Chief Product Owner (CPO)

Socket.dev; Fullerton (CA); On-site; USD 146,000 - 277,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation Offered Based OnEligibility

Job summary

RTX's Sensors Space & Airborne division seeks a Chief Product Owner to drive Agile delivery across the Sentinel product line, coordinating ~80 engineers and multiple programs with a $300M scope.

The role emphasizes PI planning, backlog health, and cross‑team synchronization, requiring a seasoned leader with SAFe experience, a STEM background, and a track record of delivering complex systems in defense contexts.

Qualifications

• Typically requires a degree in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) and a minimum of 10 years of prior relevant experience.
• Experience in Agile organizations using Lean, Scrum, SAFe, Kanban, XP, or similar frameworks.
• Minimum 5 years serving in roles such as Product Owner, Product Manager, Release Train Engineer, Value Stream Engineer, Scrum Master, Project Manager, or similar Agile leadership functions.
• Proficiency with Agile management tools (e.g., Jira, Rally, or equivalent).

Responsibilities

• Execute the Program Increment, ensuring alignment between roadmap intent, backlog priorities, and team-level delivery.
• Hold regular Scrum of Scrums with Product Owners to surface blockers, coordinate external needs, and drive cross-team communication.
• Coordinate with stakeholders outside the teams to remove impediments and ensure alignment across engineering disciplines, suppliers, and program partners.
• Execute the product roadmap; support CE and LSEs in long-term feature scheduling, selection, and sequencing.
• Set increment-level objectives jointly with CE and PM to support strategic priorities and technical milestones.
• Partner with Product Owners to ensure teams deliver in alignment with acceptance criteria established by CEs and aligned technical leadership.
• Organize and lead PI Planning activities; gather, evaluate, and deliver retrospective feedback, including improvement opportunities, to the CE.
• Support the PO team across all Scrum activities, enabling strong backlog health, predictability, and execution discipline.
• Provide product-line Agile metrics, delivery status, projections, and performance insights to PMs and leadership.
• Drive adoption of Agile principles, ensuring alignment with program execution needs.
• Promote collaboration, transparency, and continuous improvement across the product line, influencing effective delivery and minimizing cross-team dependencies.

Skills

Agile leadership

Product Owner

Roadmap planning

SAFe / Scrum

Cross-functional

Stakeholder comms

Mentoring

Education

Bachelor's degree in STEM

Tools

Jira

Rally

Job description

Date Posted: 2026-09-21

Country: United States of America

Location: US-CA-FULLERTON-675 ~ 1801 Hughes Dr ~ BLDG 675

Position Role Type: Onsite

U.S. Citizen, U.S. Person, or Immigration Status Requirements: Active and transferable U.S. government issued security clearance is required prior to start date. U.S. citizenship is required, as only U.S. citizens are eligible for a security clearance

Security Clearance Type: DoD Clearance: Secret

Security Clearance Status: Ability to obtain INTERIM U.S. government issued security clearance is required prior to start date

At RTX, the world's largest aerospace and defense company, 185,000 great minds are united by purpose and inspired to make a difference solving the world’s most complex problems. With our three market leading businesses, world-class operations and investments in research and development, we offer capabilities and opportunity no one else can. Together, we push the boundaries of known science and find new ways to connect and protect our world.

Raytheon brings the strength of more than 100 years of experience and renowned engineering expertise to meet the needs of today’s mission and stay ahead of tomorrow’s threat. We deliver solutions that help our nation and allies defend freedoms and deter aggression, creating a safer, more secure world. Join us and help shape the future of aerospace and defense.

Raytheon Sensors Space & Airborne is looking for a Chief Product Owner (CPO) for the Sentinel product line. The successful candidate will be responsible for executing Program Increments, driving Agile maturity, and ensuring predictable, value-focused delivery across a $300M scope spanning 6–8 programs within USG and NASAMS portfolios.

The CPO leads coordination across approximately 80 multidisciplinary engineers and partners closely with the Chief Engineer (CE), Program Manager (PM), Lead Systems Engineers (LSEs), and Software Technical Directors (SW TDs) to align product execution with long-term vision, capability roadmaps, and technical acceptance criteria. This servant‑leader role focuses on cross-team synchronization, dependency management, PI Planning leadership, and fostering Agile execution.

