Senior Configuration Management Specialist

DEFSEC Technologies Inc.; Ottawa; On-site; CAD 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

KWESST (a DEFSEC Technologies company) seeks a Senior Configuration Management Specialist to own CM planning, control, and status accounting for the DSEF program across software, firmware, and hardware baselines. The role requires an active SECRET clearance and CGP eligibility.

The ideal candidate has built CM plans from scratch, administered CM tooling, and translated CM requirements into SOWs/CDRLs/DIDs within a defence systems engineering context, including ITAR considerations.

Qualifications

• Active SECRET clearance is required.
• CGP eligibility is required.
• 5+ years CM experience in last 8 years across at least 8 of 9 assessment areas (mandatory).
• Must include CM plans/procedures; CM tools; CM requirements in SOWs/CDRLs/DIDs (mandatory).
• Strong software development methodologies knowledge; ITAR/CGP awareness desired.

Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain, and enforce CM plans and procedures for the program.
• Define/configure CM tools and techniques; provide user guidance.
• Define identification requirements; maintain item structure across baselines.
• Establish CM control process; manage change requests and CCB support.
• Manage CM data management cell; ensure data integrity and records retention.
• Establish/execute configuration audits (functional/physical).
• Produce configuration status accounting and reports for owners/SMEs.
• Lead release planning; coordinate baseline cut-over across PIs/sprints.
• Identify CM requirements in SOWs/CDRLs/DIDs.
• Support obsolescence management; track EoL/EoS information.
• Develop/maintain work items and user stories in IBM EWM.
• Participate in daily standups, PI planning, retrospectives.
• Maintain team processes in Confluence; ensure accuracy.
• Ensure ITAR and CGP compliance across work products.

Skills

Active SECRET clearance

CGP eligibility

SAFe Agile knowledge

Excellent communication

Independent and team work

Education

Undergraduate degree in IT/CS or related field

College diploma in CM field or related

CM tools proficiency (Confluence, IBM EWM, Jira)

DOORS Next familiarity (asset)

MS Office / Excel experience

Information Management certification or equivalent

Tools

Confluence

IBM EWM

Jira

DOORS Next (DNG) asset

Job description

Senior Configuration Management Specialist – DSEF Program

Company Overview:

KWESST (a DEFSEC Technologies company) develops and delivers next-generation military and public safety technology for military and first responder customers. The company is proudly Canadian and provides Dismounted/Mounted Domain Expertise in Command-and-Control software development, integration, and support services.

Job Description:

KWESST is seeking a highly skilled and experienced Senior Configuration Management (CM) specialist to join our DSEF program. The successful candidate will own configuration management planning, control, and status accounting across the program’s software, firmware, and hardware baselines, and will serve as the program’s authority on configuration identification, audit, and release practices.

The ideal candidate is a seasoned CM practitioner who has built configuration management plans and procedures from the ground up, selected and administered CM tooling, and translated configuration management requirements into contract language through Statements of Work, Contract Deliverable Requirements Lists (CDRLs), and Data Item Descriptions (DIDs). They are comfortable operating in a defence systems engineering environment and working within ITAR and Controlled Goods Program constraints.

Responsibilities:

• Develop, maintain, and enforce configuration management plans and procedures for the program.
• Define and administer configuration management tools and techniques, including tool selection, configuration, and user guidance.
• Define configuration identification requirements and maintain the configuration item structure across software, firmware, and hardware baselines.
• Establish and maintain the configuration management control process, including change request intake, Configuration Control Board support, and disposition tracking.
• Manage the program’s configuration data management cell, including work direction, data integrity, and records retention.
• Establish and conduct configuration audit procedures, including functional and physical configuration audits.
• Perform configuration status accounting and produce baseline, change, and release status reporting for product owners, Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), and program leadership.
• Lead release planning activities and coordinate baseline cut-over across Program Increments (PIs) and sprints.
• Identify and articulate configuration management requirements in Statements of Work, Contract Deliverable Requirements Lists (CDRLs), and Data Item Descriptions (DIDs).
• Support obsolescence management activities, including tracking software and hardware dependency, licensing, and End-of-Life / End-of-Support information as configuration item data.
• Develop, refine, and maintain work items and user stories within IBM Engineering Workflow Management (EWM), including story status, acceptance criteria, and related artifacts throughout each Program Increment and Sprint.
• Participate in daily stand-up meetings, PI planning events, and bi-weekly retrospectives to support team alignment, transparency, and continuous improvement.
• Update, refine, and maintain team processes and procedures in Confluence to ensure documentation remains accurate, current, and aligned with evolving program needs.
• Maintain awareness of and adhere to ITAR and CGP requirements, ensuring all work products, data handling practices, and communications comply with applicable export-control regulations.

Qualifications:

• Must possess an active SECRET security clearance
• Must be eligible to be vetted as part of the Controlled Goods Program (CGP)
• Minimum of 5 years of demonstrated configuration management experience within the last 8 years, across at least eight of the nine assessment areas listed below. This is a mandatory requirement at the Senior level.
• Experience claimed must include, at a minimum, preparing configuration management plans and procedures; defining configuration management tools and techniques; and identifying configuration management requirements in SOWs, CDRLs, and DIDs. These three areas are mandatory.
• Good understanding of software development methodologies and best practices
• Understanding of Controlled Goods Program and ITAR processes is desired
• Knowledge of SAFe Agile principles
• Understanding of the DND organization is an asset
• Excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail are a must
• Exceptional oral and written communication skills are a must
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Minimum of 1 year of demonstrated systems engineering experience within the last 4 years, in at least four of the assessment areas listed below. This is a mandatory requirement.

Assessment areas:

• Preparing configuration management plans and procedures
• Defining configuration management tools and techniques
• Defining configuration identification requirements
• Establishing and maintaining a configuration management control process
• Managing a configuration data management cell
• Establishing configuration audit procedures
• Configuration status accounting
• Release planning
• Identifying configuration management requirements in SOWs, Contract Deliverable Requirements Lists (CDRLs), and Data Item Descriptions (DIDs)

Education:

• An undergraduate university degree in Information Technology or Computer Science, or in a suitable engineering or technical field relevant to Land C4ISR, is preferred
• A college diploma in one of those fields, or an undergraduate degree in another discipline paired with directly relevant configuration management experience, will also be considered
• Proficiency in CM tools such as Confluence, IBM Engineering Workflow Management (EWM), Jira, or similar
• Experience in Data Management (DM) and Configuration Management (CM) best practices
• Experience with software life-cycle management is an asset
• Experience with software obsolescence is an asset
• Certificate in Information Management, or a related field, or equivalent experience
• Experience with MS Office, especially MS Excel and SharePoint
• Familiarity with DOORS Next (DNG) is an asset

Salary range for this new position is $65K - $85K

KWESST (A DEFSEC Technologies company) is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all qualified individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, age, disability of any other protected status under applicable law. We celebrate diversity and are dedicated to creating a work environment that is inclusive and welcoming to all, including LGBTQ2S+ individuals. Our hiring decisions are based on qualifications, merit, and business needs. In every step of the interview procedure, KWESST is committed to providing accommodations.