Senior Lean Portfolio Analyst

Alexandria Insights•Stafford, VA

1d•$100,000 - $150,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Lean Portfolio Analyst supports portfolio leaders and the PMO in making timely, evidence-based investment and execution decisions. The role improves the flow, visibility, and governance of strategic initiatives, managing them from intake through analysis, prioritization, implementation, and completion using the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) Portfolio Kanban. The analyst advises leaders on sequencing, dependencies, risks, capacity constraints, and readiness; helps decompose epics into executable capabilities and features; and produces decision-ready reporting for portfolio governance and Program Increment (PI) Planning. The position coordinates closely with stakeholder teams, Agile Release Trains (ARTs), acquisition professionals, and technical leaders to align portfolio investments with strategic themes, capability roadmaps, and approved priorities. It establishes sustainable portfolio procedures, governance controls, metrics, and change practices while enabling SAFe-aligned planning and execution without unnecessary process or reporting burden. This position is fully on-site in Stafford, Virginia; remote work is not available. Travel is minimal. The position is contingent upon contract award. U.S. citizenship and an active Department of Defense Secret security clearance are required. The annual salary range is $110,000–$150,000, with final compensation dependent on qualifications, experience, skills, clearance status, and other job-related factors.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree and ten or more years of progressively responsible experience in defense acquisition, portfolio management, program management, systems engineering, Agile delivery, or a closely related field, including substantial experience supporting complex portfolios or programs.
Demonstrated experience applying SAFe Lean Portfolio Management practices to initiative intake, analysis, prioritization, governance, and flow.
Advanced ability to use Jira workflows, issue types, fields, filters, dashboards, and reports to support portfolio-level decision-making.
Experience analyzing portfolio data and translating findings into clear recommendations for senior leaders and cross-functional stakeholders.
Experience developing acquisition documentation under applicable Department of Defense acquisition policies and pathways; familiarity with DoD Instruction 5000.02 or its current implementing guidance is required.
Demonstrated ability to facilitate stakeholder discussions, resolve competing requirements, and communicate complex issues, risks, trade-offs, and decisions clearly.
Strong executive writing and briefing skills, including experience producing decision briefs, governance materials, and concise status reporting.
Ability to work independently, manage multiple priorities, and collaborate across acquisition, technical, operational, and Agile delivery organizations.
U.S. citizenship is required.
An active Department of Defense Secret security clearance is required.

Nice To Haves

Current SAFe Lean Portfolio Management certification or a comparable Agile-at-scale credential.
Current Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or a relevant Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act credential in program management or a related functional area.
Experience supporting the U.S. Marine Corps, Marine Corps Systems Command, another military service, or a federal acquisition program office.
Advanced proficiency with the Microsoft 365 ecosystem.
Experience supporting PI Planning, portfolio governance, capability-roadmap development, cross-team dependency management, or program-level risk management.

Responsibilities

Manage the Portfolio Kanban in Jira to improve the visibility, flow, and governance of strategic initiatives from intake through completion.
Facilitate analysis and decomposition of epics into capabilities and features so initiatives are sufficiently defined for prioritization, planning, and execution.
Analyze initiative readiness, sequencing, dependencies, risks, capacity constraints, and alignment with strategic objectives.
Support Portfolio Syncs, program management reviews, Integrated Product Teams, Program Increment Planning, and governance forums by preparing decision-quality data, documenting outcomes, and tracking actions to closure.
Establish and improve portfolio operating procedures, data standards, governance controls, and configuration practices that strengthen traceability, consistency, and auditability.
Capture and manage risks, issues, and opportunities associated with portfolio initiatives, ensuring clear ownership, mitigation actions, escalation paths, and current status.
Configure and maintain Jira workflows, filters, dashboards, and portfolio reports to identify bottlenecks, aging work, dependencies, risks, and data-quality issues.
Analyze portfolio metrics and recommend actions to improve prioritization, sequencing, throughput, predictability, and strategic alignment.
Develop concise, executive-ready information and decision briefs, acquisition documentation, and recommendations communicating status, alternatives, trade-offs, risks, and required decisions.
Advise portfolio leadership and cross-functional stakeholders on SAFe Lean Portfolio Management practices, Jira usage, and practical process improvements.
Facilitate stakeholder discussions, resolve competing requirements, and clearly communicate complex issues, risks, trade-offs, and decisions.
Coordinate across acquisition, technical, operational, and Agile delivery organizations to prepare initiatives for execution and resolve cross-organizational impediments.