Product Owner
Description
Clarity Innovations connects human creativity with emerging technology to design, develop, and deploy software that enhances mission success. Our focus is redefining the Government’s relationship with technology by encouraging the use of DevSecOps and Agile methodologies, small-teams constructs, modern tech stacks, and automation. Our software improves the lives and work of our end users and enhances innovation. We fulfill our responsibility to our country by delivering mission-changing results that help shape a better and safer world.
Description:
We are looking for a talented Product Owner to join our team. The ideal candidate will be passionate about leading a product from initial idea to MVP delivery. The candidate will have a seasoned product development background, possess strong leadership skills, and have a keen understanding of user research. As a Product Owner, you will be responsible for defining and prioritizing product features, collaborating with cross-functional teams, and ensuring that our products meet the needs of our customers and stakeholders.
Key Responsibilities: (but not limited to)
Own the Product Team & Vision: Kick-off product team and establish team cadence to support a collaborative, agile team working environment. Lead user research and discovery effort with User Experience designer to define scope of MVP. Clearly define and articulate the long-term vision and goals for the product, aligning them with the overall business strategy. Tell a compelling story for audiences of all levels including senior executives. Establish the product’s vision, strategy, outcome-driven roadmap, and product backlog.
Facilitate and Communicate: Drive the narrative in both verbal and written communication. Facilitate meetings with team members and stakeholders, communicating effectively at the senior, most executive levels of the Department of the Air Force and using methods your audience will participate in. Communicate the vision, strategy, roadmap, and backlog to different audiences with a tailored message they will understand.
Decision Making and Problem Solving: Make timely and informed decisions on product features, scope, and priorities based on input from stakeholders, market analysis, and feedback from design and development on your team. Identify pain points and opportunities for the team and be proactive in actioning towards resolutions.
Work Prioritization: Continuously prioritize and refine the product backlog to maximize value delivery. Lead and influence a balanced cross-functional team in daily activities to execute against a vision. Maintain and prioritize the product backlog, based on customer needs, business priorities, and market trends.
User Story Creation: Document and package detailed operational requirements and experiences. Write clear and detailed user stories with acceptance criteria to communicate product requirements to the development team. Champion user-centered design philosophy within the internal product team and externally with customers.
Strategic Stakeholder Communication: Collaborate with stakeholders to gain alignment on requirements, define user stories, and create acceptance criteria. Act as a bridge between stakeholders and the development team, ensuring that stakeholders' needs and expectations are understood and incorporated into the product backlog. Communicate sophisticated ideas, anticipating potential objections, and persuading others, often at senior levels, to adopt a different point of view.
Outcome Oriented Delivery: Define and track key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the success of product features and inform future product decisions. Work closely with the development team to ensure product features are delivered on time and meet quality standards.
Required:
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
- Proven experience as a Product Owner in a software development environment.
- Strong understanding of Agile methodologies (Lean, Scrum, Kanban, etc.) and experience working in balanced, Agile teams.
- Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.
- Ability to translate business requirements into actionable user stories with clear acceptance criteria.
- Analytical mindset with the ability to make data-driven decisions.
- Strong problem-solving skills and a proactive approach to addressing challenges.
- Experience with product management tools such as GitLab or equivalent.
- MUST be eligible to obtain a Common Access Card (CAC)
- Holds or eligible to obtain Secret clearance
- Ability to travel to support in-person customer meetings, if necessary
Non-Technical Competencies:
- Required: Strong communication/general soft skills
- SHALL conduct themselves at all times in a professional and respectful manner
- SHALL give and receive feedback in a respectful and professional manner
- SHALL be a “team player” and contribute to “can-do” culture
- SHALL be eager to learn and be mentored by more senior engineers
Clarity Innovations provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status, or any other protected class.