Senior Lean Portfolio Analyst

Senior Lean Portfolio Analyst 
THIS IS NOT A REMOTE POSITION

Stafford, Virginia | Minimal Travel 

Work arrangement: This position is fully on-site in Stafford, Virginia. Remote work is not available. 

Position Overview 

The Senior Lean Portfolio Analyst enables portfolio leaders to make timely, evidence-based investment and execution decisions by improving the flow, visibility, and governance of strategic initiatives. Supporting the PMO, the analyst will manage initiatives from intake through analysis, prioritization, implementation, and completion using the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) Portfolio Kanban. The role will advise leaders on sequencing, dependencies, risks, capacity constraints, and readiness; facilitate decomposition of epics into executable capabilities and features; and deliver decision-ready reporting for portfolio governance and Program Increment (PI) Planning. Success requires close coordination with stakeholder teams, Agile Release Trains (ARTs), acquisition professionals, and technical leaders to align portfolio investments with strategic themes, capability roadmaps, and approved priorities. 

Role Priorities 

• Align portfolio investments and execution with approved strategic themes, capability roadmaps, acquisition priorities, and governance requirements. 

• Improve initiative flow, visibility, traceability, data quality, and decision support across the portfolio. 

• Establish sustainable portfolio operating procedures, governance controls, metrics, and change practices. 

• Enable SAFe-aligned planning and execution without imposing unnecessary process or reporting burden. 

• Provide leaders and stakeholder teams with timely analysis, clear recommendations, and decision-ready information. 

Key Responsibilities 

Portfolio Intake, Analysis, and Flow 

• Manage the Portfolio Kanban in Jira to improve the visibility, flow, and governance of strategic initiatives from intake through completion. 

• Facilitate the analysis and decomposition of epics into capabilities and features so initiatives are sufficiently defined for prioritization, planning, and execution. 

• Analyze initiative readiness, sequencing, dependencies, risks, capacity constraints, and alignment with strategic objectives. 

Portfolio Planning and Governance 

• Support Portfolio Syncs, program management reviews, Integrated Product Teams, Program Increment Planning, and governance forums by preparing decision-quality data, documenting outcomes, and tracking actions to closure. 

• Establish and improve portfolio operating procedures, data standards, governance controls, and configuration practices that strengthen traceability, consistency, and auditability. 

• Capture and manage risks, issues, and opportunities associated with portfolio initiatives, ensuring clear ownership, mitigation actions, escalation paths, and current status. 

Reporting, Analytics, and Jira Enablement 

• Configure and maintain Jira workflows, filters, dashboards, and portfolio reports that identify bottlenecks, aging work, dependencies, risks, and data-quality issues. 

• Analyze portfolio metrics and recommend actions to improve prioritization, sequencing, throughput, predictability, and strategic alignment. 

• Develop concise, executive-ready information and decision briefs, acquisition documentation, and recommendations that communicate status, alternatives, trade-offs, risks, and required decisions. 

Stakeholder Facilitation and Continuous Improvement 

• Advise portfolio leadership and cross-functional stakeholders on SAFe Lean Portfolio Management practices, Jira usage, and practical process improvements. 

• Facilitate stakeholder discussions, resolve competing requirements, and communicate complex issues, risks, trade-offs, and decisions clearly. 

• Coordinate across acquisition, technical, operational, and Agile delivery organizations to prepare initiatives for execution and resolve cross-organizational impediments. 

Required Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree and ten or more years of progressively responsible experience in defense acquisition, portfolio management, program management, systems engineering, Agile delivery, or a closely related field, including substantial experience supporting complex portfolios or programs. 

• Demonstrated experience applying SAFe Lean Portfolio Management practices to initiative intake, analysis, prioritization, governance, and flow. 

• Advanced ability to use Jira workflows, issue types, fields, filters, dashboards, and reports to support portfolio-level decision-making. 

• Experience analyzing portfolio data and translating findings into clear recommendations for senior leaders and cross-functional stakeholders. 

• Experience developing acquisition documentation under applicable Department of Defense acquisition policies and pathways; familiarity with DoD Instruction 5000.02 or its current implementing guidance is required. 

• Demonstrated ability to facilitate stakeholder discussions, resolve competing requirements, and communicate complex issues, risks, trade-offs, and decisions clearly. 

• Strong executive writing and briefing skills, including experience producing decision briefs, governance materials, and concise status reporting. 

• Ability to work independently, manage multiple priorities, and collaborate across acquisition, technical, operational, and Agile delivery organizations. 

Conditions of Employment 

• U.S. citizenship is required. 

• An active Department of Defense Secret security clearance is required. 

This position is contingent upon contract award. 

Preferred Qualifications 

• Current SAFe Lean Portfolio Management certification or a comparable Agile-at-scale credential. 

• Current Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or a relevant Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act credential in program management or a related functional area. 

• Experience supporting the U.S. Marine Corps, Marine Corps Systems Command, another military service, or a federal acquisition program office. 

• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft 365 ecosystem. 

• Experience supporting PI Planning, portfolio governance, capability-roadmap development, cross-team dependency management, or program-level risk management. 

Candidate Profile 

The ideal candidate combines disciplined portfolio analysis with sound judgment, mission focus, facilitation skill, and a practical understanding of defense acquisition and SAFe-aligned execution. They collaborate effectively across portfolio, acquisition, technical, operational, and Agile delivery stakeholders; distinguish necessary governance from unnecessary process; communicate recommendations in clear operational terms; and improve initiative readiness, flow, visibility, traceability, and decision support without creating undue administrative burden. 

Salary Range 

$110,000–$150,000 annually. Final compensation will depend on the candidate’s qualifications, experience, skills, clearance status, and other job-related factors.