What You Will Do

• Execute the Program Increment, ensuring alignment between roadmap intent, backlog priorities, and team-level delivery.
• Hold regular Scrum of Scrums with Product Owners to surface blockers, coordinate external needs, and drive cross-team communication.
• Coordinate with stakeholders outside the teams to remove impediments and ensure alignment across engineering disciplines, suppliers, and program partners.
• Execute the product roadmap; support CE and LSEs in long-term feature scheduling, selection, and sequencing.
• Set increment-level objectives jointly with CE and PM to support strategic priorities and technical milestones.
• Partner with Product Owners to ensure teams deliver in alignment with acceptance criteria established by CEs and aligned technical leadership.
• Organize and lead PI Planning activities; gather, evaluate, and deliver retrospective feedback, including improvement opportunities, to the CE.
• Support the PO team across all Scrum activities, enabling strong backlog health, predictability, and execution discipline.
• Provide product-line Agile metrics, delivery status, projections, and performance insights to PMs and leadership.
• Drive adoption of Agile principles, ensuring alignment with program execution needs.
• Promote collaboration, transparency, and continuous improvement across the product line, influencing effective delivery and minimizing cross-team dependencies.

What You Will Learn

• Working across a product line in collaboration with other teams.

Qualifications You Must Have

• Typically requires a degree in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) and a minimum of 10 years of prior relevant experience.
• Experience in Agile organizations using Lean, Scrum, SAFe, Kanban, XP, or similar frameworks.
• Minimum 5 years serving in roles such as Product Owner, Product Manager, Release Train Engineer, Value Stream Engineer, Scrum Master, Project Manager, or similar Agile leadership functions.
• Demonstrated experience building and managing product roadmaps and aligning feature delivery across multiple teams.
• Proficiency with Agile management tools (e.g., Jira, Rally, or equivalent).

Qualifications We Prefer

Industry & Program Expertise:

• Experience supporting large-scale defense or aerospace programs, including cost/schedule alignment and technical milestone integration.
• Experience with Earned Value Management (EVM) and Agile EV or equivalent data-driven performance methodologies.

Agile & Leadership Strengths:

• Deep understanding of Agile principles and the ability to differentiate between “being Agile” and merely “doing Agile.”
• Excellent mentoring, coaching, and servant‑leadership capabilities supporting Product Owners and cross‑functional teams.

Delivery Expertise:

• Proven experience delivering complex systems involving software, hardware, integration, and test in a fast‑paced environment.
• Ability to visualize product‑line execution using metrics, projections, dependency maps, and value‑stream insights.
• Strong problem‑solving, systems thinking, and decision‑making skills.

Collaboration & Communication:

• Demonstrated ability to engage program leadership, engineering teams, and external partners effectively.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills across all organizational levels.

Servant-Leadership Attributes:

• Ability to influence strategic thinking, problem‑solving, and continuous improvement without relying on positional authority.
• Commitment to empowering teams, supporting ownership, and fostering a culture of innovation and disciplined delivery.

What We Offer

• Our values drive our actions, behaviors, and performance with a vision for a safer, more connected world. At RTX we value: Safety, Trust, Respect, Accountability, Collaboration, and Innovation.
• Relocation Offered Based On Eligibility.

Clearance Information: This position requires a security clearance. DCSA Consolidated Adjudication Services (DCSA CAS), an agency of the Department of Defense, handles and adjudicates the security clearance process. More information about Security Clearances can be found on the US Department of State government website here: https://www.state.gov/m/ds/clearances/c10978.htm

As part of our commitment to maintaining a secure hiring process, candidates may be asked to attendselect steps of the interview process in‑person at one of our office locations, regardless of whether the role is designated as on‑site, hybrid or remote.

The salary range for this role is 145,600 USD - 276,800 USD. The salary range provided is a good faith estimate representative of all experience levels. RTX considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role, function and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, location, education/training, and key skills.Hired applicants may be eligible for benefits, including but not limited to, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short‑term disability, long‑term disability, 401(k) match, flexible spending accounts, flexible work schedules, employee assistance program, Employee Scholar Program, parental leave, paid time off, and holidays. Specific benefits are dependent upon the specific business unit as well as whether or not the position is covered by a collective‑bargaining agreement.

Hired applicants may be eligible for annual short-term and/or long-term incentive compensation programs depending on the level of the position and whether or not it is covered by a collective‑bargaining agreement. Payments under these annual programs are not guaranteed and are dependent upon a variety of factors including, but not limited to, individual performance, business unit performance, and/or the company’s performance.This role is a U.S.-based role. If the successful candidate resides in a U.S. territory, the appropriate pay structure and benefits will apply.RTX anticipates the application window closing approximately 40 days from the date the notice was posted. However, factors such as candidate flow and business necessity may require RTX to shorten or extend the application window.

RTX is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or veteran status, or any other applicable state or federal protected class. RTX provides affirmative action in employment for qualified Individuals with a Disability and Protected Veterans in compliance with Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act.

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