Product Owner, Distributed Manufacturing Platform

Job Summary: Pacific Impact Zone (PIZ) is seeking a Product Owner for its distributed manufacturing orchestration platform : a system designed to solve one of the harder logistics problems in modern defense: sustaining operations when centralized supply chains are contested, degraded, or unavailable. This role sits at the intersection of operational problem ownership and hands-on platform build. You will work directly with PIZ’s development team as the product owner by translating operational requirements into platform decisions, guiding the build , and keeping the work grounded in the actual problem it’s meant to solve. This is not a big picture chief architect or a strategy role . It requires someone willing to roll up their sleeves and do the hard work of turning a complex operational concept into a functioning system. The person we’re looking for is defined less by a specific technical discipline and more by a particular orientation: you have seen how logistics fails in a contested environment, you believe that distributed manufacturing is part of the answer, and you want to build the platform that makes it operationally real. Who this is not: This role is not for the technical domain expert, such as a manufacturing supply chain domain expert, a traditional systems engineer focused on architecture and documentation, or an industrial engineer optimizing steady-state factory flow. Essential Duties / Responsibilities: Platform Product Ownership Serve as the product owner for PIZ’s distributed manufacturing orchestration platform — owning the requirements backlog, shaping build priorities, and making day-to-day decisions that keep development grounded in operational reality Work directly and continuously with the development team; translate operational concepts and mission partner needs into clear, buildable requirements Hold the line between what the platform needs to do and what is technically feasible — navigating tradeoffs without losing sight of the operational problem being solved Operational Concept Development Develop and maintain a coherent operational concept for distributed manufacturing in a contested environment — from point-of-need identification through distributed production, fulfillment, and quality assurance Integrate biomanufacturing into the broader distributed manufacturing flow; understand where it fits, what it enables, and what constraints it introduces — without needing to be a biomanufacturing expert Engage with mission partners to pressure-test the concept against real operational requirements and refine accordingly Systems Thinking Across the Stack See the full orchestration problem — across manufacturing nodes, supply inputs, logistics constraints, and operational tempo — and keep that system view intact as the platform gets built piece by piece Identify where the platform concept has gaps, where assumptions are untested, and where the build is drifting from the operational problem; surface these early and drive resolution Contribute to PIZ’s broader capability around contested logistics — documenting what you learn, building transferable knowledge, and helping PIZ develop durable expertise in this domain Education: BS in Engineering or equivalent ; former military enlisted personnel with directly related experience are also eligible Qualifications/Experience: Direct experience with DoD logistics, sustainment, or supply chain operations — particularly in contexts where availability, distribution, or access was a genuine constraint (required) Demonstrated ability to own a complex workstream end-to-end — not just contribute to it — with accountability for outcomes in ambiguous, fast-moving conditions Systems thinking at the operational level: comfortable holding a multi-node, multi-variable problem in your head and making decisions that account for the whole, not just the part in front of you Enough technical fluency to work credibly with a software development team — you don’t need to write code, but you need to understand what you’re asking for and why it’s hard Familiarity with manufacturing or production concepts at a systems level — how distributed production works, what breaks it, and how orchestration across nodes differs from centralized manufacturing Awareness of biomanufacturing as a capability domain — what it is, where it fits in a distributed production model, and what makes it operationally relevant — is a plus Personal Attributes: Motivated by the operational problem, not just the platform — you care about what this system does for warfighters in a degraded environment, not just whether it’s well-built Comfortable at the frontier of an unsolved problem; able to make forward progress without a complete picture Able to hold strategic intent and tactical execution at the same time — you don’t lose the thread of the operational concept when you’re deep in sprint planning Direct communicator; comfortable pushing back on the development team, mission partners, and leadership when the work is drifting from the problem Willing to build structure, document decisions, and create transferable knowledge — not just execute Work Environment: Full time, exempt position. This role may be performed in-person or in a hybrid remote capacity but preferred out of our Honolulu, HI office . Work can be performed from any location; however, employees in a hybrid remote arrangement are required to maintain working hours of 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM Hawaii Standard Time (HST) to support team collaboration. Preference is given to candidates based in or willing to work from our Honolulu, Hawaii headquarters . Periodic travel is required to support mission partner engagements and company operations. Relocation support to Hawaii may be offered for highly qualified candidates. Benefits: Health/Dental/Vision insurance coverage Short-Term and Long-Term Disability Retirement savings plan with employer match Paid time off and holidays EEO Statement: We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and make employment decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected status. Work Authorization: Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without current or future employer sponsorship.