Software Product Manager

Job description

Space Systems Integration (SSI) is a fast-growing engineering company that provides aerospace solutions to a variety of government and commercial customers. Our employees are forward-thinking, self-directed individuals who are committed to solving our customers’ technical challenges. SSI is seeking a **Software Product Manager** for a role in Colorado Springs, CO. This role requires an experienced software product professional who can bridge operational users, government program offices, systems engineering organizations, software development teams, test organizations, acquisition professionals, and mission partners. You will represent the user throughout the product lifecycle, translating mission needs into product vision, prioritized capabilities, actionable development work, and fielded software outcomes. **Role and Responsibilities include:** - Engage directly with operators and mission partners to understand mission needs, workflows, pain points, capability gaps, and desired outcomes, and translate those needs into a clear product vision, measurable objectives, product requirements, features, and development priorities. - Own or support development and continuous refinement of product roadmaps that connect operational priorities to software increments, releases, milestones, dependencies, testing, deployment, and modernization activities. - Prioritize product features, capabilities, initiatives, and Agile backlogs based on mission value, user impact, technical feasibility, risk, dependencies, and program priorities; identify execution issues and provide actionable recommendations to product and program leadership. - Create, refine, and manage product initiatives, epics, features, user needs, and milestone tickets in Jira and related tools, maintaining traceability from the operational problem through development, test, deployment, and user acceptance. - Facilitate frequent developer-user engagements, discovery sessions, demonstrations, design reviews, and feedback activities to support user-centered design and ensure the user perspective is maintained throughout software development and delivery. - Coordinate product participation in developmental and operational test events, exercises, mission rehearsals, demonstrations, and release activities to evaluate usability, mission utility, readiness, and achievement of intended user outcomes. - Perform or support technical planning, high-level and detailed requirements definition, software systems analysis, product baseline development, and technical coordination for software systems and subsystems. - Support release planning and software lifecycle execution by synchronizing product priorities with development capacity, system dependencies, cybersecurity, infrastructure, integration, test, training, fielding, and operational readiness considerations. - Apply knowledge of the Software Acquisition Pathway, Agile, DevSecOps, and continuous delivery practices to support iterative product development, rapid user feedback, automated delivery pipelines, and frequent delivery of operationally relevant software increments. - Develop polished presentation materials, product status briefings, roadmaps, decision products, and strategic communications that clearly tell the story of the user need, product vision, execution status, risks, and expected operational outcome. - Adaptable professional with demonstrated success in navigating dynamic, fast-paced environments while maintaining focus, meeting deadlines, and delivering quality results in evolving priorities and organizational needs. ### Required Qualifications: - A Bachelor's degree with 14+ years of relevant experience, or a Master's with 12+ years, or a PhD with 9+ years of experience in software product management, software acquisition, program management, systems engineering, software development, or related Department of Defense (DoD) mission areas. - Demonstrated experience engaging operational users or customers to identify desired outcomes, define software needs, and translate those needs into prioritized product requirements, features, user stories, or Agile backlog content. - Experience working with cross-functional software product teams and coordinating activities across product management, software development, systems engineering, test, cybersecurity, acquisition, and operational stakeholders. - Proficiency with Jira and Confluence or comparable Agile product-management and collaboration tools, with the ability to manage product backlogs, initiatives, requirements, dependencies, decisions, and user feedback. - Strong written and oral communication skills, including demonstrated ability to brief product vision, software execution status, risks, priorities, and recommendations to senior leaders and large audiences. - Active TS clearance with in-scope T5/SSBI is required, along with SCI eligibility and participation in Continuous Evaluation. - Must meet all requirements for SCI and SAP access and be willing to undergo a polygraph examination. - Travel is 25%. ### Desired Qualifications: - Experience developing software product vision, roadmaps, outcome-based requirements, release plans, prioritization frameworks, and Agile backlogs for mission-critical or command-and-control software products. - Knowledge of DoD software acquisition practices, including familiarity with the Software Acquisition Pathway and DoDI 5000.87, and practical experience applying Agile, DevSecOps, continuous integration, and continuous delivery concepts. - Prior experience supporting the National Space Defense Center (NSDC), United States Space Command (USSPACECOM), Joint Task Force-Space Defense (JTF-SD), or comparable operational space command-and-control organizations. - Understanding of user-centered design methodologies and demonstrated experience facilitating developer-user engagements, product discovery, demonstrations, usability feedback, or other activities that keep users directly involved in software development. - Experience defining and managing product milestones, initiatives, epics, features, user stories, acceptance criteria, and product metrics through development, testing, deployment, and operational use. - Familiarity with cloud-based software environments and modern software delivery technologies such as AWS, Azure, GCP, Kubernetes, configuration management, monitoring, access management, and automated software delivery pipelines. - Experience with software configuration management, release management, technical baseline management, lifecycle cost or schedule considerations, and identifying product execution risks or tradeoffs. - Strong problem-solving, prioritization, stakeholder-management, and organizational skills with experience managing multiple product initiatives, dependencies, releases, and competing user priorities concurrently.