Job Description
The technical program manager for shared services acts as the champion for some of the most critical shared platforms for the City. The program manager coalesces the vision of OIT’s executives with the know-how and experience of OIT’s technical leaders to create a unified strategy and plans for assigned platforms, and then implements them through close collaboration with City IT and business process leaders.
This is a highly cross-functional role that will work with departments and teams across the organization, with the goal of making the city’s shared services easy to use and consume for department partners.
Leading a small team, the technical program manager will
- Think strategically about assigned platforms and empathetically about the users of them
- Be an excellent and empathetic communicator
- Work side by side with business program managers
- Confidently champion the usage and integration of these platforms across the city through developing strategies and plans, roadmaps, relationships, presentations, and trainings
- Have experience with implementing product management, Agile and SCRUM project management methodologies, and DevOps principles
- Possess a big picture, complex systems perspective and seek to understand how products, projects, and systems connect and interact within a complex sociotechnical system
- Comfortably and patiently support, listen to, and guide technical, business process, and executive staff through platform integration and ongoing development.
- Solicit feedback and recommendations on all assigned products and platforms from across the organization
- Spot potential problems and communicate with all parties on them before they become an issue (looking around corners)
- Calmly handle competing priorities and adjust assigned work accordingly
- Be a lifelong learner and be open to feedback and guidance.
This role reports to the Director of Software Engineering.
Create, share, track, and update roadmaps and plans for assigned platforms based on technical input, OIT leadership vision, industry best practices, and the greatest benefit to the CityActively solicit and determine where the assigned platforms could and should be utilized by department partnersApply and improve processes and procedures for capturing enhancements and feature requests for assigned platforms, including use of a product backlog and prioritization of requestsDevelop processes and procedures for engagement with and governance of the e-payment platformBe the resident expert on your assigned platforms : Proactively research assigned platforms, including advances and competitor solutionsCollaborate with clients and end-users to gather their requirements and understand their experiencesConduct and / or review market analysesAnalyze and synthesize this information to create / update a product roadmap and life cycleMake use of Agile, SCRUM, or other appropriate project management methodologies to deploy features and changesApply quality assurance (QA) practices to testing and deployment of new features and changesSupport program team with empathetic, positive, and direct leadership throughout product life cycleCraft and disseminate communications for multiple audiences, including for changes, key features, and life cycle plansControl changes tied to the assigned platforms, and utilize OIT’s Change Management Process appropriatelyProactively inform supervisor, product owner(s), and key staff to potential issues with the assigned platformsAuthor, curate, edit, publish, and maintain all documentation needed to support the assigned platformsHandle the procurement and renewal processes for the e-payment platform with the OIT Finance and RFX teamsSupport and use OIT’s Project Health Checks process as directed by supervisor and reporting deputy CIOAssist in audits of products by providing OIT’s Compliance Office requested data and documents, reviewing audit findings, and remediating any assigned findingsComplete other duties as assigned by supervisor
Competencies, Skills, and Abilities :
Ability to think and act strategicallyBeing able to take both the short and long view when developing product plans and life cyclesAbility to view a product or feature from a client / end-user’s perspective and to utilize that viewCapability to independently conduct research and study of business, market, and technology trendsCompetence and confidence in representing products and speaking on their behalf in various settings and with executives and technical staffFostering and maintaining relationships with stakeholders, product owners, technical staff, City IT community members, and key people across the CityManaging and supporting teams and colleagues with diverse viewpoints and experiencesProven track record in simultaneously managing multiple complex assignments to a successful closeStrong written and oral communication skills, including ability to present ideas in user-friendly, business-friendly and technical languageExpert interpersonal skills, with a focus on relationship-building, listening and questioning skillsAbility to anticipate, identify, and resolve critical issuesKnowledge of :
Broad-based technology in multiple business applications and environmentsIT principles, infrastructure, and technologyProject management, especially for Agile and SCRUM methodologiesRequest for Proposal (RFP) and Request for Information (RFI) process and contract negotiationMS Office suite, including Project, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and VisioWorking effectively across organizational boundariesQualifications
We care more about what you can do than where you learned how to do it. That said, a bachelor’s degree is a good foundation for the work, and job-related experience around the competencies above is acceptable as well.
The ideal candidate will have at least five (5) years of supervisory, management, project management, and / or product management experience. Preference will be given to those with experience in both IT and project / product management.
Candidates should have a broad understanding of IT, including but not limited to :
InfrastructureNetworkingPlatformsSoftware Development industry best practicesExperience with the below preferred but not required :
Payment processing / POSCommon authentication strategies & Federated login
