborating with stakeholders to define project scope, objectives, and deliverables, ensuring alignment with business goals and requirements;
- developing comprehensive project plans, timelines, and resource allocation, and managing project budgets to ensure successful project execution;
- leading project teams, coordinating activities, and assigning tasks to team members, ensuring adherence to project schedules and milestones;
- identifying project risks and developing mitigation strategies to minimize potential issues and ensure project success;
- communicating project progress, updates, and status reports to stakeholders, partners, and senior management, ensuring transparency and effective decision-making;
- managing changes to project scope, timelines, and requirements, and assessing their impact on project deliverables and resources;
- conducting regular project meetings and facilitating effective communication among team members and stakeholders;
- ensuring adherence to project management methodologies, best practices, and quality standards throughout the project lifecycle;
- monitoring and tracking project progress, identifying variances, and implementing corrective actions to keep projects on track;
- managing project documentation, including project plans, status reports, and documentation of project-related decisions and changes.
This position is exempt from the Civil Service Act.
This position is eligible for Veterans' Preference per ARSD 55:10:02:08.
The State of South Dakota does not sponsor work visas for new or existing employees. All persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and complete an Employment Eligibility Verification, Form I-9. The State of South Dakota as an employer will be using E-Verify to complete employment eligibility verification upon hire.
The State of South Dakota offers $0 premium employee health insurance option plus eleven paid holidays, generous vacation and sick leave accrual, dental, vision, and other insurance options, and retirement benefits. You can view our benefits information here . This position is a member of Class A retirement under SDRS.
Must apply online: https://gen-stateofsouthdako-trn.inforcloudsuite.com/hcm/xmlhttp/shorturl.do?key=55B
You must apply online, emailed resumes or submissions will not be accepted.
South Dakota Bureau of Human Resources and Administration
Telephone: 605.773.3148 Email: careers@state.sd.us
http://bhr.sd.gov/workforus
"An Equal Opportunity Employer"
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