Job Description
Product Owner
Job Location (Short):  Houston, Texas-USA | Madison, Alabama-USA
Workplace Type:  Hybrid
Req Id:  3032

Responsibilities

Octave is seeking a Product Owner to support Agile delivery teams developing and delivering our global Public Safety software, including the OnCall application suite. These mission-critical, web-based solutions support call-taking, dispatch, situational awareness, records management, mobile operations, and analytics. Experience in the Public Safety domain is highly valued though not mandatory.


This role serves as the primary liaison between business stakeholders and Agile delivery teams, helping ensure the right capabilities are prioritized, refined, and delivered with quality and customer value in mind. The Product Owner partners closely with Developers, QA Engineers, Scrum Masters, Product Management, and leadership to drive execution within a SAFe Agile environment.

 

•    Serve as Product Owner for one or more Agile / SAFe delivery teams supporting mission-critical software solutions
•    Own and manage the team backlog, ensuring work is prioritized based on business value, customer impact, and strategic objectives
•    Collaborate with Product Management, stakeholders, customers, and engineering teams to refine and translate business needs into actionable user stories and acceptance criteria
•    Ensure backlog items are sufficiently defined, prioritized, and ready for sprint planning and execution
•    Partner closely with QA and Development teams to clarify requirements, answer functional questions, and support delivery throughout the sprint lifecycle
•    Participate actively in Agile ceremonies including backlog refinement, sprint planning, stand-ups, sprint reviews, retrospectives, and PI Planning
•    Make day-to-day prioritization and scope decisions to support delivery timelines and customer commitments
•    Validate delivered functionality against business expectations and acceptance criteria
•    Collaborate with stakeholders and customers to gather feedback and continuously improve product capabilities
•    Help identify dependencies, risks, and impacts across teams and product areas
•    Support release planning, feature readiness, and customer communication activities
•    Promote a customer-first mindset while balancing technical, operational, and business priorities
•    Use Azure DevOps for backlog management, work item tracking, prioritization, and traceability
•    Operate effectively in a Windows 11 environment using Microsoft Office tools (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) for documentation, analysis, communication, and reporting

Education / Qualifications

•    Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Business, or related discipline preferred; equivalent professional experience considered
•    5+ years of experience as a Product Owner, Business Analyst, Product Analyst, or similar role supporting Agile software delivery teams
•    Strong understanding of Agile and SAFe frameworks and the Product Owner role within iterative delivery environments
•    Experience creating and refining user stories, acceptance criteria, and backlog prioritization
•    Strong communication and stakeholder management skills with the ability to bridge technical and business discussions
•    Ability to balance competing priorities and make informed tradeoff decisions in fast-paced delivery environments
•    Experience using Azure DevOps, Jira, or similar Agile management tools
•    Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills
•    Self-motivated, accountable, and comfortable working with distributed and cross-functional teams
•    Certified SAFe Product Owner/Product Manager (POPM), CSPO, or similar Agile certification preferred
•    Experience supporting Public Safety, emergency response, or other mission-critical software environments
•    Prior experience in software development, QA, business systems analysis, dispatch operations, or related technical/business domains
•    Familiarity with CI/CD concepts, release management, and modern software delivery practices
•    Experience working with SaaS, cloud-based, or enterprise-scale applications
•    Familiarity with Azure Cloud, Kubernetes, and PaaS / SaaS architectures
•    Experience working in globally distributed engineering organizations
•    Remote candidates may be considered based on qualifications
•    Must be able to support EST/CST working hours.

About Octave

Octave provides mission-critical software that empowers organizations to make informed decisions across every stage of the asset lifecycle - Design, Build, Operate and Protect - where performance, safety, and reliability are non-negotiable and failure is not an option.

Turning complex operational data into actionable intelligence, Octave connects expertise, real-world conditions and enterprise-scale insight to improve performance, resilience and incident response where it matters most.

Octave has more than 7,000 employees in 45 countries. Learn more at octave.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

Why work for Octave?

All in. Always forward. That's the way we do things around here. We put trust in our people because we believe it's the best way to unleash potential, bring ideas to life, and keep moving ahead. And it's why we're committed to creating an environment that's truly supportive, providing you with the resources you need to support your ambitions, no matter who you are or where you are in the world.

Everyone is welcome

At Octave, we believe that diverse and inclusive teams are critical to the success of our people and our business. Here, everyone is welcome. As an inclusive workplace, we don't discriminate. In fact, we embrace differences and are fully committed to creating equal opportunities, an inclusive environment, and fairness for all. 

Respect is the cornerstone of how we operate, so speak up and be yourself. You're valued here.