Technical Product Manager (Software)

Arctic Slope Regional Corporation - Richmond, VA

Full-time - Mid Level

Richmond, VA

Support Activities for Mining

About the position

ASRC Federal Highland Technology is seeking a Technical Product Manager (Software) to join a team that supports the Lean flow of Epics and feature refinement and release planning in a large program as part of an Agile Release Train (ART). This role is crucial in delivering solutions for enterprise-class web applications for a federal agency client. The position blends the responsibilities of both the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) 'Product Manager' and 'Release Manager'. The Technical Product Manager will facilitate the definition of Program Epics with a cross-functional group, which includes business owners, architects, and DevOps practitioners. They will lead the creation of viable Minimum Viable Product (MVP) solutions and will be responsible for understanding and driving the technical underpinnings, infrastructure, and operational elements of the solution. In this role, the Technical Product Manager will facilitate feature refinement to ensure that the definition of ready is met. They will support agile teams with Program Increment (PI) planning preparation and will be able to translate functional requirements into tactical infrastructure and operational requirements necessary for software delivery to end users. The position requires leading cross-discipline engagement on infrastructure impact assessments related to the delivery of new features and managing risk effectively. The Technical Product Manager will also need to understand and adhere to techniques that support the Lean Startup Cycle, including feedback and learning loops on the iterative delivery of features. Additionally, the Technical Product Manager will manage a continuous intake process based on system priorities, maintaining a program-level backlog. They will validate solutions against current system capabilities and elicit ideation and decision-making from technical experts and architects, particularly concerning missing DevOps elements such as Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines. The role also involves supporting the SAFe portfolio development and partnering with architects to refine and deliver the enabler roadmap. The Technical Product Manager will support software, engineering, release management, and operational teams as primary end users, participate in demos, and manage and measure flow metrics for epics and features. This position is a challenging opportunity to support the US Department of Agriculture in a mission focused on the conservation of soil and water within a complex tech stack.

Responsibilities

• Facilitate Program Epic definition with a cross-functional group, including business owners, architects, and DevOps practitioners.
• Lead the creation of viable MVP solutions.
• Understand and drive the technical underpinnings, infrastructure, and operational elements of the solution.
• Facilitate Feature refinement to our definition of ready.
• Support agile teams with PI planning preparation.
• Translate functional requirements into tactical infrastructure and operational requirements needed for software delivery.
• Lead cross-discipline engagement on infrastructure impact assessment with the delivery of new features and related risk management.
• Understand and adhere to techniques that support the Lean Startup Cycle, including feedback/learning loops on iterative delivery of features.
• Manage a continuous intake process based on system priorities, in the context of a program level backlog.
• Validate solutions in relation to current system capabilities and elicit ideation and decision making from technical experts and architects.
• Understand and support the SAFe portfolio development.
• Partner with Architects to refine and deliver enabler roadmap.
• Support the software, engineering, release management, and operational teams as primary end users.
• Participate in demos and inspect and adapt events.
• Manage and measure flow metrics for epics and features.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or Engineering.
• At least 5 years' experience developing requirements for software as a product and developing software.
• Demonstrated experience working in a cross-functional environment.
• 7 years of relevant work experience in lieu of a degree, especially if the experience is multi-functional (i.e., operations and development).
• Must possess a Lean/Agile mindset, with proven experience in Agile, Scrum, and Kanban.
• Proficiency with design thinking concepts and tools such as customer journey mapping, developing personas, storyboarding, empathy mapping, and documenting Agile requirements.
• Proficient at leading group decision making, especially involving multiple teams and multiple disciplines.
• Independent thinker with strong and adaptive communication skills, able to manage and steward complex situations with multiple dependencies.
• Proficient at visualizing/mapping; uses these techniques more than text documentation, spreadsheets, or PowerPoints.
• Understanding of web-based enterprise software and how various capabilities are satisfied by different components in the system.
• Analytical systems thinker with a high level of technical comprehension of the work and understanding what is necessary for successful deployment to a production environment.
• Combined skills of understanding the end-to-end product management life cycle within specific technical domains.
• Strong hands-on mentality coupled with a great sense of responsibility for getting the job done.
• U.S. Citizen or Green Card holder with 3 years of residency in the United States.

Nice-to-haves

• Knowledge and experience with Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) highly desirable; certification will be required when joining the team.
• Experience facilitating Design Sprints.
• Solid understanding of Agile development methodologies.
• Familiarity with data modeling concepts.
• Familiarity with integrating COTS and custom software as part of an enterprise software solution (Experience with SAS, SAP, or Pega preferred).
• Demonstrated leadership where corresponding authority isn't necessarily present.
• DevOps and/or DevSecOps practitioner.

Benefits

• Excellent benefits package
• Culture that fosters professional development
• Rewards performance