Chief Product Officer

Compensation Grade:‏‏‎ ‎ELT 4Job Description"Evolve” may not be the first word you think of when considering the values of a more than 100-year-old workers’ comp insurance company. But evolving is one of SAIF’s core values. It’s the reason behind most of our large-scale business decisions, from changes to our claim processes to technology upgrades to building renovations. It’s one of the reasons we retain and provide excellent services to our diverse customer base of more than 50,000 Oregon businesses. Evolving is also the reason we assess the structure of our teams and sometimes adjust the way we look at success. SAIF’s IT department is in the midst of evolution, moving from a project- to product-focused approach. We are seeking a people-first chief product officer with deep operational expertise to lead that evolution. As our new chief product officer, you’ll join the ranks of SAIF’s executive leaders and oversee three software teams—customer solutions, enterprise solutions, and insurance solutions. You’ll ensure alignment between product development, business objectives, and customer needs with the primary goal of maximizing business outcomes. You’ll need to bring your operational expertise to these teams to build continuous improvement into our performance, quality, and delivery. It’ll be important to lean into your strong skills of communication and influencing to create buy-in and understanding across the SAIF community. We believe the right candidate for this role is someone who sees failure as a critical step in the journey to success. You will help create a culture of experimentation and bold ideas, because these are the seeds of innovation and meaningful evolution. If you have deep knowledge of what it takes to lead large-scale operational functions, high-level strategic planning skills, and experience in workers’ comp or other types of insurance, we invite you to apply. Please note: This position requires the selected candidate to reside and work in the state of Oregon, with regular travel to our headquarters in Salem, Oregon.RESPONSIBILITES: Participate as an active member of the Executive Leadership Team (ELT), contributing to corporate strategic planning, policy development and decision-making.Drive the strategy, vision, and launch of products that expand SAIF’s impact and deliver measurable value to stakeholders and customers.Collaborate with the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to develop and implement a comprehensive technology & product strategy aligned with the mission and the corporate strategic plan.Set clear direction and objectives that are aligned with SAIF’s vision and mission. Drive employee engagement and team effectiveness through effective communication and by creating and maintaining an environment where individuals are empowered, motivated, and where the importance of collaboration within and across divisions / teams is fully understood and encouraged. Recognize individual differences while focusing on team cohesion. Develop and sustain an inclusive collaborative team environment to support diverse team members throughout the division.Develop and manage the annual budget ensuring resource allocation aligns with strategic priorities and operational needs.Provide vision for the development of procedures and divisional structure, including the planning, implementation, and administration of programs and policies as well as the execution of critical special projects. Ensure operational efficiency. Provide visionary leadership to the division that inspires and encourages others to deliver their best performance and builds diversity and inclusion as key components of leadership, business planning, and customer service.Champion a culture of innovation, encouraging creative problem-solving to deliver cutting edge-solutions.Maintain current knowledge of technology trends and communicate their applicability to SAIF’s strategy.Provide guidance to employees who manage performance or behavioral matters within the division. Ensure all related activities comply with personnel policies and procedures and are completed in coordination with human resources.Build a team culture in which differences are embraced. Regularly expose team members to diverse perspectives and leverage differences to strengthen workgroup performance. Create and maintain an accepting, empowering environment that makes all employees, regardless of background, feel valued and motivated.Model adaptability and consistently seek to understand other world views, perspectives, and approaches to work.Demonstrate curiosity, diplomacy and empathy when working across groups. Cultivate and maintain trusting, collaborative relationships across the organization.Contribute business insights and expertise to the strategic development and implementation of DEI initiatives and the development of progressive, business-focused inclusive strategies that meet the current and future needs of the organi