Manager, Software Engineering Product Manager (Workforce & Legal Tech)

If you’re passionate about being part of a dynamic organization that enables a Fortune 100 company with nearly $70 billion in annual sales to drive innovation and adopt new technologies that deliver business results, then Nationwide’s Technology team could be the place for you! At Nationwide®, “on your side” goes beyond just words. Our customers are at the center of everything we do and we’re looking for associates who are passionate about delivering extraordinary care.

We are seeking an experienced technology leader to support the strategy, delivery, and continuous evolution of Nationwide's Office of the Chief Legal Officer (OCLO) technology portfolio. OCLO provides legal, regulatory, compliance, ethics, governance, and risk management support across Nationwide, and this role enables those functions through secure, reliable, innovative, and business-aligned technology solutions.

The position oversees a portfolio of 46 applications (34 SaaS and 12 COTS solutions) that manage confidential, privileged, and sensitive information. Success in this role requires a strong understanding of SaaS platforms and technology portfolio management, including the ability to guide buy-versus-build decisions, challenge existing assumptions, introduce practical innovation, and ensure consistent delivery in a highly visible environment.

This leader will partner closely with the Technology Product Manager, OCLO business leaders, Architecture, Security, Data, Infrastructure, and external vendors to shape strategy, influence prioritization, and drive execution.

The Successful Candidate Will Be

• Strategic: Able to establish a compelling platform and product vision while connecting technology investments to business outcomes.
• Technically Credible: Able to challenge assumptions, influence architecture decisions, and understand modern engineering practices.
• Product-Minded: Focused on customer outcomes and business value rather than simply delivering technology.
• Collaborative and Influential: Able to align teams, leaders, vendors, and stakeholders across organizational boundaries.
• Execution-Oriented: Able to translate strategy into measurable outcomes and consistent delivery.
• People-Focused: Committed to developing talent and fostering an inclusive, high-performing engineering culture.
• Forward-Looking: Understands how AI, automation, platform engineering, and emerging technologies are transforming enterprise software delivery.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead teams responsible for the enhancement, integration, support, and operational health of the OCLO technology ecosystem.
• Partner with the Technology Product Manager and business leaders to define priorities, shape roadmaps, and translate strategic objectives into executable plans.
• Drive delivery excellence across discovery, planning, development, testing, deployment, and production support while continuously improving engineering and delivery practices.
• Manage technology vendor relationships, including performance management, escalations, renewals, service issues, and stakeholder alignment; facilitate productive discussions between vendors and internal business partners.
• Ensure solutions meet applicable security, privacy, compliance, data governance, records management, and information protection requirements.
• Evaluate and apply AI-enabled development practices, automation, and emerging technologies to improve productivity, testing, documentation, operations, and user experiences.
• Communicate technical concepts, risks, dependencies, tradeoffs, and financial considerations effectively to both technical and business audiences.
• Manage team capacity, financial risks, technology investments, and build-and-run budgets while adapting to changing priorities and constraints.
• Challenge conventional thinking, identify opportunities for continuous improvement, and promote pragmatic solutions that accelerate business value.
• Develop and coach team members while strengthening organizational capabilities and fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and innovation.

Qualifications & Experience

• Experience leading technology teams responsible for the development, integration, enhancement, and support of enterprise application portfolios.
• Experience supporting SaaS and packaged software solutions within complex business environments.
• Experience with cloud-native architectures, modern data platforms, Agile delivery models, product operating models, and AI-enabled development practices.
• Demonstrated success managing technology vendors, including performance management, escalations, service delivery, renewals, and stakeholder alignment.
• Experience leading, coaching, and developing technology professionals.
• Strong financial management acumen, including business case development, budget planning, and technology portfolio governance.
• Excellent communication, executive presence, collaboration, negotiation, and influencing skills.
• Ability to operate effectively in highly regulated environments where confidentiality, privacy, privilege, compliance, and risk management are critical.

#LI-BG1

Job Description Summary

If you’re passionate about innovating and delivering technology solutions to support a company providing extraordinary care to its customers, then Nationwide Technology is the place for you. Our industry-leading technology workforce embraces an agile work environment and a collaborative and inclusive culture to deliver outstanding solutions and results. If that sounds like something you aspire to, we want to hear from you!

