Head of Product Delivery & PI Planner

Overview

TISTA is seeking Head of Product Delivery & PI Planner is the senior delivery leader for Product Line Management Support on TISTA's prime contract for the Department of Veterans Affairs Supply Chain Management DevSecOps (SCMDSO) task order supporting VA's supply chain and logistics Product Line. Where the Deputy IT Program Manager runs the contract operating rhythm, this position runs product delivery. It leads the Sub-Product Line (SPL) Leads for Prosthetics, Expendable Inventory Management, and Healthcare Technology and Asset Management, directs the Intake Team (Technical Architect and Business Analyst) that turns Government requests into Requirements Analysis Proposals, and owns quarterly PI Planning end to end, including the Product Line Strategic Roadmap, Program Backlog, and Quarterly PI Report.

Beyond the contract, this position is TISTA's product delivery practice lead for the SCM Domain. It owns TISTA's PI Planning playbook, intake and estimation model, and roadmap templates so they are reusable across SPLs and other TISTA programs, represents TISTA's delivery credibility to VA Product Line leadership, and develops the next generation of SPL Leads and Release Train Engineers.

 

Responsibilities

Leadership & Management

• Lead and develop the SPL Leads and the Intake Team as one integrated delivery organization, and serve as the primary day-to-day delivery counterpart to VA Product Line leadership, Product Managers, and Product Owners.
• Own delivery performance for Product Line Management Support, including on-time, accepted delivery of all product line deliverables, and report status, risks, and recommendations to the IT Program Manager.
• Chair the product line leads forum and Scrum of Scrums, serve as the escalation point between SPL Leads and the IT Program Manager, and coordinate day-to-day delivery with Team TISTA partner.

PI Planning and Roadmap Governance

• Own quarterly PI Planning end to end: agenda and pre-read materials, backlog readiness, capacity planning, dependency identification and resolution, PI risk register, SWOT alignment across SPL and architecture visions, PI Planning Summary Report, and the Quarterly PI Report of planned versus actual objectives.
• Own the Product Line Strategic Roadmap and Program Backlog, rolling SPL roadmaps into a single sequenced plan and re-baselining as VA priorities shift.
• Sequence sustainment, modernization, enhancement, and decommissioning work into consolidated deployment windows aligned to EHRM, FMBT/iFAMS, and EAM/CMMS schedules so release collisions and site fatigue are avoided.
• Direct the Agile Services (RTE) function on PI execution, Inspect and Adapt, and ART-level metrics, and set the Agile and DORA metrics standards used across all Scrum Teams.

Intake and Requirements Analysis Proposals

• Direct the Intake Team so the Intake SOP, INTAKE Tool, and Intake Workspace are live within 20 days of award, and every request receives an Intake within five days, covering scope, level of effort, skill sets, team sizing, labor mix, risks, and timeline.
• Ensure every Intake passes the architecture reuse and security boundary reviews before approval and cascades correctly into SPL backlogs once the contract modification is signed.
• Partner with the Deputy IT Program Manager to translate approved INTAKEs into staffing plans and Scrum Team activations.

Product Line Delivery and Governance

• Track and manage Authority to Operate activities across the product line with the Cyber Security leads and report ATO and Section 508 status monthly.
• Assist VA in defining new application requirements, including Epics decomposed into Features and User Stories, and identify impacts to legacy and dependent systems as capabilities are introduced and retired.
• Own product line risk and issue analysis in VA PARS and Jira, and support Program Management Review briefing slides.
• Own the innovation trend analysis function: baseline metrics, modernization roadmap structure, AI-driven analytics use cases, and software obsolescence and technical refresh planning per the VA TRM.

Business Growth, Talent, and Corporate Contribution

• Identify and shape growth within the account through Scrum Team activations and new products entering the portfolio, and contribute to TISTA proposals, orals, and technical challenges as delivery approach lead.
• Serve as people manager for the SPL Leads and Intake Team, define screening criteria for delivery hires, and maintain the bench so Scrum Teams stand up within the activation window.
• Own and improve TISTA's PI Planning playbook, intake and estimation model, and roadmap templates, and support corporate process improvement, CMMI, and ISO activities.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of IT delivery experience, including 5+ years leading product line, portfolio, or release train delivery across multiple concurrent products on federal IT programs. 5+ years in SAFe leadership roles (Release Train Engineer, Solution Train Engineer, or Portfolio Lead) facilitating PI Planning and managing cross-team dependencies at scale. 3+ years leading multidisciplinary teams of 20+ across architecture, engineering, data, test, security, and release functions.

• Demonstrated experience leading product line, portfolio, or release train delivery across multiple concurrent products on federal IT programs.

• Experience facilitating PI Planning end to end for multiple ARTs or product lines, including capacity planning, dependency management, and planned versus actual reporting.
• Experience with VA OIT product line management, including the VIP Guide, PLM Transformation Playbook, VA PARS, TRM, and ATO/A&A processes.
• Experience leading concurrent legacy sustainment and modernization delivery sequenced against enterprise program dependencies.

Technical Skills:

• SAFe PI Planning, ART and Solution Train coordination, Scrum of Scrums, Inspect and Adapt, and Lean Portfolio Management
• Roadmap and backlog management, epic to feature to story decomposition, and Requirements Analysis Proposal development and estimation modeling
• Agile and DORA metrics definition, interpretation, and reporting
• Jira, Confluence, GitHub, ServiceNow, SharePoint, Smartsheet, MS Project, and Power Apps or Power Automate for intake workflows
• Risk and issue management, VA PARS, and POA&M tracking
• Working knowledge of DevSecOps pipelines, cloud platforms, integration patterns, and legacy VistA coexistence sufficient to govern delivery across all four delivery paths

Certifications:

Required:

• SAFe Release Train Engineer (RTE) or SAFe Program Consultant (SPC)
• SAFe Agilist (SA) or SAFe Product Owner/Product Manager (POPM)

Preferred:

• SAFe Lean Portfolio Management (LPM)
• PMP or PgMP
• ITIL 4 Foundation
• Security+ or equivalent (understanding of ATO/RMF)

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, Business, or related field.
• Master's degree preferred.

Clearance:

• Tier 2 / Moderate Risk Background Investigation (VA Handbook 0710); ability to obtain VA PIV credential

Location:

• TISTA facility (Rockville, MD) / Remote (CONUS)
• Remote / Travel Details
• Travel Requirement: Up to 25% CONUS

Pay Range:

• The suggested pay for this position ranges from $110,546 to $120,875.
• The actual salary offer will carefully consider a wide range of factors, including your skills, qualifications, experience, and location.
• Also, certain positions are eligible for additional forms of compensation, such as bonuses.
• TISTA associates are eligible to participate in our comprehensive benefits plan! More information can be found here: https://tistatech.com/working-at-tista/