IT Product Owner

As an Information Technology (IT) Product Owner at Pantex, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our mission-critical systems, directly contributing to national security through innovative software solutions. We are seeking a proven leader to help enhance and optimize our mission-critical systems, with demonstrated success in technical design, application development, and implementation of software solutions. Specific Job Responsibilities As a key member of the software development process, the Product Owner (PO) is accountable for maximizing the business value delivered by the development team and meticulously managing the team's Product Backlog. Embedded full-time within an assigned business unit or project within IT, the PO acts as the empowered decision-maker for day-to-day product priorities and scope, operating within established governance and enterprise standards. This role requires translating high-level business outcomes into actionable, prioritized work and partnering closely with stakeholders and the Agile team to ensure delivery aligns with the organization's most critical objectives.

Core Responsibilities Include:

• Lead Product Strategy and Value Optimization

• Define and articulate a compelling product vision and strategic roadmap, ensuring alignment and shared understanding across stakeholders and the Agile development team

• Clearly define intended outcomes for planned work (e.g., business results, customer experience, risk reduction) using appropriate measures and feedback to continuously refine priorities.

• Strategically manage and prioritize the Product Backlog, continuously balancing stakeholder needs, technical feasibility, and business value to optimize incremental delivery.

• Actively engage users and stakeholders (including support/operations signals and available analytics) to identify emerging needs, validate priorities, and maintain a highly relevant backlog.

Serve as the Decisive, Authorized Voice of the Customer

• Consolidate diverse stakeholder inputs into a single, ordered backlog, acting as the primary liaison and trusted partner to the development team.
• Cultivate trust-based relationships with business leaders and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), ensuring transparency regarding expectations and trade-offs.
• Act as the primary decision-maker for product scope and prioritization, operating within established strategic, financial, regulatory, cybersecurity, and architectural guidelines, and proactively escalating complex conflicts for resolution.
• Collaborate with the Scrum Master and/or Agile Leads to facilitate effective Sprint Reviews, gather critical feedback, and seamlessly translate it into actionable backlog updates.
• Articulate clear 'no' or 'not now' responses to requests that deviate from the product vision or displace higher-value initiatives, always providing transparent rationale and alternative solutions

Guide and Empower the Agile Team for Effective Delivery

• Maintain consistent availability to the team for timely clarification and decisive decision-making, ensuring continuous flow and minimizing rework.
• Lead the collaborative creation and refinement of user stories, incorporating detailed design specifications and user interface (UI) mockups to ensure clarity and shared understanding.
• Ensure backlog items are clear, concise, and testable by defining explicit intent, comprehensive acceptance criteria, and key constraints.
• Actively participate in backlog refinement with the team to maintain a healthy and well-prepared pipeline of ready work.
• Formally accept completed work, rigorously verifying adherence to defined acceptance criteria and successful achievement of intended business outcomes.
• Partner with architecture, security, compliance, and governance stakeholders to ensure requirements are understood early and accurately reflected in constraints, acceptance criteria, and/or backlog items.
• Ensure technical debt, operational needs, reliability improvements, defects, and support readiness are visible and appropriately prioritized alongside new feature delivery.
• Plan quarterly development from an Epic/Feature standpoint.
• Schedule and lead engaging application demonstration meetings.

Success Metrics

• Success in this role will be measured by the ability to effectively deliver high-value software solutions, stakeholder satisfaction, and continuous improvement in Agile team performance.

• Bachelor's degree: Minimum 2 years of relevant experience. Typical relevant experience ranging from 4 to 7 years.
• OR Master's degree: Minimum 1 year of relevant experience.
• OR applicants without a bachelor's degree may be considered based on a combination of at least 10 years of completed education and/or relevant experience

Department of Energy (DOE) Order 426.2A Requirements, * Demonstrated experience in eliciting, analyzing, and translating complex business requirements into actionable user stories and technical specifications, effectively communicating with diverse stakeholder groups.

• Familiarity with Agile development principles.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities.
• Minimum of 2-3 years of proven experience as an Agile Product Owner or in a similar product management role within a Scrum framework.
• Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) or Advanced Certified Scrum Product Owner (A-CSPO) certification is highly preferred.
• Experience creating user stories with clear acceptance criteria for enterprise-scale software.
• Ability to negotiate priorities and build consensus between business and technical teams.
• Experience in relevant business domains (e.g., Manufacturing, Engineering, Quality, Project Management) or other highly regulated environments.

At Pantex, you won't just find a job-you'll discover a career of purpose safeguarding national security through work performed nowhere else on Earth. We empower dedicated, innovative individuals like you to achieve their greatest impact surrounded by exceptional talent and limitless opportunities for professional growth. When you #JointheMission, you choose a lifetime career where your commitment is genuinely valued and rewarded. At Pantex, we believe that extraordinary talent thrives when supported by a balanced life. Discover the flexibility that empowers you to excel, coupled with a benefits package designed for your total peace of mind from comprehensive health coverage and robust retirement planning, to opportunities for continuous learning through education reimbursement. Notes The minimum education and experience for the lowest career level in the job posting range are listed under Minimum Job Requirements. Successful candidates hired into a higher career level than the minimum in the range must meet the requirements listed in the job leveling charts for the career level into which they are being hired. If a range of Career Levels is posted, i.e., Senior Associate to Senior Specialist, internal applicants already in one of the Career Levels would come across at their current Career Level. Internal applicants currently in a lower level Career Level would move to the lowest posted Career Level. Requires a Q clearance; however all qualified candidates will be considered regardless of their current clearance status. The ability to obtain and maintain a Department of Energy Q clearance is required. Position may require entry into Materials Access Areas (MAA) and participation in the Human Reliability Program (HRP). If HRP is required, candidate must complete a counterintelligence-scope polygraph, pursuant to 10 CFR 709. Medical requirements may apply. Pantex is a drug-free workplace. Candidates accepting a job offer will be required to pass a pre-placement physical, drug screening and background investigation. As an employee, you may be required to receive and maintain a security clearance from the United States Department of Energy in order to meet eligibility requirements for access to sensitive information or matter. U.S. citizenship is a requirement for security clearance applicants. All employees are subject to random selection for drug testing without advance notification. Pantex is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, age, religion, national origin, ancestry, genetic information, disability or veteran status. Review for Pantex Review for Pantex, Amarillo, TX Review for Product Owner at Pantex Review for Product Owner at Pantex, Amarillo, TX