Process & Delivery Manager (East Coast)

The Process and Delivery Manager will own our product development framework. This role is designed to optimize the interaction between our Input and Output teams, focusing on streamlining processes, enhancing communication, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement. The Process and Delivery Manager will be instrumental in ensuring the smooth and efficient delivery of our product roadmap, minimizing friction, and maximizing the quality of our deliverables.

The Need:

Our current Structure, with distinct Input and Output teams, while effective in its specialization, requires a dedicated resource to oversee the end-to-end process. The Process and Delivery Manager will act as the linchpin, ensuring seamless transitions between teams and driving continuous improvement initiatives.

The Process and Delivery Manager will be responsible for the following functions, with the corresponding desired outcomes:

1. Standardizing Process Workflow

Activities:

• Map the current handoff process, identifying pain points and areas for improvement.
• Develop standardized templates for requirements documents, design specifications, and API specifications
• Define clear acceptance criteria for each deliverable from the Input Team.
• Establish a formal review process with defined roles and responsibilities for both Input and Output Teams.
• Implement a tracking system to monitor the progress of handoffs and identify potential bottlenecks.
• Conduct training sessions for both teams on the new standardized workflow.

Desired Outcome: Improved handoffs between specifications, design, development, test, and deployment. This will result in reduced friction, clarified expectations, and a smoother transition of projects from the Input Team to the Output Team.

2. Improving Precision and Completeness of Specifications

Job Function: Work with Functional Leads and Subject Matter Experts to develop and enforce rigorous standards to improve the precision of designs and the completeness of specifications. This includes establishing clear guidelines for requirements gathering, design documentation, and API specifications. You will have the full support of Sr. Leadership.

Activities:

• Develop a comprehensive set of standards for requirements gathering, including techniques for eliciting, documenting, and validating requirements.
• Coach SMEs to create detailed guidelines for design documentation, including the use of diagrams, mockups and prototypes.
• Partner with development SMEs to establish standards for API specifications, including data formats, error handling, and security considerations.
• Implement a quality assurance process to ensure that all deliverables from the Input Team meet the established standards.
• Provide training and mentoring to the Input Team on the application of these standards.
• Regularly review and update the standards based on feedback and lessons learned.

Desired Outcome: Significantly improved inputs and reduced development rework. This will lead to fewer misunderstandings, reduced ambiguity, and a more efficient development process.

3. Cultivating Continuous Improvement

Job Function: Cultivate team interactions where feedback is embraced processes are regularly improved, and lessons learned are actively applied to future projects. This includes fostering culture of open communication, encouraging constructive dialoge, and implementing a formal process for capturing sharing lessons learned. Cultivate a culture of continuous improvement.

Activities:

• Establish regular feedback sessions between the Input and Output Teams.
• Implement a system for capturing and tracking feedback.
• Facilitate workshops to identify areas for process improvement.
• Develop and implement action plans to address identified issues
• Establish a formal process for capturing and sharing lessons learned from each project.
• Promote a culture of experimentation and innovation.
• Recognize and reward individuals and teams for their contributions to process improvement.

Desired Outcome: Drive adoption of high-performance standards and secure a culture of continuous improvement. This will lead to a more adaptable, efficient, and effective product development process

4. Enhance Stakeholder Communication

Job Function: Develop communication tools that enable and model messaging to help bridge the development process gaps. This includes creating templates for status reports, developing communication protocols, and facilitating communication between technical and business stakeholders.

Activities

• Develop standardized templates for status reports, meeting agendas, and other communication materials
• Establish clear communication protocols for different types of information.
• Facilitate regular meetings between the Input and Output Teams.
• Act as a liaison between technical and business stakeholders, translating technical information into business terms and vice versa.
• Develop training materials to improve communication skills.
• Promote the use of collaboration tools to facilitate communication and knowledge and sharing

Desired Outcome: Smooth the communications between technical and business stakeholders This will lead to better understanding, reduced misunderstandings, and a more collaborative working environment

Skills and Qualifications

• The ideal Process and Delivery Manager should possess the following skills and qualifications:
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Proven ability to facilitate collaboration and build consensus
• An orientation towards doing
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Deep, first-hand experience in process improvement and standardization
• Recent experience with software development methodologies (Agile, Scrum, etc.)
• Strong familiarity of modern administrative tools
• Project management experience is a plus

Reporting Structure

The Process and Delivery Manager will have a dual reporting relationship to the Operations Lead and Business Lead.

Expected Value

The Process and Delivery Manager is a crucial role in ensuring the successful delivery of product roadmap. By focusing on process improvement, cross-team collaboration, and effective communication, this role will help us streamline our development process, reduce friction, and deliver high-quality products on time and within budget. Our investment in this role is expected to yield significant returns in terms of:

1. Increased efficiency
2. Improved quality
3. Reduced time-to-market

D Predictable timelines, and

1. Highly collaborative and productive working environment