Erin was at her previous firm for 15 years and had hit a point where she was ready to do something different.“All you ever hear is what a great company Protective is. Great company, great people, great values. When I saw the opportunity here, everything just lined up,” she says. “It’s been a really good change for me. I have been so impressed with how hard-working and how smart everyone is. The reputation is well-earned because of the people here.”

What is a typical day like for Erin?

Every day involves reading documents and corresponding with people. But Erin says every day is different — some days she works on loan documents while other days are spent reviewing basic due diligence.“One of the things I like is that there’s not a typical day. It keeps you on your toes,” she says.

In her role, Erin says it’s important to be very detailed, organized and have a calm demeanor.

Pamela began her career at Protective and recently returned to the company after stints in banking and consulting. She has held positions in computer operations, development, application systems analysis and business systems analysis in addition to working as a scrum master and now as a senior product owner.

“Having a history with Protective, I knew what a good company it was so when I had the opportunity to come back, I was thrilled,” Pamela says. “Being able to blend my technical background with business knowledge and soft skills seemed like an ideal marriage for me.”

What is a typical day like as a senior product owner?

“Is there a ‘typical’ day? Some days are non-stop meetings. My favorite days are the ones where I present a problem from the business partners to the team. Then bringing together all the people that ultimately build the solution that enable our partners to do their best work. Helping them do that work with the assistance — not the hindrance — of technology is always a good day,” she says.

Product owners serve as liaisons between the business and the external systems development team. They collaborate with stakeholders to convert strategy and priorities into tangible business requirements, prototypes, design concepts and product roadmaps.

The biggest challenge for a product owner is balancing the needs of the business partners with the resources, technology and time available. Because of that, a product owner should possess certain skills and traits.

“Communication skills, organizational skills (serious multi-tasking), empathy and diplomacy,” Pamela says. “Having technical knowledge is really helpful as well.”

Je’Cory Ross worked as a developer dealing with fraud solutions in financial services before coming to Protective in 2019.

“I wasn’t familiar with the insurance industry,” Je’Cory says. “As a developer, the day-to-day can be different depending on what industry you support. The idea of learning something new was appealing.”

Je’Cory was also excited to move from Columbus, Georgia to Birmingham.

“A bigger city nets you more opportunities. There’s a lot more to do here,” he says.

What is a typical day like for a software developer?

Je’Cory’s day starts with filling report requests, which involves writing a program that pulls data from different fields based on standards outlined in the request. He also works on small infrastructure changes related to daily processes. Developers at Protective also work on larger projects including customer feature requests or updating and testing system calculations in response to changing regulations.

The role requires patience, motivation, attention to detail and a willingness to learn.

“There’s always an opportunity to learn something new,” he says. “It doesn’t get stale because it’s not the same thing every day.”