Agile Product Owner

Green Bank Observatory, PO Box 2, GREEN BANK, West Virginia, United States of America. NRAO Array Operations Center, PO Box 0, SOCORRO, New Mexico, United States of America. NRAO Albuquerque Office, 800 Bradbury Dr SE Ste 235, ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico, United States of America. NRAO Headquarters, 520 Edgemont Rd, CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia, United States of America. Job Description Posted Friday, May 1, 2026 at 4:00 AM | Expires Monday, June 15, 2026 at 3:59 AM Position Summary The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) is a prestigious research facility that operates a range of radio telescopes worldwide, including the Very Large Array (VLA) in New Mexico, the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) in West Virginia, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile, and the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA). The Observatory is also advancing major projects such as the next generation Very Large Array (ngVLA) and radar initiatives. The NRAO seeks an experienced Agile Product Owner to lead the product vision and backlog for the Monitor & Control (M&C) software products. This role defines priorities, collaborates with cross‑functional technical teams, and ensures that software development aligns with the scientific user community and operations needs. What You Will be Doing Translate and communicate the product vision for highly technical telescope M&C software to Agile development teams using Scrum. Collaborate with stakeholders to turn product requirements into user stories, acceptance criteria, and a prioritized product backlog. Prioritize requirements and implement solutions that deliver maximum value to stakeholders, aligned with the NRAO mission. Act as a bridge between stakeholders and software development teams to identify roadblocks, gather specifications, and recommend actionable solutions. Gather, record, and organize user feedback to continuously refine the product roadmap and improve processes, workflow, and product development. Oversee development to ensure requirements are implemented effectively within required timelines, reviewing and accepting completed work. Facilitate Agile activities including sprint planning, backlog refinement, reviews, and retrospectives to inspire continuous improvement across the team. Evaluate emerging Agile practices and tools to enhance team effectiveness and delivery quality. Proactively comply with NRAO and government safety policies and procedures within your work area. Other duties as assigned. Who You Are: Bachelor’s degree in management, computer science, astronomy, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. At least four years of experience as a practicing Product Owner in a professional software development environment. Active certification as an Advanced Certified Scrum Product Owner (A‑CSPO) and/or Certified Scrum Professional – Product Owner (CSP‑PO). Experience with Atlassian tools such as Jira and Confluence. A passion for Agile and Scrum practices, with a dedication to inspiring continuous improvement across teams. Demonstrated ability to craft a clear product vision and roadmap that aligns with long‑term organizational goals. Skills in prioritizing user stories based on value, technical dependencies, and stakeholder needs. Capability to navigate complex stakeholder relationships and maintain buy‑in across the organization. Understanding of technical constraints and feasibility to communicate effectively with software developers. Experience working with large, existing applications in a distributed team. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both verbal and written, with proven ability to establish and maintain working relationships with a wide range of people and personality types. All candidates must be authorized to work in the US; this position cannot sponsor international applicants. Competency Summary Advanced degree in management, computer science, or a related field. Background in physics or mathematics. Prior experience as a software developer with familiarity in C++ applications. Experience supporting scientific operations in radio astronomy or related fields. Experience developing and supporting hardware‑software integration. Familiarity with basic astronomical principles, including radio astronomy, and observatory operations. Ability to work with international colleagues and across geographically distributed teams. Additional Requirement Observatory employees must be authorized to work in the United States. The Observatory cannot sponsor H‑1B visas for this position. Total Rewards: Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI) offers a comprehensive total rewards package for this position, subject to eligibility requirements. The package supports employees’ overall well‑being and career growth, with competitive compensation and recognition for performance. Compensation The starting salary ranges from $79,000 to $120,000. Factors influencing the final salary include education, experience, skills, competencies, other qualifications, and internal equity and labor market conditions. Application Instructions Submit your CV/Resume and a cover letter describing your interest and suitability for the position via the application portal. Equal Opportunity Employer Statement AUI is an equal opportunity employer. For the complete statement, please visit If you require reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, you may submit your request by sending an email to View email address on click.appcast.io. #J-18808-Ljbffr Associated Universities, Inc.