Delivery Lead

Atomic is growing a diverse and inclusive team of curious, creative people who love creating great software for our clients.

We’re looking for thoughtful problem solvers who are passionate about finding success for our clients, teams, and end-users through the human-centered design process.

Company

Since 2001, Atomic Object has designed and developed software products for web, mobile, desktop, and embedded devices. We were founded on the belief that not all software is created equal. Many people can write code, but it takes a close-knit team of passionate people to create exceptional, innovative products that change the way people do business.

We’re an employee-owned company and a certified B Corporation with 100+ Atoms based in our Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, Chicago, and Raleigh offices. Unlike many other technology companies, we have a flat organization. There is no corporate ladder to climb. As a company that values transparency, we practice open-books management. At Atomic, you can stay close to the craft of making software for your entire career without missing out on owning a part of the company and its profits.

Job Overview

POSITION

Atomic makers work on self-managed, cross-functional teams of 2-10 comprised of designers, delivery leads, developers, and testers. Our teams collaborate to create products for our clients, from the idea phase through launch and beyond. Part of Atomic’s brand promise to our clients is a great product and a great experience. Delivery Leads (DLs) help Atomic fulfill this brand promise in several ways.

The Delivery Lead is responsible for guiding and managing the product development process of a team. It’s an absolutely critical role.

DLs live at the intersection of user needs and business objectives—they work closely with designers, developers, and clients to find innovative solutions that balance the concerns of both. They are passionate about helping clients define and meet their vision for a product and keeping project teams happy and productive.

Atomic’s product development approach is focused on predictability and quality. DLs are able to operate confidently using both quantitative metrics and the qualitative expertise of their teammates.

DETAILS

• Home base in Ann Arbor, MI
• Hybrid work environment with the expectation to be generally present in the office three days per week
  
  

Key Responsibilities

PRODUCT MANAGEMENT

• Develop a functional understanding of client’s domain, user personas, and user needs. Work closely with client stakeholders and Atomic designer to define the product’s high-level product vision and user experience.
• Work with client and Atomic’s Technical Lead to identify and apply appropriate technologies (considering capabilities, risks, maintenance costs, existing infrastructure, and tradeoffs).
• Work with client to define release plan and high-level project milestones.
• Create, prioritize, and maintain a backlog of user stories, soliciting input from client stakeholders and project team members where necessary.
• Acceptance testing of features as they are completed to evaluate if design and functional acceptance criteria are met. Provide feedback where necessary.
• Triage incoming bug reports and prioritize them according to severity.
• Work with project stakeholders and Atomic designer to plan and perform user testing and validation and to prioritize resulting action items.
  
  

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

• Work with client stakeholders and Atomic team to define and track product releases / high level milestones.
• Work with Atomic’s accounting staff to ensure correct invoicing.
• Provide client stakeholders and Atomic team with weekly updates about project burn rate and progress towards milestones.
• Identify project risks and work with appropriate client or Atomic team members to mitigate them.
• Look for and inform AO capacity team about anticipated adjustments to team size or changes in project schedule.
• Coordinate schedules and logistics for team meetings, events, and any required travel. Plan agenda for, identify appropriate participants, and facilitate meetings and work sessions including but not limited to: project kickoffs, backlog estimation/grooming, sprint planning, sprint retrospectives, design reviews, sprint reviews, daily standup meetings.
  
  

TEAM EFFECTIVENESS

• Take lead on identifying and addressing conflict or issues within teams. Be willing and ready to have hard conversations and escalate where necessary.
• Look for, guard against, and work to remove blockers to the team’s progress.
• Work with team to implement and improve Atomic scrum/agile process based on individual project needs.
• Cultivate open relationship with the client stakeholders, identifying and addressing concerns before they grow into problems.
• Educate client about Atomic’s agile process, design, and development.
  
  

General Employment Responsibilities

• Work a full-time job (generally 42 hours per week).
• Track time daily.
• Engage in professional development and continued learning outside of work hours.
• Periodically contribute to Atomic’s blog.
• Travel occasionally—as needed and possible.
  
  

Desired Skills

TEAM AND CLIENT FOCUSED

• Teaching and mentoring where appropriate
• Leadership and team management
• Process creation and improvement
• Ability to present, communicate, and influence stakeholders at all levels of client organizations, including executive and C-level
  
  

DELIVERABLES FOCUSED

• Familiarity with agile design, technical, and project management practices and tools
• Familiarity with Human-Centered Design (HCD) concepts and practices (e.g. research, personas, context scenarios, storyboarding, workflow development, etc.)
• Familiarity with user-testing practices
• Familiarity with common, modern, design paradigms for interactions, features, and workflows in software products
  
  

GENERAL

• Excellent interpersonal skills, high emotional intelligence
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Aptitude for bringing order to chaos, identifying patterns, thinking systematically
• Effective at building trust and relationships with client stakeholders and project team members
• Self-starter with time management and prioritization skills across short-term and long-term time horizons
• Able to navigate complex decision making: deal with change, clarify ambiguity, identify tradeoffs, unify stakeholders, and plot a way forward
  
  

Requirements

Applicants should have prior experience as a project/product manager in a technology-focused market. We’re looking for someone with the following attributes:

• 5+ years project/product management experience.
• Proven track record of superb skill in:
• Internal and/or external product/project consulting
• Working with team-members of varying experience levels
• Consulting into other organizations
• Making solid product decisions on projects given project constraints and best practices
• Influencing others
• Experience across a wide breadth of software product management approaches
• Experience with human-centered design process and practices
• Experience facilitating meetings and workshops with project stakeholders
  

Compensation & Benefits

Atomic pays on-market salary based on experience level and provides generous benefits:

• Quarterly and Annual cash profit sharing
• Paid time off and holidays
• Atomic-sponsored health insurance (including dependents) with HSA contributions
• Access to Dental & Vision Insurance with Competitive Premiums
• Employee ownership
• Sustainable working pace
• Regular 401(k) company contributions (3%)
• Parental leave
• Long and short-term disability insurance
• Support for professional development
  
  

Reports To

The Delivery Lead will report to Atomic’s Ann Arbor Managing Partners, Jonah Bailey and John Fisher. You will also be assigned a Career Development Manager to help you pursue professional and career goals and find success within company guidelines and expectations.

Why Atomic?

Atomic is a great place to do awesome work. As an Atom, you'll:

• Join a tight-knit group of makers working in an atmosphere of friendship, exploration, and respect.
• Work on a variety of projects and help make pipelines safer, cities greener, healthcare smarter, and old products new again.
• Be part of a transparent, employee-owned company that's active in making the software community stronger, smarter, and more diverse.
  
  

Receive great benefits, including support for professional development, schedule flexibility, employee ownership, 401(k) contributions, and generous vacation time.