JIRA Backlog Architect - SWC
About The Position
As a Strategic Weapons Control (SWC) JIRA Backlog Architect (Sr Adv Sys Engr) within the Mission Systems Maritime organization, you will lead the design, governance, and deployment of a unified enterprise backlog architecture that connects strategic objectives, engineering requirements, and execution activities across multiple programs. You will define how the company plans, tracks, and delivers work as it transitions from program-centric execution toward product-based management, enabling agility, transparency, and scalability across product lines. This high-impact opportunity will help shape the SWC enterprise’s digital backbone for engineering execution and creating the inter-team structure required to sustain execution while preparing for imminent future business growth. You will partner with Engineering Leadership across SWC to design workflows, governance models, and data structures that bridge Waterfall and Agile lifecycles, ensuring consistency between requirements, schedules, and performance metrics within JIRA. Business Impact: This position defines the enterprise blueprint for execution and scalability of the SWC portfolio. The JIRA Backlog Architect will introduce and institutionalize a unified backlog framework that integrates engineering, finance, and management across programs — forming the foundation of the portfolio’s productization strategy. By standardizing how the enterprise captures, prioritizes, and delivers work, this role directly enables future scalability, faster program transitions, and competitive agility in upcoming contracts. The architect’s work will not only modernize how we manage today’s systems but will determine how future programs are structured, staffed, and sustained across the entire product lifecycle.
Requirements
- Requires a Bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering, or a related Science, Engineering, Technology or Mathematics field.
- Also requires 8+ years of job-related experience, or a Master's degree plus 6 years of job-related experience.
- Agile experience preferred.
- Department of Defense Secret security clearance is required at time of hire.
- Applicants selected will be subject to a U.S. Government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information.
- Due to the nature of work performed within our facilities, U.S. citizenship is required.
Nice To Haves
- Experience designing and managing large-scale JIRA environments fully integrating long range roadmaps to multiple programs, product lines, and product teams.
- Expertise in backlog architecture design, including hierarchical mapping (epic → feature → story).
- Familiarity with EVMS processes, including alignment of JIRA workflows with cost and schedule performance baselines.
- Proven ability to translate complex system architectures and program structures into scalable Agile backlogs.
- Knowledge of Atlassian REST APIs, Automation for JIRA, and JQL for analytics, automation, and reporting preferred.
- Experience establishing governance frameworks, dashboards, and templates for consistent backlog management across distributed teams.
- Understanding of Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) and requirements traceability tools (e.g., DOORS, Confluence, or similar).
- SAFe, PMP, or PMI-ACP certification preferred but not required.
- Exceptional communication and leadership skills to drive adoption and alignment across disciplines.
- Visionary mindset with the ability to connect enterprise strategy to practical implementation.
- Demonstrated success leading Agile transformation and backlog standardization in complex engineering organizations.
- Strong analytical and systems-thinking approach to structure large-scale, multi-domain environments.
- Collaborative leader capable of influencing technical, financial, and program management teams.
- Commitment to process excellence, digital integration, and scalable growth.
Responsibilities
- lead the design, governance, and deployment of a unified enterprise backlog architecture that connects strategic objectives, engineering requirements, and execution activities across multiple programs.
- define how the company plans, tracks, and delivers work as it transitions from program-centric execution toward product-based management, enabling agility, transparency, and scalability across product lines.
- partner with Engineering Leadership across SWC to design workflows, governance models, and data structures that bridge Waterfall and Agile lifecycles, ensuring consistency between requirements, schedules, and performance metrics within JIRA.
Benefits
- An exciting career path with opportunities for continuous learning and development.
- Research oriented work, alongside award winning teams developing practical solutions for our nation’s security
- Flexible schedules with every other Friday off work, if desired (9/80 schedule)
- Competitive benefits, including 401k matching, flex time off, paid parental leave, healthcare benefits, health & wellness programs, employee resource and social groups, and more
- See more at gdmissionsystems.com/careers/why-work-for-us/benefits
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
Number of Employees
5,001-10,000 employees
