Connor Line
Merriam
Summary
Highly motivated and results-driven Product Owner with a strong background in insurance services, financial systems, and agile methodologies. Skilled in requirement gathering, backlog refinement, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to effectively prioritize and ensure projects meet deadlines and exceed expectations. Being a Certified SAFe 5 Product Owner/Product Manager, I am proficient in creating functional specifications, leading agile teams, and driving projects through the software development lifecycle. Dedicated to ensuring customer satisfaction, optimizing team efficiency, and aligning product vision with business objectives.
Overview
12
12
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Project Manager
Pearce Construction
Kansas City
07.2024 - 03.2025
- Assisted and coordinated over five concurrent project efforts ranging from $500,000 up to $5MM in gross costs, ensuring completion within budget and scope.
- Managed project administration, including RFIs, change orders, submittals, and meeting documentation. Facilitate O/A/C (Owner/Architect/Contractor) meetings, providing project updates and addressing key concerns.
- Updated and maintained project schedules by tracking milestones and proactively mitigating risks, ensuring a 95% on-time project delivery rate.
- Optimized field-office coordination, reducing average project delays by 10% through improved communication and process automation.
Product Owner
Ascend Learning
Leawood
01.2023 - 05.2024
- Maintained robust team efficiency, achieving >80% say/do ratio within development and QA teams.
- Managed project timelines by tracking milestones and proactively mitigating risks, ensuring a 95% on-time feature delivery rate across multiple sprints.
- Drove continuous enhancements and efficiencies across product health, operational practices, and tools/processes – spearheading over four process improvements, leading to nearly a 5% improvement in daily operational efficiency.
- Enhanced functional testing processes for designated projects, ensuring compliance with specified acceptance criteria, resulting in a 94% first-pass success rate during testing efforts and reducing bug-related work by 12%.
- Developed a self-service portal to reduce inbound calls to agents by 10% and streamline workflows to enhance sales.
Platform Analyst III
Ascend Learning
Leawood
05.2022 - 01.2023
- Evaluated, managed, and prioritized over 40 tickets in the product backlog, ensuring 80% of high priority items were completed on time.
- Identified and mitigated over 10 risks associated with product initiatives, preventing project delays.
- Facilitated cross-functional collaboration between engineering, business, and QA teams, improving sprint planning efficiency and reducing backlog refinement meetings by 15%.
Finance Project Manager
SelectQuote Insurance Services
Overland Park
07.2018 - 05.2022
- Served as Scrum Master and Project Manager for internal revenue tracking software, supporting $750M+ in annual revenue; led cross-functional teams through the SDLC, from requirements gathering to release.
- Spearheaded partner commission schedule improvements and onboarding processes, increasing operational efficiency by over 20% and reducing cycle times.
- Reduced revenue tracking discrepancies by 25% through detailed transaction reconciliations and data validation processes.
- Directed 3+ major system upgrades, improving financial reporting accuracy to 99%+ and enhancing audit readiness.
Product Owner (Commissions Manager)
SelectQuote Insurance Services
Overland Park
04.2015 - 07.2018
- Oversaw daily operations of the revenue database, ensuring accurate tracking of $200M+ in proceeds and achieving 100% accuracy in monthly cash reconciliations.
- Led a team of Commissions Analysts across two divisions; built scalable training protocols and improved data consistency across systems.
- Gathered and prioritized requirements for 12+ modules in SelectQuote’s proprietary revenue tracking system, improving data processing speed by 20%.
Commissions Analyst
SelectQuote Insurance Services
Overland Park
04.2013 - 04.2015
- Oversaw commission reconciliation process at the policy level, ensuring over 99% accuracy and completeness.
- Updated commission rates for 25+ carriers with precision and timeliness, ensuring 100% accuracy with financial agreements.
- Supported and contributed to the development and launch of SelectQuote's proprietary revenue tracking system, enhancing operational efficiency and accuracy by over 25%.
Quality Assurance Analyst
SelectQuote Insurance Services
Overland Park
10.2012 - 03.2013
- Ensured sales agents' compliance with CMS and company guidelines, preserving a 99% call accuracy rating.
- Monitored inbound and outbound calls to potential customers in adherence to quality and compliance standards.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Business Administration
University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, AR01.2012
Skills
- Product Ownership
- Agile Methodologies
- Stakeholder Engagement
- Software Development Lifecycle
- User Story Creation
- Problem-Solving
- Cross-functional Collaboration
- Requirement Gathering
- Backlog Refinement
- Sprint Planning & Execution
- Roadmap Development
Certification
- Certified SAFe® 5 Product Owner/Product Manager (POPM), Scaled Agile Inc., 2023
- Pragmatic Certified Product Manager (PMC-III), Pragmatic Institute, 2023
Timeline
Project Manager
Pearce Construction
07.2024 - 03.2025
Product Owner
Ascend Learning
01.2023 - 05.2024
Platform Analyst III
Ascend Learning
05.2022 - 01.2023
Finance Project Manager
SelectQuote Insurance Services
07.2018 - 05.2022
Product Owner (Commissions Manager)
SelectQuote Insurance Services
04.2015 - 07.2018
Commissions Analyst
SelectQuote Insurance Services
04.2013 - 04.2015
Quality Assurance Analyst
SelectQuote Insurance Services
10.2012 - 03.2013
Bachelor of Science - Business Administration
University of Arkansas
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