Lead Delivery Manager

As the Lead Delivery Manager at Thought&Function, you will hold a crucial position that merges strategic leadership with practical project delivery management. This role is instrumental in ensuring that every project not only aligns with the organisation's overarching goals but is also carried out with efficiency and efficacy. As a senior figure, the Lead Delivery Manager works intimately with the sales, technology, product, and design teams to evaluate and prepare for upcoming projects. Simultaneously, there's a collaboration with the recruitment team to expand the organisation's capacity in readiness for future demands.

You will spearhead strategic project planning, supervise strict delivery protocols, and champion continuous improvement practices to boost efficiency, quality, and client satisfaction. This encompasses managing team capacities, leading the kickoff of projects, pinpointing potential risks, and ensuring transparent communication with all parties involved. By offering consistent support and direction to project teams and promoting interdepartmental cooperation, you will play a pivotal role in the successful completion of projects and the strategic advancement of the organisation.

Requirements

Key Responsibilities

• Act as the central point of contact for the sales team to assess the viability of taking on new projects. This involves a thorough understanding of the company's service offerings, current project commitments, and resource capabilities
• Work closely with leads from technology, product, and design departments to gauge the organisation's capacity to serve new potential clients
• Collaborate with the recruitment team to forecast hiring needs based on project pipelines and workloads, ensuring a proactive approach to talent acquisition
• Take an active role in the recruitment process to ensure the organisation scales its capacity in line with growth
• Lead the strategic planning process for new projects, including defining project scope, objectives, and deliverables. Determine the resource allocation needed for successful project execution, ensuring an optimal balance between new and ongoing projects
• Implement and maintain rigorous delivery management processes, ensuring all projects are executed with consistency, efficiency, and adherence to high-quality standards
• Develop and implement strategies for continuous process improvement within project delivery, focusing on enhancing efficiency, quality, and customer satisfaction
• Regularly evaluate and report on the health of our engagements, gathering and analysing performance indicators including product metrics, sprint metrics, overall project delivery timelines, Net Promoter Scores (NPS), and customer retention
• Regularly assess team capacity, skill sets, and workload distribution to maintain high levels of utilisation, minimising downtime and project performance
• Oversee the handover process from the sales team to the project team
• Facilitate initial meetings between the project team and the client to establish a solid foundation for project kickoff
• Lead the creation of comprehensive project initiation documents that outline the project's scope, timelines, resource allocations, and key objectives
• Provide ongoing support and guidance to the project team throughout the project lifecycle, acting as a mentor and advisor. This includes periodic check-ins with the team and the client to ensure project milestones are met, and any challenges are promptly addressed
• Identify and keep track of risks, implement strategies and contingency plans to mitigate risks
• keep stakeholders up to date on project progress, changes, and issues
• step in to manage risks, resolve conflicts, and facilitate decision making
  
  

Requirements

• Significant experience in a delivery management role within a tech or product development environment, with a proven track record of managing multi-disciplinary teams
• Strong understanding of the interplay between sales, delivery, and recruitment, with the ability to strategically align these functions
• Strong understanding of Agile methodologies, including their processes, principles, and practices
• Excellent analytical and reporting skills, with experience in tracking and presenting project metrics
• Exceptional attention to detail is required to maintain high-quality standards and consistency across projects, ensuring all deadlines are meticulously met
• Demonstrated leadership and communication skills, capable of fostering collaboration across departments and managing cross-functional teams
• Familiarity with project management methodologies and tools, with a keen eye for process optimisation
• Extensive experience using Jira and it's reporting functions
• Ability to anticipate hiring needs and work closely with recruitment to ensure the timely and effective staffing of projects
  
  

Nice to haves

• Certification in project management (e.g., PMP, Prince2)
• Certification in Agile Methodology (e.g., CSM, PSM)
• Experience as a product manager, product owner, or project manager
• Previous involvement in startups and knowledge of the startup lifecycle
• An understanding of Lean Startup and iterative principles
  
  
  

Benefits

• The chance to be a key player at a dynamic and growing company
• Work directly with founders to drive impact
• Remote working flexibility, promoting work-life balance
• A competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package, including private health insurance