Project Manager II

Introduction to Position:

Project Manager II is an intermediate level role, with some in field training and related experience. They possess strong knowledge of iterative product development and lead engagements of increasing complexity, which typically includes new product development projects and/or engagements supporting continuous improvement of multi-product backlogs. 

A Project Manager II manages and oversees all aspects of technology projects to ensure they are completed on-time and within budget. 

They generally require little instruction in their day-to-day work, but are occasionally directed in several aspects of the work as they gain exposure to some of the more complex tasks of a Project Manager III, without the job function.

May require Project Management certifications. Typically reports to a Project Manager III, Team Manager.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Manages and oversees all aspects of technology projects to ensure they are completed on-time and within budget. 
• Has overall responsibility for managing scope, cost, schedule, internal staffing, vendors, and contractual deliverables. 
• Develops and maintains informed project plans. 
• Collaborates with the product owner and delivery team to maintain a relevant and prioritized product backlog.
• Monitors project milestones and generates periodic status reports. 
• Evaluates and manages risk. Incorporates quality measures and standards to project deliverables. 
• Possesses strong knowledge of technology and curiosity for all things digital.
• Travel occasionally for in-person client visits and summits.
• Perform other duties as assigned that are reasonably within scope of this position.

Critical Competencies:

• Strong written and verbal communication skills to be able to effectively collaborate with clients and team members. This includes sharing vision, goals, ideas and issues as well as producing presentations and reports. 
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to develop stable working relationships. Building trust and rapport is critical to successfully leading and motivating the team towards desired outcomes. This includes demonstrated confidence in leading conversations with director-level clients.
• Strong organizational skills to ensure processes run smoothly and are in line with common goals. This includes: ability to prioritize tasks, compartmentalize projects, and create necessary documentation for future reference.
• A project manager must be effective at negotiating terms and priorities with client stakeholders, vendors, and internal team members. Negotiating skills are critical to bring everyone in line with strategic goals or to manage interpersonal conflicts within an assigned team. 
• Ability to effectively manage a team and move them in an aligned direction is critical in this role. This includes the ability to effectively delegate responsibilities, handle conflicts, and provide timely feedback and coaching to team members.
• Ability to create and maintain a project plan and manage the work against it throughout the project/product development lifecycle. This includes the ability to work efficiently and hit deadlines. 
• Risks are inevitable during a project, making it critical that a project manager have experience in pinpointing what could go wrong and proactively thinking through mitigation plans. An essential part of effectively managing risk is being comfortable asking their team hard questions, continually confirming timelines, decisions and dependencies. Effectively managing up to internal and client stakeholders is another expectation related to risk management.
• Ability to apply knowledge and basic problem solving techniques to define and resolve problems. One of the most important responsibilities of a project manager is managing the budget throughout the project lifecycle. This requires experience identifying where costs are being overrun and what changes need to be made to control the costs. Ability to track costs, put together spreadsheets, analyze data and work with the team and client on necessary changes is a practical use case of project solving skills being essential.
• Motivational skills and tactics are critical to ensure the delivery team being managed stays happy and motivated as deadlines approach. Building a positive, collaborative work environment is critical to delivery success. This starts with being self-motivated and proactive, while remaining open to change and continuous improvement in yourself and your teams.
• Ability to follow standard practices and procedures and pay attention to detail is critical.
• Strong mental stamina and ability to multitask across engagements while remaining energetic, confident, calm and assertive.

Minimum Requirements:

• 2 years of project management experience
• Experience working in a client facing project management role
• Experience managing cross-functional delivery teams 
• Experience managing digital product and/or software development engagements, including: mobile app development, CMS implementations and enterprise web redesigns
• Must have a bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience
• Must be an experienced and polished oral and written communicator

Additionally, here is a list of preferred skills and qualities:

• Certifications: Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO), Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM), Project Management Professional (PMP), Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)

• Experience working with the following content management systems: 
  • Drupal
  • WordPress
• Experience managing the atomic design process through implementation
• Experience as an Atlassian administrator (Jira, Confluence)

Work environment:

Modeans are able to work at any location in Virginia, Tennessee, or North Carolina, unless as otherwise required by job responsibilities. We offer modern offices located in Nashville, TN and Blacksburg, VA. Our office provides an indoor space with moderate temperatures and noise levels. This allows employees to choose a fully-office, fully-remote, or hybrid work experience. Employees may occasionally need to travel to our offices or other locations for items such as training or client visits. We will also provide employees with tools to do their job at home as well as in the office. 

Physical Demands:

Must be able to remain in a stationary position during the duration of the workday. Individuals must have the ability to constantly operate a computer. Must have the ability to converse with and exchange information to clients and coworkers both in person and through a computer. Capable of occasionally transporting items of 10lbs or less to and from the office.

Additional Information:

We aspire to be an highly inclusive employer – providing fair and appropriate opportunities to as many people from different backgrounds as possible, being welcoming and meeting their needs as best we can. We are committed to keeping great people representative of a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills, not just because it's the right thing to do, but because we believe it makes Modea stronger.