COTS Systems Engineer - TS required to apply - Washington DC & Hybrid

Bow Wave LLC; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 175,000 - 185,000; Full time

Job summary

Bow Wave LLC seeks a full-time GovTA Subject Matter Expert (SME) to serve as Program Manager Senior. This role requires 8+ years of experience, focusing on federal timekeeping and payroll reporting systems, primarily GovTA, ensuring compliance with regulations while driving efficiency improvements.

Responsibilities include serving as a liaison for GovTA, overseeing system testing and implementation, and managing stakeholders. Candidates must possess a related degree and demonstrated federal program management experience.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of relevant experience, including 3 years in a federal program management or SME role.
• Proven experience leading large-scale federal system implementations.
• Strong knowledge of federal payroll and timekeeping regulations.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary SME for all technical matters related to GovTA.
• Coordinate with internal stakeholders to resolve issues and implement best practices.
• Train and mentor government staff and team members.

Skills

Federal program management

Expertise in GovTA

Relational databases (PostgreSQL, Oracle)

Cloud (AWS)

Linux-based infrastructures

Advanced communication skills

Education

Degree in Business, IT, Information Systems, or Computer Science

Job description

Position Overview

The FBI requires a full‑time GovTA Subject Matter Expert (SME) to serve in the role of Program Manager Senior. The individual will provide expert‑level support, strategic oversight, and assist with general program management in conjunction with HR for the FBI's Time and Attendance (T&A) and payroll reporting systems, primarily GovTA. This role will assist in ensuring compliance with federal timekeeping, payroll, and financial regulations while driving improvements in efficiency, accuracy, and customer support across a large enterprise environment.

8+yrs functional experience required

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary SME and liaison for all technical matters related to GovTA.
• Work with and interact with the GovTA software vendor on items related to the product.
• In conjunction with government PMs, work with other agency groups to support the T&A system.
• Assist in providing strategic direction and program management for GovTA, ensuring alignment with federal regulations and agency policies.
• Oversee testing, implementation, and deployment of new system features, patches, and upgrades.
• Assist in developing roadmaps and process documentation for GovTA projects.
• Coordinate with internal stakeholders, including HR, payroll, finance, etc., to resolve issues and implement best practices.
• Provide advanced troubleshooting and problem resolution for system and process issues impacting timekeeping and payroll operations.
• Train, mentor, and provide knowledge transfer to government staff and other team members.

Required Qualifications

• Related degree in Business, IT, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field.
• 8+ years of relevant experience, including at least 3 years in a federal program management or SME role supporting GovTA, WebTA, or equivalent federal timekeeping/payroll systems.
• Demonstrated experience working with relational databases (PostgreSQL, Oracle), cloud (AWS), and Linux‑based infrastructures.
• Demonstrated experience leading large‑scale federal system implementations, upgrades, or modernization projects.
• Strong knowledge of federal payroll, time and attendance, OPM, and HR regulations.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills, with proven ability to brief senior executives as needed.
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities in a large, complex, and fast‑paced environment.

Desired Qualifications

• Previous experience supporting agencies of 20,000+ employees.
• Knowledge of federal audit, compliance, and reporting standards related to time and attendance.
• Experience integrating GovTA with other financial, HR, or ERP systems (e.g., NFC, etc.).

Salary: $175000 - $185000 per year