Senior Systems Engineer - Product Owner

Zachary Piper Solutions is seeking a Senior Systems Engineer/Product Owner to support a premier Air Traffic Management program in Gaithersburg, MD. This is a HYBRID role, three days on-site, two days remote. This position will support the development of a next-generation automation platform leveraging hybrid cloud architecture and Agile delivery methodologies in a highly regulated, safety-critical environment.

Location: Gaithersburg, MD

Hybrid Schedule: 3 days onsite / 2 days remote

Responsibilities of the Senior Systems Engineer/Product Owner:

• Own and prioritize the Agile team backlog, ensuring delivery aligns with stakeholder needs, program priorities, and dependencies
• Translate system requirements, FAA standards, and mission needs into testable features, user stories, and acceptance criteria
• Maintain traceability between requirements, development activities, and verification outcomes
• Lead PI Planning activities, backlog refinement sessions, scope management, and acceptance of completed work
• Collaborate with Product Management, Systems Engineering, DevSecOps, Test & Evaluation, and customer stakeholders to support successful program delivery
  
  

Qualifications for the Senior Systems Engineer/Product Owner:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field with 8 years of relevant experience; Master's degree with 6 years of experience may be substituted
• Experience serving as an Agile Product Owner, including backlog ownership, prioritization, user story development, and work acceptance
• Experience working within SAFe Agile environments, including PI Planning and cross-functional team coordination
• Experience decomposing complex technical requirements into testable work items with measurable acceptance criteria
• Experience with cloud-based system design and software development lifecycle practices
• Strong customer engagement, communication, and stakeholder management skills
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust
• Successful completion of government-required background investigations
  
  

Compensation for the Senior Systems Engineer/Product Owner:

• Salary Range: $150,000 - $175,000
• Comprehensive Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, 401(k), PTO, Paid Holidays, and additional company-sponsored benefits
  
  

Keywords: Senior Systems Engineer, Product Owner, Agile Product Owner, SAFe, Scaled Agile Framework, Agile Release Train (ART), PI Planning, Program Increment Planning, Product Backlog Management, Backlog Prioritization, User Stories, Acceptance Criteria, Requirements Analysis, Systems Engineering, Software Engineering, Air Traffic Management, Air Traffic Control, FAA, Federal Aviation Administration, FAA Standards, FAA Orders, Leidos Common Automation Platform (L-CAP), Homeland Security, Homeland Sector, Mission-Critical Systems, Safety-Critical Systems, Real-Time Systems, Hybrid Cloud, Cloud Architecture, Cloud Computing, Data Mesh, Hybrid Cloud Data Mesh, Microservices Architecture, Enterprise Platforms, Digital Transformation, DevSecOps, CI/CD, Continuous Integration, Continuous Delivery, Release Management, Systems Integration, Verification & Validation (V&V), Test & Evaluation, Requirements Traceability, Compliance Management, Risk Assessment, Technical Documentation, Use Cases, Interface Definitions, User Interface Specifications, Stakeholder Management, Customer Engagement, Cross-Functional Leadership, Product Management, Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC)