Job Title: Sr. Product Manager
Location: 100% Remote – anywhere in the Continental U.S.
Salary: $145,000 / year
Note: This position is full-time with W2 employment status.
Who we are
We are Friends From The City, a design and tech company focused on impact. We envision a future where everyone has equal access to the benefits of technology. And where ethical principles and a commitment to sustainability and inclusivity guide the use of technology. We’re a minority, woman-owned, LGBTE, and service-disabled veteran-owned small business headquartered in New York City. That being said, diversity and inclusion aren’t a trendy byline for us. Everyone we hire is celebrated for their unique background, experience, and talent. We welcome you.
Our mission
Our mission is to make interactions with the government easy and accessible for all people. We create digital experiences for federal agencies that are user-centered, inclusive, and accessible. Picture this: A loved one is trying to access information on a government website, but they experience frustrating navigational challenges. Or perhaps a relative seeking citizenship needs help understanding the application process because of a language barrier. At Friends, we work to eliminate obstacles like these.
Our approach to human-centered design and software development is pretty straightforward. We design and develop functional platforms using clean code and intuitive design.
About the role
You will be part of a team responsible for designing and developing Drupal, the platform that drives va.gov. You’ll collaborate with the VA Product Owner, who operates as the strategic visionary for the team, and a Delivery Manager, who functions as the “people manager,” supporting you and making sure the team is productive and has the tools they require for success. This Product Management role serves as the agile product owner and is focused on tactical responsibilities.
You will serve as the ambassador for the VFS-CMS team within the va.gov ecosystem, which includes approximately 1,000 VA employees and contractors. You will cater to the needs of various teams that utilize Drupal within the VA environment and collaborate to enhance infrastructure and uphold data security standards. Your role is to offer timely and effective customer support, stay informed about systemic changes that could impact the team, and actively participate in product communities of practice.
About the team
The cross-functional team is comprised of the following 12 roles:
- Product Manager – YOU!
- UX Researcher
- UX Designer
- User Support – 1 Helpdesk, 1 Helpdesk + Training Specialist
- 2 Drupal Engineers
- 3 DevSecOps Engineers
- Software Quality Engineer
- Delivery Manager
About the ideal candidate
This is a demanding project. You should understand that working within the federal government is like making a U-turn with a freight ship; sometimes, your work will be slow and complicated. Other times, you’ll need to pivot on the fly.
You’ll need an established and disciplined work/life balance. The nature of this role is more marathon, less sprint. The payoff for your dedication is the spark of joy you’ll experience hearing feedback from the Veterans you’re supporting. There will be moments of celebration and pure satisfaction in your journey-this is why, at Friends, we roll up our sleeves and focus on the impact.
You’ll be expected to:
- Stay informed and unafraid to seek clarification when needed.
- Demonstrate exceptional organization, proactiveness, and transparency. Your success hinges on your ability to manage relationships effectively, especially with the VA Product Owner.
- Practice self-management, which includes consciously and productively handling your behaviors, thoughts, and emotions.
- Embrace curiosity and take the initiative to comprehend the VA landscape thoroughly, allowing you to support the team best.
- Demonstrate proactivity by readily stepping in to fill gaps when required.
- Prioritize clear, frequent communication, with a strong commitment to follow through and follow up on tasks.
- Be a storyteller and explain the “why” behind decisions.
- Adapt to change while maintaining assertiveness.
- Act as an intermediary to facilitate effective communication and collaboration within the team.
- Demonstrate unwavering trustworthiness and a strong commitment to integrity.
Responsibilities
- Gain a deep understanding of the editor experience, identify and fill product gaps, and generate new ideas that improve the authoring and user experience.
- Cultivate a positive, trusting, and cooperative working relationship with the VA Product Owner and vendor partners supporting this work.
- Advocate for the VA editor’s needs and outcomes in collaboration with designers and researchers.
- Manage timelines and a product roadmap to organize timely feature releases and minimize release delays.
Communication
- Meet with the VA Product Owner daily (async or sync).
- Communicate the status and impact of the team’s work and cross-team dependencies to stakeholders, leadership, and other teams.
- Ensure the team understands the product direction and goal and delivers toward it.
- Write and contribute to product documentation.
Goals and progress sharing
- Define and track progress against KPIs and OKRs.
- Create and share artifacts like roadmaps, product outlines, user stories, sprint goals, and release plans with impacted teams.
- Share outcomes by participating in Impact Reviews after launches.
Quality control
- Ensure the team follows established VA product, design, and technical guidelines.
- Review product analytics and task completion funnel data to track progress and identify problems.
Requirements
- 6-7 years of experience working as a Product Owner or Product Manager in an Agile environment for web and mobile products.
- Solid technical background with understanding and/or hands-on experience in software development and web technologies, specifically Drupal.
- Ability to communicate effectively with stakeholders and write comprehensive documents.
- Skilled at working effectively with cross-functional teams in an agile/scrum environment.
- MS/BS or BS/BA degree or equivalent client-facing experience.
Nice to haves
- Previous experience as an Agile Product Manager in civic tech.
- Proficiency with GitHub and Zenhub.
- Passionate about improving Veteran’s healthcare, have experience in the space or a personal connection.
Benefits
- A competitive salary
- Health, dental, vision, mental health care, life insurance, and more
- 401(k) + 4% company match
- Professional development stipend
- 18 Days of PTO, 11 Federal holidays, and 6 wellness (sick) days
- A culture that promotes growth, up-skilling, and equality as a rule-not a gimmick
- The ability to make a noticeable impact and improve lives
Our hiring process
- Phone Interview
- Technical Interview
- Final Interview
- Offer
Please take a look at our hiring process.
EEOC STATEMENT
Friends From The City is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We prohibit Discrimination and Harassment in ANY form. We’re committed to equality for all of our employees, and we actively provide and promote a work environment that’s free of discrimination and harassment. Our employment decisions are based purely on business needs, job requirements, and individual qualifications, without discrimination regarding race, color, religion or belief, national, social or ethnic origin, sex (including pregnancy), age, physical, mental or sensory disability, HIV Status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital, civil union or domestic partnership status, past or present military service, family medical history or genetic information, family or parental status, or any other status protected by the law or regulations in the locations where we operate. Friends will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics.