Executive Product SME

Goldschmitt and Associates•,

4d•Remote

About The Position

At Goldschmitt and Associates LLC (G&A), we’re not just another company—we’re a catalyst for innovation and impact, and we’re inviting passionate, forward-thinking individuals to join us on this journey. Recognized multiple times on the Inc 5000 list of the fastest-growing companies, G&A is a leader in tech transformation and system modernization for some of the nation’s most important federal agencies. Our culture is built on creativity and collaboration. We offer flexible schedules, telework options, and an environment where your ideas truly matter. At G&A, you won’t just clock in—you’ll be solving real-world challenges and working on projects that make a difference in the lives of millions. Joining our team means becoming part of a vibrant, connected community where innovation thrives, your voice is heard, and your impact is felt. Whether you’re a tech enthusiast, a strategic thinker, or a problem-solver, at G&A, you’ll have the opportunity to level up your career while making a real-world impact. If you’re ready to be part of a company that values purpose as much as progress, G&A is the place for you! Summary: Goldschmitt & Associates is seeking an Executive Product SME to provide senior practitioner expertise to Federal Student Aid as it transforms how complex technology products and platforms are governed, prioritized, engineered, delivered, and continuously improved. This is not a traditional Agile coaching or classroom product-management role. The Executive Product SME will bring firsthand experience leading large technology and engineering organizations and will help FSA establish the product, engineering, architecture, and operating-model practices required to manage technology as enduring products rather than finite projects. The individual will serve as an independent executive advisor capable of working with FSA leaders and major systems integrators to assess proposed approaches, challenge assumptions, distinguish true technical constraints from process limitations, and connect product decisions to architecture, engineering, reliability, data, platform, and mission outcomes.

Requirements

Executive experience leading large technology or engineering organizations
Demonstrated experience transforming engineering or technology operating models, organizational structures, SDLC practices, and/or product roadmap processes
Demonstrated ownership of complex enterprise products or platforms
Deep understanding of modern software engineering, cloud, data platforms, APIs, distributed systems, DevOps/CI/CD, reliability, and architecture
Ability to communicate equally effectively with senior executives, product leaders, architects, engineers, and business stakeholders
Demonstrated ability to evaluate complex technical recommendations and make decisions based on business value, architecture, risk, cost, and long-term sustainability
Possess at least 15 years of senior technology, product, engineering, or platform leadership experience
Possess the ability to pass a 6C Public Trust investigation, including US citizenship

Nice To Haves

Experience leading global or highly distributed engineering organizations
Experience modernizing large-scale legacy platforms
Experience with acquisition integration or consolidation of overlapping technology environments
Experience managing enterprise data platforms, shared platforms, or platform products

Responsibilities

Advise FSA leadership on the design and maturation of an enterprise product operating model
Coach product, technology, and engineering leaders on product ownership, decision rights, prioritization, roadmap development, and outcome-based management
Help FSA establish operating practices that connect product strategy, architecture, engineering, data, operations, security, reliability, and user outcomes
Evaluate current delivery models and recommend changes to organizational structure, governance, SDLC practices, roadmap processes, and decision-making
Provide an independent executive perspective during major technology, architecture, platform, integration, and product decisions
Challenge technical or process assumptions presented by delivery organizations and systems integrators when those assumptions unnecessarily constrain iterative delivery or product outcomes
Help FSA differentiate genuine architectural, security, or engineering dependencies from inherited organizational or delivery practices
Advise on platform and product ownership, technical debt, lifecycle management, engineering effectiveness, reliability, and modernization priorities
Guide development of meaningful product measures that connect strategic objectives, user needs, operational health, technical performance, and delivered value
Facilitate executive product and technology reviews, roadmap reviews, operating-model workshops, and complex decision sessions
Mentor FSA product owners and leaders in working effectively with large engineering and systems-integration organizations
Support development of sustainable product-management standards, governance frameworks, leadership practices, and communities of practice