Job Description
Software Development Project Manager
at Niche
Remote
About Niche
Niche is the leader in school search. Our mission is to make researching and enrolling in schools easy, transparent, and free. With in-depth profiles on every school and college in America, 140 million reviews and ratings, and powerful search tools, we help millions of people find the right school for them. We also help thousands of schools recruit more best-fit students, by highlighting what makes them great and making it easier to visit and apply.
Niche is all about finding where you belong, and that mission inspires how we operate every day. We want Niche to be a place where people truly enjoy working and can thrive professionally.
*We are currently hiring in states where we currently have employees: AZ, CA, CT, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MO, NE, NJ, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, TX, VA, WA, DC.
About The Role
We are currently seeking an energetic and bright Software Development Project Manager who will manage and coach product teams throughout the development lifecycle. In an Agile environment, this position primarily wears the Scrum Master hat, mediates team health and dynamics, and contributes to the team through facilitation, organization, and process optimization.
During the 1st Month:
- You will collaborate one-on-one with team members across Tech, Product, and Design to learn about how your role fits within your product team, the product development organization, and Niche
- You will onboard to a product team and begin understanding our Agile development framework
- You will shadow another Project Manager and learn more about how teams are managed at Niche
- You will begin building relationships within the Project Management team and across the organization
Within 3 Months:
- You will independently manage 1 product team
- You will grow as a contributing member of a product team by developing a strong partnership with the Product Manager and other team leads
- You will start to identify opportunities for process improvements to work on within your team
- You will begin flexing your agile and scrum knowledge: facilitating and owning scrum ceremonies, encouraging best practices in sprint backlog management and capacity planning, assisting in the refinement of active projects, and removing impediments from your team
- You will feel comfortable conducting retrospectives and facilitating healthy, candid conversations about team dynamics
Within 6 Months:
- You will onboard to a second product team, depending on your capacity and tenure
- You will be a vocal and active contributor to the Project Management team’s continuous improvement of agile processes
- You will actively track velocity and team health while routinely surfacing blockers or risks
- You will feel comfortable modifying and experimenting with verifiable, results-driven process adjustments on your team
Within 12 Months:
- You will have a deep knowledge of our product, the company, and the software development lifecycle
- You will guide your teams as a leader and coach, and you will have established a trusting and open line of communication with each member of your teams
- You will identify areas of focus outside of your daily product team duties, such as documentation, agile topic trainings, or broader coordination within the product development organization
- You can openly and freely collaborate with the project management staff and contribute to the evolution of our team within the company
What We Are Looking For
You are driven, spirited, empathetic, and feed off of collaboration and coordination. You have a proven track record in the software development industry for delivering measurable results in iterative, repeatable cycles. You place value in the team as a whole—above yourself or any other individual contributor. You understand the need to be flexible with process in order to stay nimble, and you prioritize providing enough space for the makers to do what they do best. Most importantly, you want to be a part of something big that helps millions of people, and you want to have fun bonding with your teams while doing it.
Experience:
- Bachelor’s degree in a technical field, or equivalent experience
- 2+ years project management experience in a software development environment
- Scrum Master and/or Product Owner experience
- Experience training teams using agile / scrum frameworks
- Ability to communicate effectively with members of Engineering, QA, Product, Data, and Design teams
- Exceptional communication skills and an ability to mediate
- Ability to iterate on process, solve problems creatively, and motivate teams
Why Niche?
- We are a fully flexible workforce empowering our employees to choose to work remotely, in our Pittsburgh office or whatever combination suits you
- Full time, salaried position with competitive compensation in a fast-growing company
- Best-in-class 100% paid employee health plan, including vision and dental and supplemental coverage
- Flexible Paid Time Off Policy
- Free unlimited mental health consultations so you can prioritize you and your family’s mental wellbeing
- Stipend that allows you to build your work from home office in a style and function that suits your personal preferences
- Professional Development stipend each year for continuous learning and growth
- Ability to join our diversity committee (Niche Diversity Initiative) to shape company-wide programs and events
- Parental leave for all employees (12 weeks fully paid) in addition to short term disability for birthing parents
- Meaningful Stock options and 401(k) with employer match
- Your ideas and work will make an immediate impact on our company and millions of users
- You will join a team that cares about you, our mission, our work – and celebrates our wins together!
Niche will only employ those who are legally authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship now or in the future for this opening.
We are currently hiring in states where we currently have employees: AZ, CA, CT, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MO, NE, NJ, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, TX, VA, WA, DC.
Candidates only. No recruiters or agencies, please. Sorry, we do not offer relocation assistance.
Niche is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive, innovative environment with the best employees. Therefore, we provide employment opportunities without regard to age, race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, disability, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or any other protected status in accordance with applicable law.
All interviews are being held remotely. If there are preparations we can make to help ensure you have a comfortable and positive interview experience, please let us know.
