Project Manager

Makai Labs•New York, NY

1d•$115,000 - $135,000•Remote

About The Position

Makai Labs is seeking a client-facing Project Manager to oversee the delivery of enterprise AI automation projects. This role is responsible for managing projects from the planning phase through to rollout, with a strong emphasis on ensuring follow-through, managing risks, and maintaining clear, high-touch communication with clients. Makai Labs develops software that automates business operations across diverse domains. The company culture is characterized by a small, senior, and high-output team that operates with speed, high standards, and mutual trust, encouraging ownership without direct management. The Project Manager will partner with the Product Owner, who defines the product roadmap and sprint goals, while the Project Manager focuses on the execution, timeline, budget, and client delivery aspects. This involves close collaboration with engineers, designers, product teams, client services, and client stakeholders to ensure projects remain on schedule, within budget, and aligned with business objectives. A key aspect of this role is ensuring that all decisions, action items, and risks identified in meetings have clear owners and are tracked to completion. The ideal candidate is meticulous, results-oriented, adaptable, and thrives in a fast-paced startup environment.

Requirements

5+ years of project management experience, including client-facing software or technology projects
Proven track record of successfully managing complex, cross-functional projects
Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, including presenting project status to client executives and Steering Committees
Ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects in a fast-paced environment
Experience with project management tools such as Jira, Asana, Slack, and Google Workspace
Ability to work independently and drive projects forward with minimal supervision
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
A very keen eye for detail
Urgency and accountability in project execution
Consistent follow-through: you track every open item you own until it is closed

Nice To Haves

Experience with SaaS, AI, or ML projects or technical implementations
Professional services or consulting delivery experience, including managing SOWs and change orders
Experience in regulated industries such as healthcare or financial services
Experience using AI tools in your day-to-day project management work

Responsibilities

Lead the planning, execution, and completion of several of Makai’s key client and platform projects
Work with stakeholders to agree on project scope, goals, and resourcing against the SOW, then build and maintain project plans, timelines, and milestones as priorities change
Facilitate cross-functional coordination across internal and external stakeholders to ensure project success
Provide clear documentation, reporting, and communication to client stakeholders, including follow-up emails, status decks, and Steering Committee decks
Own follow-through after every meeting: send follow-ups to clients and internal teams, track action items, decisions, and dependencies, and chase each one until it is closed
Maintain a risk and issue log, and flag risks, blockers, and slipping dates early with a proposed path forward
Run client meetings and internal project check-ins, and make sure each one ends with clear owners, due dates, and next steps
Coordinate project rollout and user adoption, including the handoff to production support after launch
Track budget and burn against the SOW, flag scope changes early, and support change orders
Identify opportunities for process improvements and implement solutions, including using AI tools to automate tasks where possible