AI Product Owner

IvoryCloud is seeking an AI Product Owner to convert mission requirements into product priorities and guide AI-enabled solutions through discovery, delivery, adoption, and continuous improvement for a government contract.

Role Responsibilities

• Lead product discovery by working with government stakeholders and end users to understand workflows, identify unmet needs, and define problems before committing to solutions.
• Assess AI opportunities with technical leads, evaluating where AI can support mission outcomes while considering data availability, feasibility, cost, security, and whether a simpler approach would address the need.
• Set product direction by establishing product goals, success measures, and a roadmap aligned to mission priorities and available delivery capacity.
• Own and maintain the product backlog by creating, prioritizing, and refining actionable features and user stories, including acceptance criteria, dependencies, and expected outcomes.
• Provide recommendations using research, workflow analysis, user feedback, and technical input, including clear explanation of options and tradeoffs to government decision-makers.
• Drive refinement by preparing work for development, answering questions, and resolving ambiguity with stakeholders and delivery teams.
• Support iterative delivery by breaking larger initiatives into increments teams can build, test, release, and validate with users.
• Collaborate across disciplines, coordinating with engineers, data specialists, architects, UX designers, QA, DevSecOps, and the Scrum Master to manage dependencies and delivery risk.
• Validate AI behavior and product quality with technical and QA teams by defining test scenarios, expected behavior, quality thresholds, human review requirements, and handling for inaccurate or unsupported outputs.
• Review and accept completed work by validating functionality against agreed acceptance criteria and user needs, documenting gaps, and prioritizing corrective actions.
• Enable release and adoption by coordinating user validation, demonstrations, release communications, and feedback collection so delivered capabilities are understood and used.
• Measure results by tracking adoption, usability, output quality, and operational impact, then using findings to recommend whether to expand, adjust, or discontinue capabilities.
• Maintain clear communication and follow-through by making priorities, decisions, dependencies, and risks visible, escalating issues early with actionable options, and closing the loop on commitments.
• Support responsible AI practices by incorporating applicable privacy, security, accessibility, data governance, and federal requirements into product planning and acceptance criteria.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field, such as Information Systems, Computer Science, Data Science, Business, or a related discipline.
• Demonstrated experience as a Product Owner, Product Manager, or comparable role with direct responsibility for product priorities, requirements, and delivery outcomes.
• Experience supporting federal agencies or government programs, including direct engagement with government stakeholders, working groups, or cross-functional initiatives.
• Experience delivering AI-enabled or data-driven products, including ability to explain your contribution and outcomes achieved.
• Working knowledge of AI and machine learning concepts, including generative AI, practical applications, and limitations.
• Ability to translate complex business needs into clear problem statements, prioritized backlogs, user stories, and testable acceptance criteria.
• Experience leading discovery sessions, workflow analysis, backlog refinement, and product demonstrations.
• Experience with Agile delivery methods such as Scrum or Kanban, and backlog tools including Azure DevOps or Jira.
• Strong analytical judgment to assess competing priorities and explain scope, capacity, and delivery tradeoffs.
• Clear communication skills for working effectively with technical teams, end users, and government leaders.
• Ability to work independently, coordinate across teams, escalate issues appropriately, and follow commitments through to closure.
• Collaborative approach with openness to feedback and a commitment to learning emerging technologies and applying them thoughtfully.
• U.S. citizenship is required (authorization to work in the United States alone does not meet this requirement).
• Active security clearance (public trust or higher) is required.
• On-site attendance in Rockville, MD is required two days per week.
• Ability to complete multiple federal and local background and employment checks.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience moving AI capabilities from prototype or pilot into production use.
• Familiarity with large language models, retrieval-augmented generation, AI-assisted workflows, and evaluation of AI-generated outputs.
• Experience with Databricks or comparable enterprise data and AI platforms.
• Experience with products that depend on shared data, integrations, or multiple delivery teams.
• Experience defining product metrics and using user research or performance data to guide improvements.
• Familiarity with federal technology delivery constraints, including access approvals, deployment processes, accessibility, and security reviews.
• Product Owner or product management certification, such as CSPO or PSPO.

Tools and Technologies

• Azure DevOps
• Jira
• Scrum
• Kanban

Compensation and Location

• Location: Rockville, MD (hybrid)
• Salary: USD 100,000 - 140,000 per year

Benefits

• Competitive salary with performance-based bonus opportunities
• Professional and personal development through a mentor program
• Competitive paid time off
• Individual and family health insurance plans, including dental coverage
• Short-term and long-term disability coverage
• Matching 401(k)
• Training and certification opportunities eligible for expense reimbursement
• Catered lunches twice a week at the Rockville, MD headquarters
• Team-building and social activities
• Flexible schedule
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Referral program
• Vision insurance
• Pay: $100,000.00 - $140,000.00 per year

Employment Requirements and Onboarding

• U.S. citizenship is required. Authorization to work in the United States alone does not meet this requirement.
• Active security clearance (public trust or higher) is required.
• On-site attendance in Rockville, MD is required two days per week.
• Ability to successfully complete multiple federal and local background and employment checks.
• Upon accepting the position, the candidate must report to the IvoryCloud office to complete paperwork, verify identification, and collect a laptop.
• Candidates outside the Rockville, MD area are responsible for upfront travel expenses associated with the onboarding visit; reimbursement is provided after successful completion of the 90-day probationary period, consistent with company policy.

Application Questions

• This role requires U.S. Citizenship. If you meet this requirement, type citizen below.
• Can you meet the hybrid requirement of 2 days a week in office in Rockville, MD?