Auria is looking to hire a Product Owner to support a classified mission operations program for the U.S. Space Force. This role is the primary liaison between program stakeholders and software development teams, responsible for owning and managing the product backlog within a SAFe Agile framework and driving alignment between backlog structure and program schedule commitments.
Primary work location is Colorado Springs, CO (hybrid). Travel to Government and Auria facilities may be required.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT TO DO:- Build and own the program JIRA hierarchy from program start: establish initiatives tied to program increments, epics derived from System Specification and architecture decisions, and stories with sufficient fidelity to support schedule decomposition.
- Serve as the primary liaison between the Government customer, program leadership, and software development teams within the Agile/SAFe framework.
- Own and manage the product backlog: write clear, concise, testable user stories with well-defined acceptance criteria; prioritize features based on mission value, customer impact, and program objectives.
- Translate program requirements and contractual commitments into actionable epics and stories; ensure the backlog reflects the full scope of committed program increment deliverables.
- Lead backlog refinement, sprint planning, sprint review, and PI release planning activities in coordination with the Release Train Engineer (RTE).
- Maintain alignment between backlog structure and the Integrated Master Schedule throughout the program; surface gaps where a story has no schedule task or vice versa.
- Collaborate with the Chief Engineer, SEIT Lead, and development leads to ensure technical feasibility and integration dependencies are reflected in story definition and sprint capacity.
WHAT THE TEAM REQUIRES:- Mission-Driven Professional: Collaborative contributor motivated by the opportunity to develop cutting-edge solutions that protect and serve both the nation and the world.
- U.S. Citizenship and ability to obtain a U.S. Government TopSECRET security clearance.
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.
- 8-12 years of experience in product ownership, program management, or systems engineering on classified DoW programs, with demonstrated ownership of a product backlog in an Agile or SAFe environment.
- Experience building and managing JIRA hierarchies for complex DoW programs - initiatives, epics, stories - with clear traceability to program requirements.
- Experience working in scaled Agile or SAFe environments; understanding of PI planning, program increment objectives, and team-level sprint structures.
- Background in data integration, APIs, cloud-based systems, or systems engineering; sufficient technical depth to engage meaningfully with development teams on story definition.
WHAT THE TEAM PREFERS: - Current U.S. Government TopSECRET clearance.
- Experience supporting DoW, U.S. Space Force, or Space Systems Command programs in a Product Owner or Systems Engineering role.
- SAFe Product Owner/Product Manager (POPM) or equivalent Agile certification.
- Experience supporting a program through its first PI planning event, including program board setup, team capacity planning, and PI objective development.
- Familiarity with Confluence for backlog documentation and program increment planning artifacts.
PAY TRANSPARENCY: The salary offered will be based on the selected candidate's qualifications - skills, education & experience - and the position level. $117,282 - $165,000
APPLICATION DEADLINE: July 31, 2026THE AURIA TEAM:
