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Senior Product Manager
DEFSEC Technologies Inc.
Kanata, CAN
Full Time
Senior
5 days ago
Product OwnershipAgile/ScrumBacklog ManagementStakeholder ManagementIBM Engineering Workflow Management (EWM)SAFe Agile
Free
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Product OwnershipAgile/ScrumBacklog Management
About the Role
KWESST, a DEFSEC Technologies company, is seeking a Senior Product Owner to support the LC5ISR Build Books team in a complex defence program. The role involves owning the backlog, maximizing value, and aligning with stakeholders.
Key Skills for This Role
Product OwnershipAgile/ScrumBacklog ManagementStakeholder ManagementIBM Engineering Workflow Management (EWM)SAFe Agile
Responsibilities
- Own and actively manage the team backlog, ensuring it remains current, refined, transparent, and aligned with program objectives
- Maximize the value of all products and outputs produced by the Scrum team, including build books, documentation, and process artifacts
- Adhere to the GDMS C Systems Engineering Management Plan (SEMP) and associated program processes
- Provide servant leadership by clearly communicating priorities, making timely decisions, and removing ambiguity
- Balance competing priorities across feature work, enablers, technical debt, defects, and process requirements
- Collaborate regularly with Tech OPI, Lead Engineers, DPMEs, RTEs, and other stakeholders to ensure backlog items reflect business priorities
- Maintain backlog transparency in EWM, ensuring priorities, acceptance criteria, dependencies, risks, and impediments are visible
Requirements
- Must possess an active SECRET security clearance
- Must be eligible to be vetted as part of the Controlled Goods Program (CGP)
- Minimum of 5 years of experience in Product Ownership, Product Management, Agile delivery, or related role
- Experience in defence, public safety, C4ISR/LC5ISR, or similar regulated environments strongly preferred
- Demonstrated understanding of Scrum, Product Ownership, backlog management, and Agile delivery practices
- Product Owner certification (PSPO, CSPO, SAFe POPM) considered an asset
Full Job Posting
Company Overview
- KWESST, a DEFSEC Technologies company, develops and delivers next generation military and public safety technology for military and first responder customers.
- The company is proudly Canadian and provides Dismounted/Mounted Domain Expertise in Command and Control software development, integration, and support services.
Job Description
- KWESST is seeking a highly skilled and experienced Product Owner to support the LC5ISR Build Books team within a complex defence program environment.
- The Product Owner is accountable for maximizing the value of the products and outputs resulting from the work of the Scrum team.
- The successful candidate will work closely with the Technical Office of Primary Interest (Tech OPI), Scrum Master, Lead Engineers, and other stakeholders.
Responsibilities
- Own and actively manage the team backlog, ensuring it remains current, refined, transparent, and aligned with program objectives, delivery cadence, team capacity, and stakeholder priorities.
- Maximize the value of all products and outputs produced by the Scrum team, including build books, documentation, media, process artifacts, and related delivery outputs within the team portfolio.
- Adhere to the GDMS C Systems Engineering Management Plan (SEMP), associated program processes, and relevant guidance and documentation available through GDMS C Confluence.
- Maintain a clear understanding of the team's Performance Work Statement (PWS), contractual boundaries, delivery obligations, and scope constraints.
- Provide servant leadership by clearly communicating priorities, making timely decisions, removing ambiguity, and creating the conditions for the team to deliver value with confidence and accountability.
- Lead through influence rather than authority, encouraging informed discussion, practical innovation, team ownership of solutions, and transparent decision making.
- Balance competing priorities across feature work, enablers, technical debt, defects, process requirements, quality improvements, test gaps, design concerns, and sustainment needs.
- Ensure built in quality is treated as an ongoing obligation rather than a deferred activity.
- Work closely with the Scrum Master to support effective Sprint Planning, backlog refinement, sprint execution, reviews, retrospectives, and continuous improvement.
- Collaborate regularly with Tech OPI, Lead Engineers, DPMEs, RTEs, test houses, adjacent teams, and other program stakeholders.
- Make informed commitments during Program Increment (PI) Planning based on team estimates, capacity, dependencies, and known risks.
- Maintain backlog transparency in EWM, ensuring priorities, acceptance criteria, dependencies, risks, and impediments are visible and understood.
Qualifications
- Must possess an active SECRET security clearance.
- Must be eligible to be vetted as part of the Controlled Goods Program (CGP).
- Minimum of 5 years of experience in Product Ownership, Product Management, Agile delivery, technical project management, systems engineering support, or a related delivery leadership role.
- Experience working in defence, public safety, C4ISR/LC5ISR, software delivery, systems integration, technical documentation, or other complex regulated delivery environments is strongly preferred.
- Demonstrated understanding of Scrum, Product Ownership, backlog management, and Agile delivery practices; knowledge of SAFe Agile principles is an asset.
- Product Owner certification, such as PSPO, CSPO, SAFe POPM, or equivalent training, is considered an asset.
- Experience with backlog management and collaboration tools such as IBM Engineering Workflow Management (EWM), Confluence, SharePoint, Collaborator, MS Word, Excel, or similar tools.
- Ability to interpret program priorities, contractual boundaries, technical constraints, team capacity, and customer needs.
- Strong judgment and decision making skills.
- Strong stakeholder engagement skills.
- Familiarity with systems engineering processes, quality management, testing, configuration management, data management, technical writing, or software lifecycle management is an asset.
- Understanding of DND, CAF, DLCSPM, GDMS C, or similar government/defence delivery environments is an asset.
Working Agreement / Delivery Expectations
- Conduct Sprint Planning at the start of every sprint and ensure the Tech OPI is invited.
- Host continuous backlog refinement sessions at least once per sprint, with the Tech OPI invited at a minimum of once per month.
- Keep the team backlog refined, up to date, prioritized, and readily available in EWM.
- Maintain regular communication with the Tech OPI and relevant GDMS C, JV, and customer stakeholders.
- Ensure backlog decisions are informed by Solution Board priorities, user feedback, team recommendations, technical feasibility, built in quality considerations, and contractual or process requirements.
- Escalate issues, risks, dependency conflicts, and scope concerns to the appropriate program authorities early enough to support effective decision making.
Salary
- Salary range for this new position is CAD 130K CAD 160K depending on experience and skillset.
Equal Opportunity
- KWESST (A DEFSEC Technologies company) is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all qualified individuals.
- We celebrate diversity and are dedicated to creating a work environment that is inclusive and welcoming to all, including LGBTQ2S+ individuals.
- In every step of the interview procedure, KWESST is committed to providing accommodations.
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