Director of Product Operations at Air in Arlington, VA

Company Description

Govini transforms Defense Acquisition from an outdated manual process to a software-driven strategic advantage for the United States. Our flagship product, Ark, supports Supply Chain, Science & Technology, Production, Sustainment, Logistics, and Modernization teams with AI-enabled Applications and best-in-class data to more rapidly imagine, develop, and field the capabilities we need. Today, the national security community and every branch of the military rely on Govini to enable faster and more informed Acquisition decisions.

Job Description

We are looking for an experienced and strategic Director of Product Operations to build and lead our product operations function. In this critical leadership role, you will partner closely with product, engineering, design, and go-to-market teams to scale our product development processes, optimize cross-functional alignment, and enable the product team to operate more effectively and efficiently.

You’ll serve as the connective tissue between our goals and product delivery, ensuring the product organization is data-informed, aligned, and equipped to deliver high-impact outcomes. This is an individual contributor role reporting to the SVP of Product.

In order to do this job well, you must possess exceptional judgment when it comes to identifying opportunities to improve the productivity of the product organization especially as it relates to other teams across the organization. You must work effectively across teams in often ambiguous circumstances, distilling operational problems into a clear set of objectives and solutions, and articulating the value of those solutions at all levels of the organization. In a typical week, you could expect to:

• Run cross-functional meetings to align on priorities, unblock teams, or drive quarterly planning initiatives
• Facilitate product team rituals, like planning sessions, weekly business reviews, and kick-offs, ensuring consistency and continuous improvement
• Act as the “connective tissue” between product, engineering, design, sales, and implementation teams—making sure teams are aligned and communicating efficiently
• Analyze our data to produce performance dashboards, KPIs, and insights that inform product strategy
• Prepare executive updates or product reviews that summarize progress, risks, and outcomes across multiple initiatives

This role is a full-time position located in our Arlington, VA, or Pittsburgh, PA offices, and may require up to 20% travel.

Scope of Responsibilities

• Design, optimize, and implement product development processes that can grow with the company – balancing structure with flexibility
• Lead quarterly and annual planning cycles, roadmap reviews, and KPI development to align stakeholders around shared goals
• Identify and remove friction in product workflows; implement systems that help teams move faster with clarity and confidence
• Partner with analytics to define success metrics, track performance, and deliver actionable reporting that informs decisions at all levels
• Ensure tight coordination between product, engineering, design, marketing, sales, and implementation teams—connecting our goals to product delivery
• Own the evaluation and implementation of key product tools (roadmapping, documentation, project tracking, feedback intake)
• Support product hiring, onboarding, and learning; help build a high-performing, well-supported product team

Qualifications

• U.S. Citizenship is required

Required Skills:

• 7+ years of experience in product operations, program management, or product management roles in high-growth tech environments
• Strong understanding of product development methodologies
• Experience building scalable systems, workflows, and documentation from scratch
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills across all levels of the business
• Highly analytical and detail-oriented, with a passion for operational excellence
• Comfort with ambiguity and a bias toward action
• Familiarity with tools like Jira, Confluence, etc.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic work environment
• Self-starter, owner mentality
• Strong value orientation, understanding of what matters for our customers, and why
• Bachelor’s degree

Desired Skills:

• Experience in or around DoD
• Full product lifecycle experience, from early idea through production and maintenance
• Familiarity with the value proposition canvas and/or business model canvas frameworks
• Advanced degree in a business or technical field
• Experience in or exposure to the nuances of a startup or other entrepreneurial environment

We firmly believe that past performance is the best indicator of future performance. If you thrive while building solutions to complex problems, are a self-starter, and are passionate about making an impact in global security, we’re eager to hear from you.

Govini is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability and protected veterans status or any other characteristic protected by law.