Product Owner in Québec

Location: Quebec City, Canada

In fast changing markets, customers worldwide rely on Thales. Thales is a business where brilliant people from all over the world come together to share ideas and inspire each other. In aerospace, transportation, defence, security and space, our architects design innovative solutions that make our tomorrow's possible.

Within the group, Thales Digital Solutions (TDS) is a technological innovation hub supporting all sectors of activity, both in the local Canadian market and internationally. Join us to contribute to the development of mission critical solutions. Our various cutting-edge projects use our expertise in Artificial Intelligence, Human Factors, Collaborative Autonomous Systems, Optimization, Knowledge Management, Cybersecurity and Design.

Our team conducts research and development (R&D) to meet the needs of the Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). The projects focus on innovative digital solutions combining software development, systems integration, modern infrastructure, and generative artificial intelligence.

As part of accelerating our artificial intelligence initiatives, we aim to develop a new generation of applications based on Agentic AI. These solutions go beyond traditional conversational assistants by enabling intelligent agents to analyze data, reason, make decisions, orchestrate complex workflows, and interact with multiple enterprise systems autonomously and securely.

We are looking for a Product Owner specialized in generative AI and Agentic AI to join our team in Quebec City, specializing in knowledge management. Our multidisciplinary team focuses on collecting, transforming, and enriching data. Our projects involve defining and deploying automated processing chains to make data accessible to users. With the support of our data scientists, the team designs, trains, and integrates artificial intelligence models, including generative AI (GenAI) based on large language models (LLM), to enhance data analysis. Our team also uses AI and machine learning (ML) concepts to increase the efficiency of analyses.

Essential Functions

The Product Owner specialized in AI for defence will play a key role in understanding user and operational needs for topics applied to the defence domain. The individual must be able to establish a product or service vision addressing these needs to feed product development teams focused on AI solutions. This person will contribute to strategic projects aimed at improving operational efficiency, decision support, and automating complex processes in environments where security, reliability, and traceability are essential. The individual must be autonomous, curious, and comfortable in the fields of defence, software, AI, and R&D. They will work with clients, defence domain experts, architects, and software, data, and AI engineers.

The Candidate

The individual in this position will have experience in the defence sector, either from the industry side and/or in uniform. This person is part of a multidisciplinary team. A strong team spirit and teamwork skills are mandatory. The ideal candidate can demonstrate cross-functional skills that facilitate the transfer of work done to all stakeholders involved. Therefore, good communication skills are required.

Responsibilities of the Product Owner in Agentic AI:

• Act as a technical Product Owner between business users, defence domain experts, and AI development teams.
• Analyze operational needs, use cases, and business objectives to identify opportunities for value creation using GenAI, Agentic AI, and ML technologies.
• Define and maintain the product vision, roadmap, and priorities based on strategic objectives and user needs.
• Work closely with data and AI engineers to better understand a use case, need, and potential application of AI by crossing operational needs, data, and AI.
• Translate business, technical, and contractual requirements into epics and user stories, then manage and prioritize the product backlog.
• Collaborate closely with developers, architects, AI experts, and stakeholders to ensure feasibility, consistency, and common understanding of solutions.
• Contribute to the design and evolution of AI solutions by participating in functional and technological decisions.
• Define acceptance criteria, oversee the quality of deliverables, and participate in the functional validation of solutions.
• Monitor delivery, risks, product performance, and communicate progress, decisions, and directions to stakeholders.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, information systems, or a related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience as a Product Owner, technical Scrum Master, Team Lead, Senior Business Analyst, or in an equivalent role within complex technological environments.
• Experience in the defence sector: land, air, naval; intelligence, logistics.
• Demonstrated experience in gathering, analyzing, and translating business needs and user requirements into technological solutions.
• Experience in defining and managing digital products, including writing epics, user stories, acceptance criteria, and prioritizing a backlog.
• Experience collaborating with multidisciplinary teams including developers, architects, business experts, and stakeholders.
• Good understanding of data technologies, artificial intelligence, generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), and machine learning (ML).
• Ability to analyze operational processes, define use cases, and translate complex technical concepts into business value.
• Mastery of Agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban, or SAFe) as well as product management tools such as Jira.
• Excellent communication skills, influence leadership, and technical simplification.
• Fluency in French and English, both oral and written.

Desired Qualifications

• Practical experience in developing applications, services, or other software solutions.
• Experience with C2IS (Command and Control Information System) and any service/function related to intelligence, data processing (ISR), planning, situational awareness (SA).
• Experience in the naval domain (civil or defence) at the maintenance and service level.
• Experience and knowledge of AI/ML technologies, GenAI, and Agentic AI.
• Experience in data analysis.
• Experience in defence, maritime, naval, industrial, or mission-critical environments is a significant asset.
• Intellectual curiosity and ability to lead complex projects in a rapidly evolving environment.

Physical Requirements

This position may require the employee to set up equipment and conduct field experiments in an outdoor environment.

This position requires direct or indirect access to hardware, software, or technical information controlled under the Canadian Export Control List, the Canadian Controlled Goods Program, the Canadian Industrial Security Program, the US International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), or the US Export Administration Regulations (EAR). All candidates must be eligible or able to obtain authorization for such access, including eligibility for the Canadian Controlled Goods Program and able to obtain a Canadian NATO Secret clearance.

Thales offers a comprehensive benefits program to all full-time employees working 24 hours or more per week and their eligible dependents, including:

• Company-paid extended health care, dental care, a health spending account, life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment insurance, short-term disability insurance, travel insurance, an employee assistance program, and a wellness program.
• Retirement savings plans (RRSP, DCPP, TFSA) with company contribution and matching to a DCPP, with no vesting period.
• Company-paid holidays, vacation days, and paid sick leave.
• Employee discounts on home and auto insurance.

Thales is an equal opportunity employer that values diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Thales is committed to providing accommodations throughout the recruitment process. Selected candidates for an interview who require accommodation are asked to advise accordingly upon the invitation for an interview; our team will gladly work with each candidate to meet their specific needs. All information regarding accommodations will be treated confidentially and used solely for the purpose of providing an accessible candidate experience.