Product Manager

Job Title

Product Manager

Location

Global

Position Type

Volunteer

Job Description

Volunteer Position
We are seeking full time and volunteer professional Product Managers to help us lead distributed teams of dynamic software developers. We have product teams that work in various frameworks and platforms.
SIL International is a faith-based nonprofit organization committed to serving translation teams worldwide. If you believe, as we do, that all languages are of value, form an integral part of people’s identity, and have the potential to serve them in a rapidly changing world, then you can be part of a software team serving translation teams worldwide.
Summary:
A Product Manager is a holistic, mid-level leadership role for larger teams with responsibilities that encompass the entire product lifecycle, leadership of the team, and fiscal management. Product Managers work closely with the Development team, Language Technology leadership, partners and supporting organizations, user communities, and leaders of field trials. A good Product Manager is expected to be a customer spokesperson, product visionary, team champion, and a strategic leader. The goal of this role is to develop and manage roadmaps and sprint priorities via robust processes for collecting and synthesizing user needs.

Major Responsibilities:

• Champion the team, partners, and user community to ensure alignment around overall strategy and direction of the product

• Discover what users need by conducting user research and unveiling critical insights

• Create the product’s long-term vision and strategy

• Align the team around a cohesive product roadmap

• Lead creation of targeted promotions: white papers, conference presentations, user videos 

• Work with Director on yearly roadmap, budget, and funding proposals

• Work with Director and Language Technology Leadership to develop and grow partnerships

• Provide quarterly reports and requested metrics to Language Technology Leadership

• Lead performance reviews and goal discussions for your team 

Minor Responsibilities: 

• Design, develop, and deploy software applications, new features, and defect fixes

• Design and develop unit tests and perform code reviews

• Adjust and improve each iteration of the product before release

• Implement and Manage Agile software development methodology

• Participate in regular project status, planning, partnership, and strategic meetings

• Report any hardware and software needs to the Director

• Be available to travel to meet with the larger development team at least once per year

• Be available to travel biannually to the Language Technology Conference

• Participate in professional conferences and meetings

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• A servant heart attitude

• Demonstrated leadership skills

• Demonstrated skills in team and personnel management

• Demonstrated skills in software development and algorithms

• Demonstrated passion for understanding and resolving complex user-needs into product priorities

• Demonstrated appreciation for quality user interface design

• Good interpersonal skills of communication

• Good organizational skills

• The ability to quickly analyze and learn a large existing codebase

• The ability to make decisions in a timely manner

• The ability to generate/analyze multiple solutions to a problem

• The ability to quickly pick up technical concepts

• The ability to work both with a team and independently, and to multitask effectively

Education and Experience:

Product Managers should have experience in software engineering, a good understanding of the software development lifecycle, and experience leading development teams. Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in computer science or equivalent work experience is preferred, but we care more for a heart and mind that are always learning. 3 to 5 years’ experience leading teams is preferred. 

Training and Orientation:

Will complete the initial IT Software Department training program and relevant portions of IT Orientation.

Weekly Hours

40