As a Software Engineering Product Manager, you’ll be accountable for a suite of in house or third party applications. You'll lead teams of technology professionals to enable business outcomes and provide reliable customer-centric solutions and experiences.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities:

• Partners with leaders to ensure a viable total cost of ownership and ongoing health and wellness of applications.

• Assists in the development and implementation of application suite roadmaps through the evaluation of business needs, competitive landscape, technology currency and information security considerations.

• Manages risk mitigation controls and provides support for internal and external audits.

• Supports the engineering build of the application suite and non technical efforts for the products.

• Represents voice of the customer, acts in a forward-facing role to business partners as an active member of a portfolio management team in the advocation of business case development, planning, financial management and evaluation of portfolio.

• Hire and develop talent, provide consistent coaching and feedback.

May perform other responsibilities as assigned.

Reporting Relationships: Reports to Technology Director or above. Leads a team of 5 or more technology professionals.

Typical Skills and Experiences:

Education: Undergraduate studies in management information systems, engineering, math, computer science or comparable experience and education preferred.

Experience: Six years of experience in application suite management with four years or more leading numerous teams across multiple technologies. Proven experience in empowering and building an engaged team.

Knowledge, Abilities and Skills: Detailed understanding and knowledge of the systems development life cycle and modern methodologies, practices, tools, and techniques. Solid understanding of concepts and techniques in project delivery, budgeting, forecasting and financial analysis. Ability to develop and implement roadmap strategies. Proven decision-making and problem-solving skills. Coaching and career development of team. Ability to develop and maintain positive relationships. Insurance/financial services industry knowledge is a plus.

Other criteria, including leadership skills, competencies and experiences may take precedence.

Staffing exceptions to the above must be approved by the hiring manager’s leader and Human Resources Business Partner.

Values: Regularly and consistently demonstrates Nationwide Values.

Job Conditions:

Overtime Eligibility: Not Eligible (Exempt)

Working Conditions: Normal office environment. Associates may have on-call responsibility after normal working hours and/or on weekends.

ADA: The above statements cover what are generally believed to be principal and essential functions of this job. Specific circumstances may allow or require some people assigned to the job to perform a somewhat different combination of duties.

Benefits

We have an array of benefits to fit your needs, including: medical/dental/vision, life insurance, short and long term disability coverage, paid time off with newly hired associates receiving a minimum of 18 days paid time off each full calendar year pro-rated quarterly based on hire date, nine paid holidays, 8 hours of Lifetime paid time off, 8 hours of Unity Day paid time off, 401(k) with company match, company-paid pension plan, business casual attire, and more. To learn more about the benefits we offer, click here.

Nationwide is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive culture where everyone feels challenged, appreciated, respected and engaged. Nationwide prohibits discrimination and harassment and affords equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants without regard to any characteristic (or classification) protected by applicable law.

NOTE TO EMPLOYMENT AGENCIES:

We value the partnerships we have built with our preferred vendors. Nationwide does not accept unsolicited resumes from employment agencies. All resumes submitted by employment agencies directly to any Nationwide employee or hiring manager in any form without a signed Nationwide Client Services Agreement on file and search engagement for that position will be deemed unsolicited in nature. No fee will be paid in the event the candidate is subsequently hired as a result of the referral or through other means.

Nationwide pays on a geographic-specific salary structure and placement within the actual starting salary range for this position will be determined by a number of factors including the skills, education, training, credentials and experience of the candidate; the scope, complexity and location of the role as well as the cost of labor in the market; and other conditions of employment. If a Sales job, Sales Incentives, based on performance goals are possible in addition to this range. Note on Compensation for Part-Time Roles: Please be aware that the salary ranges listed below reflect full-time compensation. Actual compensation may be prorated based on the number of hours worked relative to a full-time schedule.

The national salary range for Manager, Software Engineering Product Manager : $118,000.00-$222,000.00

The expected starting salary range for Manager, Software Engineering Product Manager : $118,000.00 - $178,000.00