Product Manager SME

Job Description

Everforth ECS is seeking a Product Manager SME to work in the National Capital Region covering the Pentagon, Falls Church, and Fairfax . Please Note: This position is contingent upon contract award.

The War Data Platform (WDP) is a key initiative within the U.S. Department of War's (DoW) AI-First strategy introduced in early 2026. The WDP focuses on operational warfighting data and aims to accelerate the deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) on the battlefield. The WDP extends to Unclassified, Secret, and Top Secret environments, and supports collaboration between Combatant Commands, Joint Staff directorates, Senior Executive Service leaders, and operational analysts.

The Product Manager SME serves as the senior program-level authority for Agile Engineering processes, Agile Release Train coordination, and cross-team delivery governance across the WDP Core Integration portfolio, ensuring that engineering execution remains continuously aligned to mission priorities, PWS requirements, and Government-approved program objectives. In this role, the specialist integrates product management, Agile program oversight, and stakeholder engagement functions to drive disciplined, transparent, and mission-relevant software delivery at enterprise scale.
Develops, maintains, and executes the War Data Platform (WDP) Core Integration Software Engineering Plan supporting Department of War mission stakeholders, Joint Staff analysts, Combatant Command elements, and Senior Executive Service leadership.
Leads kickoff sessions with Government representatives to capture expectations, interpret PWS requirements, clarify ambiguous language, and confirm acceptance criteria for the Software Engineering Plan.
Facilitates stakeholder workshops to gather engineering inputs, validate lifecycle processes, and align software engineering objectives with program priorities.
Establishes a recurring cadence to maintain alignment with evolving mission needs, release schedules, and engineering standards.
Oversees Agile program-level coordination by directing backlog refinement, cross-team dependency management, and roadmap development across multiple Agile teams delivering War Data Platform (WDP) Core Integration capabilities.
Applies Jira, Confluence, GitLab Continuous Integration, Cloud Metrics and enterprise reporting tools to monitor burndown metrics, track sprint progress, and maintain visibility into engineering execution.
Provides program-level progress reporting to senior leadership, integrating risk assessments, impediment tracking, and milestone status.
Coordinates cross-team planning events, synchronization meetings, and engineering reviews to maintain operational readiness and mission assurance.
Supports mission-critical deliverables including the Software Engineering Plan, burndown reports, program-level dashboards, and engineering status summaries supporting disciplined execution and sustained program value.

Required Skills

Current Secret security clearance with the ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret (TS) security clearance with Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI).
15 or more years of progressive experience in product management, program management, or software engineering leadership, with demonstrated experience supporting enterprise-scale federal or defense software development programs.
Demonstrated experience developing, maintaining, and executing formal Software Engineering Plans or equivalent program lifecycle documentation in compliance with Government-defined requirements and PWS obligations.
Experience leading Government-facing kickoff sessions, requirements workshops, and stakeholder reviews, including interpretation of PWS language, facilitation of acceptance criteria definition, and coordination of document submission with Contracting Officer's Representatives.
Hands-on proficiency with Agile program management and DevSecOps tooling, including Jira, Confluence, and GitLab CI/CD pipelines, including the application of burndown metrics, sprint tracking dashboards, and Agile Release Train (ART) reporting artifacts.
Demonstrated experience leading program-level agile ceremonies, including Increment (PI) Planning, System Demos, and Inspect and Adapt (I&A) events, across multiple concurrent Agile delivery teams.
Proven ability to produce and present program-level progress reports, risk assessments, impediment logs, and milestone status summaries to Senior Executive Service-level or equivalent Government leadership audiences.
Experience managing cross-team dependencies, feature sequencing, and engineering roadmap development in a complex, multi-team program environment spanning classified and unclassified networks.
Strong problem-solving and decision-making capabilities, with a proven ability to weigh the relative costs and benefits of potential actions and identify the most appropriate solution.
Highly developed interpersonal and oral/written communication skills, with the ability to effectively and professionally interact with a diverse set of stakeholders (from peers to end-users to executive management).

Desired Skills

Active Top Secret (TS) security clearance with Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) eligibility.
Demonstrated experience supporting software engineering program management in a DevSecOps-integrated delivery environment, including familiarity with Authorization to Operate (ATO) lifecycle activities, Risk Management Framework (RMF) compliance, and continuous delivery pipeline governance across NIPRNet, SIPRNet, and JWICS environments.
Background coordinating engineering delivery across multi-disciplinary teams that include Systems Engineers, Data Engineers, Data Scientists, Cloud Architects, and Cybersecurity Engineers within a SAFe Agile Release Train structure.
Familiarity with enterprise AI/ML platform delivery, data pipeline engineering, or cloud-native infrastructure programs, including experience translating AI integration requirements into actionable software engineering objectives and sprint-level commitments.
Experience supporting mission-critical programs serving Joint Staff directorates, Combatant Commands, or Senior Executive Service leadership, with demonstrated ability to balance competing stakeholder priorities, evolving mission requirements, and program-level engineering constraints.
Prior experience functioning as a Release Train Engineer (RTE) or equivalent Agile program leader, with demonstrated ability to facilitate cross-team coordination, resolve systemic delivery impediments, and drive continuous improvement across a large-scale SAFe program.

ECS Federal LLC is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate or allow discrimination on the basis any characteristic protected by law. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to disability, status as a protected veteran or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local jurisdiction law.

Everforth ECS is the federal segment of Everforth , a $4B global organization with over 10,000 employees. Our nearly 3,500 professionals deliver advanced technology solutions in data and AI, cybersecurity, and enterprise transformation, serving defense, intelligence, and federal civilian agencies.

Our work powers mission-critical outcomes, strengthens technology partnerships, and creates meaningful opportunities for our people. We are defined by a commitment to excellence in delivery, a culture of innovation, and an environment where talent can thrive and grow.

We value:

• Attracting and developing top talent and high-performing teams
• Fostering a culture that is engaging, accountable, and mission-driven

Meet the challenge. Make a difference with Everforth ECS!