Product Owner

About Overwatch Imaging:

Overwatch Imaging is an imagery intelligence technology company working to bring sensor autonomy to time-critical airborne search, detection, tracking and monitoring missions. Our Automated Sensor Operator (ASO) software, native to our own line of purpose-built Smart Sensors and as an upgrade for airborne video gimbal platforms, brings Superhuman Vision and Workload Reduction to users of real-time imagery intelligence systems. We fundamentally believe that modern edge processing and AI-enabled autonomy can perform an important set of time-critical imagery intelligence missions better, faster and more safely than humans can alone.

Founded in 2016 in Hood River, Oregon, we support private sector companies as well as federal, state and local agencies around the world with missions ranging from wildfire mapping and disaster response to law enforcement, border security, maritime domain awareness and tactical intelligence.

About this Role:

The Product Owner is responsible for transforming product strategy into clear, actionable workstreams that drive predictable, high-quality delivery. This role blends classic Product Ownership with delivery leadership and elements of agile coaching, ensuring engineering teams have clarity, alignment, and focus.

Focus Area:

This role will be dedicated to supporting our push into the tactical market, working to identify and shape the paths our products take to deliver real value in tactical applications. Primary areas of focus include:

• Aviation- supporting platforms and use cases across manned and unmanned aviation systems
• ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance)- enabling mission-critical data collection and situational awareness capabilities
• CAS (Close Air Support)- driving product direction for time-sensitive, high-stakes coordination use cases
• Law Enforcement- translating tactical capabilities into tools that support field operations and public safety missions
• Border Security- shaping solutions for surveillance, monitoring, and response in border operations

This isn't an exhaustive list - the tactical landscape is evolving, and this role will need to stay close to emerging mission needs across adjacent markets as they arise.

This is an ideal role for someone who thrives in dynamic technical environments, enjoys working with complex hardware-enabled software, and wants to be the connective tissue between strategy and execution.

This role is expected to be full-time and able to work in office in Nashville, TN. We are NOT accepting candidates for Remote Work at this time.

What You’ll do:

Turn Strategy Into Executable Workplans

• Decompose product strategy, customer insights, and roadmap themes into epics, features, and sprint-ready work.
• Collaborate with engineering leads to plan quarterly workstreams and align capacity with priorities.
• Identify dependencies and sequence work logically for predictable execution.

Own Requirements, User Stories & Backlog Quality

• Write clear, testable user stories and acceptance criteria in JIRA.
• Maintain a prioritized, well-structured backlog that reflects business goals.
• Ensure requirements capture operational realities, mission workflows, and user needs.
• Work with the Development team to turn user stories into a vision for the product.

Lead Agile Delivery & Maintain Team Cadence

• Facilitate sprint ceremonies: planning, standups, grooming, reviews, and retros.
• Act as a delivery leader-tracking progress, surfacing risks, and removing blockers.

Ensure Alignment Across Engineering

• Serve as the internal subject-matter connection for what is being built and why.
• Provide ongoing clarification around requirements, constraints, and edge cases.
• Document decisions, changes, and trade-offs to keep teams aligned and informed.

Support Documentation & Release Readiness

• Track release scope and acceptance progress.
• Consolidate release notes and cross-functional handoff content.
• Review and contribute to training materials, operator manuals, and customer-facing documentation.
• Support QA, Program Management, and Director with accurate product artifacts.

What Success Looks Like:

• Engineering reports improve clarity, fewer requirement gaps, and smoother delivery flow.
• Sprint cadence stabilizes with predictable outcomes.
• Backlog is consistently clean, organized, and well-prioritized.
• Releases are structured, intentional, and clearly communicated.
• Cross-functional teams recognize improvements in communication and alignment.
• Development team understands the why behind their work, consistently closing the gap between of comprehension between technical advancement and tactical application.

What You’ll Bring:

• 7+ years of experience as a Product Owner, Business Analyst, Delivery Lead.
• Exceptional writing skills-especially in crafting user stories and acceptance criteria.
• Experience supporting complex or hardware-enabled software systems.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with engineering, QA, and technical stakeholders.
• Strong agile mindset with practical facilitation skills.
• Highly organized and comfortable operating in ambiguity.

Preferred Qualifications (A Strong Plus):

• Prior work experience with the U.S. Department of Defense or defense contractors.
• Experience working with optical systems or imaging technologies.
• Background in ISR or hands-on experience with video gimbal sensor operations.
• Professional experience in the aviation or aerospace industry.
• Scrum or Agile certifications (CSPO, CSM, SAFe, ICP-APO, etc.).
• Familiarity with Atlassian products (JIRA, Confluence)

What We Offer:

• Growth Opportunities: As a team member of a true startup, you will learn by doing and shape our future. The opportunities are limitless for those who want to grow their career.
• Impact Opportunity: We work on missions that matter to keep people safe and make the world better, and we do it without bureaucracy at the speed of a startup.
• Team Collaboration: Work in a fast-paced, collaborative environment with amazing teammates. The Overwatch Imaging leadership team believes in an open-door policy, meaning everyone has a voice and access to guidance, advice, feedback, and the ability to pitch crazy new products or ideas.
• Late Start Wednesday: A weekly block to have focus time away from meetings and calls. An opportunity to work from home, flex your schedule or self-directed time to focus on training and development.
• Time Off: Generous PTO to empower employees to make decisions about work life balance based on work and home needs.
• Holidays: Overwatch Imaging recognizes 10 company holidays.
• Ownership: Equity/Stock Options in our rapidly growing company.
• Health Benefits: Medical/Dental premiums 100% covered by Overwatch Imaging for employees and their families, plus available pre-tax health savings account.
• 401K: Employer matching contributions up to 4% of pay.
• Hybrid Working Environment: This is an onsite position at our beautiful office in Nashville, TN, with some WFH expected. Business travel required up to 15% and work in/around aircraft.

All applicants must be authorized to work on a permanent basis in the United States.

Overwatch Imaging is an equal opportunity workplace and makes employment decisions based on merit and business needs, regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity, Veteran status, or any other protected personal characteristic.

Export Control Compliance Notice

This position may involve access to data, technology, or software that is subject to U.S. export control laws and regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and/or the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). As such, employment is contingent upon the applicant’s ability to obtain any necessary export authorization, as determined by an export compliance assessment conducted by the company.