Product Owner — AI Reliability Engineering

General Dynamics Mission Systems engineers high-technology solutions, products, and services for defense and scientific missions. The Product Owner will own the AI reliability engineering pod's backlog, value case, stakeholder alignment, risks, milestones, and acceptance decisions while supporting enterprise-scale AI modernization across complex business systems.

Responsibilities:

• The backlog. Define, prioritize, and maintain the pod's work backlog based on business value, stakeholder input, and technical feasibility. Every item has a clear definition of done
• The value case. Articulate why each initiative matters — cost savings, efficiency gains, risk reduction, user impact. You quantify value, not just describe it
• Stakeholder alignment. Manage expectations across executive leadership, functional organizations, and the pod team. When priorities conflict, you make the call and own the decision
• Risks and milestones. Identify risks early, escalate what you can't resolve, and ensure the pod hits its commitments. You track progress through outcomes delivered, not activities completed
• Acceptance and validation. You are the final voice on whether what the pod builds meets the business need. You work with Domain SMEs to validate but the decision is yours
• Technical architecture or engineering decisions — that's the Lead Architect's job
• Day-to-day task management or sprint mechanics — the team self-organizes
• People management, performance reviews, or HR administration

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Systems Engineering, or a related Science, Engineering or Mathematics field, plus a minimum of 5 years of relevant experience; or Master's degree, plus a minimum of 3 years of relevant experience
• Department of Defense Secret security clearance is required at time of hire
• U.S. citizenship is required
• Bachelor's degree plus 5 years of experience in product ownership, product management, or business analysis in a technology-driven environment
• Demonstrated experience owning a product backlog and making prioritization decisions — not just writing user stories for someone else to prioritize
• Experience working directly with engineering teams on software delivery — you understand what it takes to ship software and can have credible conversations with engineers
• Strong communication skills — you can present to executives and translate between business needs and technical reality without losing fidelity in either direction
• Experience with enterprise systems (ERP, CRM, HRM, MES, or similar) — you understand the complexity of business processes these systems support
• Experience in a product owner or product manager role during a system modernization or legacy replacement effort
• Experience in manufacturing, defense, or complex enterprise environments where process compliance and change management matter
• Track record of managing stakeholders who have competing priorities — you have made unpopular decisions and stood behind them
• Familiarity with AI/ML concepts — you don't need to build models, but you should understand what AI can and cannot do so you can make informed trade-off decisions
• You think in outcomes, not outputs. You measure success by what changed in the business, not what the team delivered
• You make decisions. When information is incomplete, you make the best call you can and adjust. You don't wait for consensus
• You protect the team's focus. You say no to work that doesn't serve the priority, even when the request comes from someone senior
• You can explain a complex technical initiative to a VP in two minutes and have them walk away understanding why it matters
• You have been accountable for delivery before — not just involved in it