Job Details

Kitestring is a 25 year old start up in Northwest Arkansas. We provide technical expertise to various clients delivering innovations that improve how customers shop and the enterprise operates. At Kitestring Technical Services, our mission is to share our collective knowledge to positively impact our employees, clients, and communities. Our vision is to be the most trusted partner in technology consulting. We believe people enable technology and vice-versa which is why we are in the business of both. We persistently challenge the barriers to diversity, inclusion, and empathetic cooperation.

Our Core Values are Transparency, People Driven, Empowered, Quality focused and socially responsible. Our values direct our company in how we do business and enhance the lives of our employees. Do our values speak to you?

Summary Description

The Technical Product Owner (TPO) leads the client's retail technology platforms—including NCR POS, self-service solutions, and loyalty systems—to ensure they meet operational needs, improve customer experience, and drive in-store efficiency. This role acts as the bridge between business functions and technology teams, defining the product vision, managing roadmaps, driving delivery, and ensuring stable, high-performing retail systems across all stores.

The TPO defines product roadmaps, manages backlog prioritization, selects and implements technology solutions, and partners with store operations and marketing to deliver high-impact retail capabilities.

Essential Job Functions

• Own and manage the roadmap for retail technologies including POS, self-service technologies, and loyalty platforms.
• Partner with Store Operations, Marketing, and Front-End teams to define and prioritize enhancements.
• Translate retail operational needs into actionable technical requirements.
• Lead delivery of upgrades and new capabilities, ensuring end-to-end alignment across architecture, development, QA, and deployment teams.
• Oversee storewide deployments, ensuring thorough testing, communication, and change readiness.
• Monitor production performance of retail systems and drive troubleshooting and root cause analysis.
• Serve as escalation point for critical store system outages and coordinate incident resolution across teams.
• Maintain complete documentation, including architecture diagrams, processes, release notes, training materials, and knowledge base articles.
• Own vendor relationships, ensuring strong performance, SLA compliance, roadmap alignment, and effective escalation management.
• Evaluate emerging retail technologies, recommending solutions that reduce friction, modernize store operations, and improve checkout experience.
• Assess and recommend AI-enabled technologies that improve operational efficiency and enhance checkout and front-end experiences across POS, self-service, and loyalty platforms.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field.
• 3–5 years of experience as a Product Owner or Technical Business Analyst supporting retail or enterprise systems.
• Experience with NCR POS or similar platforms (e.g., Toshiba, GK, Diebold) or comparable POS/QSR systems.
• Knowledge of retail operations, POS systems, loyalty platforms, and store processes.
• Experience with in-store technologies (e.g., mobile solutions, smart carts, computer vision).
• Understanding of API integrations, services, and data flows between POS, loyalty, and digital channels.
• Familiarity with SQL, log analysis, and system monitoring tools.
• Strong knowledge of store network fundamentals, payment flows, and peripherals (scanners, printers, pin pads, scales).
• Strong understanding of Agile and SDLC methodologies.
• Excellent communication and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Proven ability to gather, document, and translate business needs into technical requirements.

Core Competencies

• Customer Focus: Prioritize the customer perspective when making decisions; implement practices that meet both customer and organizational needs.
• Communication: Convey information clearly and concisely; actively listen and ensure understanding across stakeholders.
• Driving for Results: Set measurable goals and consistently work to meet or exceed them while driving continuous improvement.
• Positive Approach: Maintain a constructive attitude in challenging situations and promote a realistic, forward-looking mindset.
• Coaching and Developing Others: Support team growth through development planning and skill-building opportunities.
• Leading Change: Encourage and support adoption of improved approaches to drive successful change.