Product Owner

We’re looking for a Product Owner/Technical Lead for our interactive client service team.

ddm is a mid-sized marketing + communications firm based in Grand Rapids full of people who love what they do and take their clients’ and team’s success personally. We are looking for an enthusiastic and confident individual that gets excited about owning web projects from inception, through design, implementation, and launch. Look and feel, user experience, and content structure are all in the Product Owner’s wheelhouse. This full-time position demands a high level of teamwork and collaboration with internal resources. Communication about your process, strategy, and deliverables is key to maintaining the highly responsive solutions and service levels that our clients expect.

Functionally, the Product Owner is responsible for engaging and supporting interactive client teams on a daily basis. This means running client discovery meetings; defining deliverables and scope; and providing insights into UI/UX, workflow, functionality, and interactivity. Helping design, scope, and build project execution plans with clients and project management are key functions. Working within a cross-functional team to manage deadlines and workload, the Project Owner will need to research client industries, create mockups that become functional websites, help train support staff and clients on software built by our team, identify problems, and suggest solutions.

ddm is using WordPress and other PHP-based CMS tools to build websites - knowledge and experience with the advantages and pitfalls of theme and plugin development from a front-end perspective is highly desired. This role is about understanding client needs, developing design and architecture to support their requirements, and structuring work for the implementation team. Successful project owners often come from a senior front-end development background.

Some important considerations:

What does a Product Owner do?

Your roles:

Be curious, creative and proactive
Communicate clearly & often
Know/use multiple CMSs – esp. WordPress – and related tools – setup, dynamic CSS
Create user stories, profiles, and journeys that clarify client intent and project scope
Guard client intent throughout project definition and delivery
Develop & meet budgets & timelines on multiple, simultaneous projects
Be passionate about user experience
Propose, explain, and “sell” improvements / enhancements
Raise scope and timeline issues with client teams to capture value for the team’s time
Deliver and walk through wireframes and designs with clients and teams to create shared understanding

Professional skills + qualifications needed for consideration:

Bachelors (or equivalent experience) in Web Design / Development, UI/UX Design, or Digital Design
REQUIRED – HTML, CSS, and Wordpress experience
BIG PLUS – Knowledge of any of the following:
- Javascript & build/task runner tools (i.e., Grunt / Gulp / Webpack)
- SASS, SCSS, or Less
- Vue, Angular, or React
- Laravel or Symphony
- Axure, Adobe Creative Suite, and other design / prototyping tools
- JIRA
Proficient with Microsoft Office software suite

Specific duties and responsibilities to support your roles:

Assist teams with project estimates and timelines
Demonstrate awareness of client requirements, culture, values, and diversity
Research and implement third party software integration and libraries
Break down a project into small, testable deliverables
Think proactively and identify potential red flags and roadblocks; suggest solutions
Effectively manage details and work collaboratively
Identify inefficiencies in process and take steps to mitigate
Communicate needs to complete work effectively
Communicate project status in internal production meetings
Feel comfortable dealing with client inquiries and interaction
Feel comfortable asking questions (admit you need help) before taking action
Use a variety of project management tools to keep the team up to date
Provide implementation back-up support to other implementation teams as needed
Support other developers in improving their projects and deliverables as needed
Support teams with project reviews, including general reporting documents
Program and write tests as needed to ensure quality of software
Help train internal support staff and clients on software built by our team
Have a personal sense of ownership for all aspects of projects the team is producing
Show initiative and a strong sense of responsibility

About working at ddm

Specifics that guide expectations of all team members:

Embrace our passion: Amaze our clients

Understand our niche: Delivering extraordinary service and amazing solutions to highly complex or regulated industries.

Exhibit our core values:

Serve our clients tenaciously
Respect the team
Be curious – first ask why then tackle how
Run through the wall attitude
Deliver excellence, not excuses
Play up a level