Senior Product Owner – Mission-Critical Defense Systems

Apogee Engineering, LLC; Fort Wayne (IN); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Apogee Engineering, LLC is seeking a Product Owner SME to support software modernization for Air Force and USSTRATCOM programs. The role emphasizes backlog prioritization, translating operational needs into use cases, and coordinating with multiple teams to ensure capability delivery.

The candidate will participate in agile ceremonies, prepare briefings for senior leaders, and train stakeholders on backlog management while maintaining alignment with mission priorities and fielding timelines.

Qualifications

• Citizenship: Must be a US citizen.
• Clearance: Must possess and maintain a TS w/SCI eligibility.
• Education: Bachelor's degree.
• Years of Experience: Minimum 12 years of relevant experience including 5+ years supporting the DoW.
• Experience using Jira and Confluence for backlog management and requirements traceability.
• Strong written and oral communication skills for senior leader briefings.

Responsibilities

• Define and prioritize product backlogs for SMPES.
• Translate operations needs into use cases, activity diagrams, and scenarios.
• Coordinate with users, program managers, and development teams on priorities.
• Conduct requirements elicitation with stakeholders and PMO.
• Coordinate scenarios, need statements, and artifacts with users.
• Support agile ceremonies: standups, sprint planning, reviews, backlog reviews.
• Lead or support release planning and backlog synchronization.
• Validate backlog clarity, dependencies, and risks with operational priorities.
• Coordinate actions across requirements, testing, usability, and fielding activities.
• Train stakeholders on backlog prioritization and documentation tools.
• Identify issues needing leadership awareness or cross-org coordination.
• Track feature progress and ensure timely delivery.
• Align mission goals with technical execution and prepare capability updates.

Skills

Backlog management

Stakeholder communication

Agile methodologies

Independent work

Leadership briefings

Requirements tracing

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Jira

Confluence

Job description

Apogee Engineering, LLC is seeking a Product Owner SME to support software modernization for Air Force and USSTRATCOM programs. The role emphasizes backlog prioritization, translating operational needs into use cases, and coordinating with multiple teams to ensure capability delivery.

The candidate will participate in agile ceremonies, prepare briefings for senior leaders, and train stakeholders on backlog management while maintaining alignment with mission priorities and fielding timelines.