Application Owner- Field & Risk at Davies in Chicago, IL

Our Story

Imagine being part of a team that’s not just shaping the future but actively driving it. At Davies North America, we’re at the forefront of innovation and excellence, blending cutting-edge technology with top-tier professional services. As a vital part of the global Davies Group, we help businesses navigate risk, optimize operations, and spearhead transformation in the insurance and regulated sectors.

The Application Owner is responsible for the operational ownership, delivery coordination, and continuous improvement of the app ecosystem supporting the Field & Risk Services (FRS) division. This role serves as the primary liaison between business stakeholders, the Product owners , and the development team to ensure that strategic initiatives are translated into actionable work, prioritized appropriately, and delivered through a structured Agile framework.

The role combines Product Ownership, Application Ownership, and Scrum Master responsibilities, acting as the day-to-day steward of the platform while facilitating sprint execution, release planning, team coordination, and delivery governance. The Product & Platform Owner will work closely with the Head of Product, who is responsible for strategic product direction, divisional priorities, business outcomes, and long-term platform evolution.

Key Responsibilities

Platform Ownership

• Act as the primary operational owner for the application portfolio.
• Capable of hands-on intervention during critical problem-solving scenarios.
• Maintain oversight of platform health, support processes, integrations, technical debt, and enhancement opportunities.
• Partner with engineering leads to ensure platform stability, performance, security, and scalability.
• Coordinate business and technical stakeholders regarding platform changes and releases.
• Facilitate issue escalation and resolution across business, support, and engineering teams.
• Ensure platform documentation, operational procedures, and ownership records remain current.

Product Ownership & Delivery Governance

• Own the day-to-day operational backlog for business applications and related platforms.
• Translate business requirements, enhancement requests, defects, and operational needs into well-defined user stories and backlog items.
• Maintain backlog hygiene, prioritization, acceptance criteria, and delivery readiness.
• Ensure development priorities align with strategic direction established by the business.
• Coordinate release planning and delivery schedules with stakeholders.
• Provide visibility into delivery status, sprint progress, risks, and dependencies.

Agile Delivery Facilitation

• Facilitate Agile ceremonies
• Remove delivery impediments and coordinate resolution of blockers.
• Monitor team delivery metrics and team performance indicators.
• Promote Agile best practices and continuous improvement.
• Support estimation, capacity planning, and sprint forecasting activities.

Business & Stakeholder Engagement

• Serve as the primary coordination point between:
  • FRS Leadership
  • Head of Product
  • Development Team
  • Operations Teams
  • Technology Teams
  • External Vendors (as applicable)
• Communicate roadmap progress, delivery updates, and implementation plans.
• Facilitate prioritization discussions among competing business needs.
• Support business case development and initiative planning.

Strategic Execution Support

• Partner with the Head of Product to convert strategic objectives into executable delivery plans.
• Assist in roadmap planning and platform modernization initiatives.
• Support migration, transformation, and continuous-improvement programs across the technology portfolio.
• Identify opportunities to improve processes, automation, user experience, and operational efficiency.

Skills, knowledge & expertise

• 5+ years in Product Owner, Application Owner, Platform Owner, Business Analyst, Delivery Lead, or similar roles.
• 3+ years working within Agile/Scrum development environments.
• Experience managing software backlogs and coordinating development teams.
• Experience working with business stakeholders and technology delivery teams.
• Experience supporting enterprise applications through full lifecycle management

Preferred

• Certified Scrum Master (CSM), PSM, or equivalent.
• Product Owner certification (CSPO, PSPO).
• Experience with SaaS, cloud-hosted, or enterprise business platforms.
• Experience supporting insurance, risk services, loss control, premium audit, or field operations platforms.
• Familiarity with application modernization and platform transformation initiatives.

Equal Employment Opportunity & Legal Notices

Benefits

At Davies North America, we are dedicated to supporting the well‑being and future of our qualifying employees. Our comprehensive benefits package includes:

• Medical, dental, and vision plans to support your health and that of your family
• A 401(k) plan with employer matching
• Time‑off policies, including Discretionary Time Off (DTO) for exempt employees and Paid Time Off (PTO) for non‑exempt employees
• Paid holidays
• Life insurance and short‑term and long‑term disability coverage

Benefit offerings, eligibility, and required employer contributions may vary based on role, classification, and applicable federal, state, and local laws, including those tied to an employee’s primary work location.

Where required by law, the Company provides paid sick leave, paid family and parental leave, and other mandated benefits in accordance with applicable state and local requirements.

Diversity and Inclusion

Davies is dedicated to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace that embraces a wide range of perspectives and experiences. We believe that diversity of thought is essential for innovation and creativity, and we actively promote an environment where all voices are valued and heard.

Compensation Transparency: The salary range listed reflects the full compensation band for this role across all locations. Actual compensation will be based on factors such as skills, experience, qualifications, and geographic location, which may impact the final offer. We share ranges to remain transparent and consistent with pay equity practices.

Essential Functions The following responsibilities and expectations are considered essential to the successful performance of this role. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

• Maintain regular and dependable attendance.
• Be available and able to perform job responsibilities during established work hours.

Background Check & Fair Chance Compliance

Any background check or review of criminal history, if applicable to the role, will be conducted only after a conditional offer of employment and in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws, including fair‑chance hiring requirements.

Massachusetts NoticeIt is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

AI PolicyAt Davies, we value authentic conversations and a fair candidate experience. While candidates may use AI and technology tools to prepare for interviews, we expect interview responses and assessments to reflect each individual's own experience, knowledge, and professional judgment.
We do not use sites like Facebook, Craigslist, or Telegram to recruit or interview potential employees or contractors. If you have been asked to provide any information through any method other than our career portal, please email us at recruitment@davies-group.com