What are the responsibilities and job description for the Product Development Manager Lead position at Product Insight, Inc.?
About Us: Product Insight is a design-driven engineering firm dedicated to delivering human-centered technical products to companies committed to innovation. We assemble, grow, and evolve an exceptional team that drives value for our clients, focusing on creating innovative solutions to complex technical challenges.
As a fast-growing group, we have recently established our formal PMO (Project Management Office) structure and are looking to expand our team to tackle more exciting projects. As a Senior or Principal Project Manager, you will play a crucial role in guiding the development of products by planning detailed resource needs and coordinating cross-functional execution within the Development Manager's strategy for our clients' next-generation technologies.
The primary responsibility of this role is to work closely with Engineers, Designers, Researchers, and Software Development teams to meticulously track, update, and manage schedules for multiple projects. The ideal candidate should have robust experience implementing common PM tools and a successful track record in a fast-paced development environment.
- Lead project teams through the stage gate process, ensuring alignment between early conceptualization, product development, and product launch efforts.
- Architect project timelines, focusing on the definition and tracking of key project milestones and scope.
- Act as the tactical leader of the project: maintain project status, backlogs, resource plans, and trackers, set expectations, hold team members accountable, and always lead by example.
- Lead communications across the cross-functional project team and with stakeholders.
- Work with Software Tech Leads to coordinate agile software development and negotiate software release plans with stakeholders.
- Proactively assess, manage, and mitigate project risks and issues.
- Contribute to the continual improvement of PMO processes and best practices. As expertise/experience permits, contribute to remaining aspects of our initial PMO buildout.
Requirements:
To be considered for this role, candidates should possess:
- A bachelor's degree in engineering, business, or project management, or equivalent work experience. Advanced degree or training in a technical field and/or program management is desired.
- A minimum of 6 years of experience leading cross-functional projects in a technical environment, plus at least 4 years of NPD (New Product Development) experience. Additional years of experience are a plus, as well as additional experience as a technical development contributor, preferably SW or Mechanical.
- Highly organized, and able to create structure among ambiguity.
- Mastery of a variety of project management tools and practices, such as Microsoft Project, Jira, or equivalents.
- Knowledge of common software development methodologies. Experience with software CI/CD pipelines, release planning, and scrum software planning is a plus.
- Top-notch verbal and written communication skills, specifically around direct communication with the ability to influence others to achieve goals.
- Proven success keeping diverse stakeholders focused on common goals and able to hold senior staff accountable with grace. Experience managing consulting engagement, client relationships, project accounting, and forecasting/billing practices is a plus.
Why Work with Us: At Product Insight, we strive to be a place where talented individuals from diverse backgrounds want to come, stay, and contribute their best work. We take pride in delivering top-tier products to the market, recognizing that achieving this goal necessitates a team reflecting the diversity of our world. We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, or veteran status.
