Senior Systems Engineer / Product Owner

CACI; Linthicum (MD); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

CACI is seeking a Senior Systems Engineer / Product Owner to join a mission-critical program in Maryland. You will bridge systems engineering and product ownership within a SAFe Agile team, translating customer needs into actionable technical solutions and driving high-impact capabilities.

You will collaborate with stakeholders, engineers, and leadership to shape architecture, manage backlogs, and ensure traceability across requirements, design, and verification throughout the system lifecycle.

Qualifications

• Active TS/SCI clearance with Polygraph is required.
• Bachelor's degree in a related field or equivalent experience.
• 20+ years of Systems Engineering experience on large programs.
• Experience in government contracting and backlog prioritization.

Responsibilities

• Manage and prioritize team backlog to deliver high-value capabilities.
• Define, refine, and communicate product requirements with stakeholders.
• Develop user stories and acceptance criteria aligned with program goals.
• Participate in SAFe ceremonies: PI planning, iteration planning, standups, demos, and I&A.
• Collaborate with Product Management, System Architects, and RTEs to align execution.

Skills

Backlog prioritization

Stakeholder communication

User stories

Agile / SAFe

Education

Bachelor's degree in Systems Engineering, CS, or related field

Tools

Jira

Confluence

Azure DevOps

Job description

Job Title: Senior Systems Engineer / Product Owner

Job Category: Information Technology

Time Type: Full time

Minimum Clearance Required to Start: TS/SCI with Polygraph

Employee Type: Regular

Percentage of Travel Required: None

Type of Travel: None

The Opportunity CACI is seeking an experienced Systems Engineer/Product Owner to join a mission-critical program supporting national security objectives. In this role, you will help shape and advance an intelligent cyber resilience platform that streamlines security authorization processes, strengthens compliance management, and enables proactive enterprise risk mitigation. As a key member of a cross-functional Agile team, you will bridge systems engineering and product ownership responsibilities, transforming customer needs into innovative technical solutions. Working within the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), you will collaborate with stakeholders, engineers, architects, and program leadership to deliver high-impact capabilities that drive mission success. This is an exciting opportunity for a seasoned systems engineering professional who enjoys technical leadership, strategic thinking, and guiding Agile teams to deliver meaningful outcomes.

Responsibilities:

Product Ownership & Agile Delivery

• Manage and prioritize the team backlog to ensure delivery of the highest-value capabilities.
• Partner with stakeholders to define, refine, and communicate product requirements.
• Develop user stories and acceptance criteria that clearly convey business and technical objectives.
• Review and accept completed work to ensure alignment with customer expectations and program goals.
• Participate in SAFe ceremonies, including PI Planning, iteration planning, daily standups, system demonstrations, and Inspect & Adapt workshops.
• Collaborate closely with Product Management, System Architects, Release Train Engineers, and fellow Product Owners to align team execution with program objectives.

Systems Engineering & Requirements Management

• Elicit, analyze, document, and manage system requirements throughout the system lifecycle.
• Allocate system and functional requirements across hardware, software, facilities, and personnel components.
• Support requirements verification and ensure traceability from concept through implementation.
• Develop system design solutions that satisfy mission, business, and technical requirements.
• Perform quantitative analyses in areas such as reliability, maintainability, survivability, and vulnerability.
• Conduct activity modeling, data analysis, and business process evaluations to identify efficiencies and best practices.
• Create and maintain systems engineering artifacts, including: Analysis of Alternatives (AoA), Systems Engineering Plans (SEP), Requirements Specifications, Interface Control Documents (ICDs).
• Support the development of additional systems engineering documentation across the program as needed.

Architecture & Technical Leadership

• Contribute to the development and implementation of program architecture and technical standards.
• Define concepts of operation, interface standards, and system architecture solutions.
• Provide technical guidance for system development, integration, testing, and deployment activities.
• Conduct end-to-end workflow analysis and technical assessments to identify risks and opportunities.
• Lead systems requirements reviews and ensure compliance with applicable standards and mission requirements.

Qualifications:

Required:

• Active TS/SCI w/ Polygraph
• Bachelor's degree in Systems Engineering, Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering Science, Engineering Management, or a related discipline. An additional five (5) years of Systems Engineering experience may be substituted for a bachelor's degree.
• 20 years of Systems Engineering experience supporting programs of similar scope, scale, and complexity.
• Experience working within a government contracting environment.
• Demonstrated expertise in systems engineering principles, requirements management, and backlog prioritization.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to engage both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Active TS/SCI clearance with Polygraph.

Desired:

• Experience supporting Department of Defense (DoD) or Intelligence Community (IC) programs.
• Experience serving as a Product Owner or working within Agile development environments.
• Working knowledge of cybersecurity compliance frameworks, including RMF and NIST standards.
• Experience using Agile and collaboration tools such as Jira, Confluence, Azure DevOps, or similar platforms.
• Experience working within the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe).
• SAFe Product Owner/Product Manager (POPM) certification.
• Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) or equivalent Agile certification.

What You Can Expect:

• A culture of integrity.

As a valued team member, you'll be part of a high-performing group dedicated to our customer's missi