Delivery Lead & Consultant

Atomic Object•Grand Rapids, MI

4d•$146,000 - $173,000•Hybrid

About The Position

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. 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 with 140+ 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. POSITION Atomic makers work on self-managed, cross-functional teams of 2-10 composed 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. In this fast-changing age of AI, Delivery Leads are a crucial part of our Agentic Engineering for Teams process rollout and play a significant role in the product definition work stream on our teams. DLs live at the intersection of user needs and business objectives—they work closely with designers, developers, QA, 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 Grand Rapids, MI Hybrid work environment with the expectation to be generally present in the office with your team(s) for 60% or more of your work week

Requirements

Applicants should have prior experience as a hands-on product manager in a technology-focused market.
8+ year product management experience.
Proven track record of superb skill in: Internal and/or external product and 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
Requirements definition and business rules analysis
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
Experience tracking down undocumented product requirements and turning them into clear, actionable work for the team

Nice To Haves

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
Effective at building trust and relationships with client stakeholders and project team members
Teaching and mentoring where appropriate
Leadership of agile design, technical, product, 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.)
Self-sufficient user of AI-powered tools for research, documentation, rapid prototyping, knowledge management, and task automation.
Ability to advise on product strategy and roadmapping that ties directly back to ROI measurement (revenue generation, cost reduction, risk reduction)
Excellent interpersonal skills, high emotional intelligence
Excellent verbal and written communication skills
Commercial awareness and business acumen
Intellectual curiosity and commitment to continuous learning
Aptitude for bringing order to chaos, identifying patterns, thinking systematically
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

Responsibilities

Cultivate and maintain trusted advisor relationships with client stakeholders at all levels, building trust through consistent delivery, transparent and empathetic communication, and proactive problem-solving.
Navigate complex stakeholder dynamics to build consensus and maintain project momentum.
Proactively identify and address client concerns before they escalate.
Serve as the primary point of contact for discussions about project direction and value delivery.
Collaborate with Atomic’s Account Manager(s) to develop long-term relationships that extend beyond individual projects, positioning Atomic as a trusted technology partner.
Lead efforts to shape, capture, and close project extensions and new engagements in collaboration with Atomic’s Account Manager(s) and Managing Partners
Champion client needs within the Atomic team while managing expectations realistically.
Educate client as appropriate about Atomic’s agile process, design, and development.
Develop a clear, documented understanding of client’s business 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.
Establish and participate in team knowledge management practices including meeting transcription and summarization, product documentation, personas, user journeys, business objectives, etc. Ensure critical information remains accessible and transferable.
Facilitate and participate in Product Definition work as part of Atomic’s Agentic Engineering for Teams approach to AI-powered product development
Work with client and Atomic’s Technical Lead to identify and apply appropriate technologies (considering capabilities, risks, maintenance costs, existing infrastructure, and tradeoffs).
Ensure that the project team is working from a prioritized set of well-defined work.
Acceptance test features as they are completed to evaluate if design and functional acceptance criteria are met. Provide feedback where necessary.
Triage and prioritize incoming bug reports and feature requests.
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.
Collaborate with office scheduling team on 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.
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 evolve Atomic’s agile process based on individual project needs.
Foster a healthy team culture of ambitious goal-setting and continuous learning, holding team members to high standards of individual and collective productivity, creating psychological safety for experimentation while maintaining accountability for outcomes.
Work a full-time job (generally 40-42 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.