Principal Consultant / Director of Product

General Overview

The Principal Consultant / Director of Ops at Space Inch is a “linchpin” role, acting as a bridge between our customers and our engineering and design teams. This unique position blends the responsibilities of a project manager with elements of product ownership, business analysis, account management, management consulting, and leadership. We seek a candidate passionate about embracing the multifaceted nature of this role.

The position also combines work on our two primary areas of expertise: both design and development. The position requires significant experience in software development as a project manager, as well as a creative sense and the capacity to articulate opinions about design.

Key aspects that make this position unique include:

• Vision from Experience: Our rich history of successes and challenges has shaped a clear, strong vision for the role.
• Startup Energy and Freedom: You can embrace the vibrant, energetic environment of a startup, free from the typical pressures of rapid growth and fundraising.
• Entrepreneurial Learning: Though we work with clients big and small, our projects usually involve creating new products. You’ll engage in hands-on entrepreneurial experiences, receiving guidance to sharpen your business acumen and entrepreneurial skills.

Our Mission, Vision, and Values

At Space Inch, we prioritize alignment between our team and our clients, a commitment that hinges on our thorough comprehension of both our clients and our team's needs.

We prioritize the delivery of exceptionally high-quality work in everything we do.

We place a strong emphasis on the personal and professional growth and development of our team members. As part of this commitment, every team member has access to an executive coach and the opportunity to acquire the skills outlined in this job description.

About Working at Space Inch

• Our team is primarily based in Croatia, with a fully remote work environment.
• Occasional travel may be required, including annual company retreats in Croatia.
• Projects often involve a hybrid of staff augmentation and end-to-end development.
• We embrace Agile methodologies but tailor our approach to each project’s needs.
• Tools commonly used include Jira, Confluence, Google Docs, and Discord.
• We strongly advocate for work/life balance among our team members.

Key Responsibilities

Project Management & Business Analysis

• Lead project management tasks. Oversee timelines, budgets, and communications.
• Excel in defining project scope, ensuring alignment with customer and engineering teams.
• Proactively identify and resolve potential project issues.
• Manage cross-functional teams, including UI designers, engineers, and QA staff, providing clear and effective instructions to each team member.
• Write detailed, technically sound tickets aligning business goals with user requirements.
• Possess architectural knowledge and technical skills to assist engineers in troubleshooting.
• Deliver persuasive presentations and demos to executive-level stakeholders.

Product Design/Management/Ownership

• Form a deep understanding of end-user needs and pain-points and customer business objectives. This includes understanding the customer’s industry, their competitors, their business models, and what features create the greatest potential ROI.
• Develop intuitive and compelling products that address user needs and company objectives.
• Collaborate with UI designers to create user-centered designs.
• Generate resonant product descriptions and high-quality discovery documents.

Account Management

• Act as the primary point of contact for customers, managing relationships effectively.
• Identify and engage with key stakeholders at all levels of our work, understanding their motivations and communication styles. Develop strong trust relationships with these stakeholders.
• Produce “executive summaries” which describe the needs of our clients, the perspectives of their various stakeholders, and help us determine whether we are meeting the clients needs.
• Facilitate consensus-building within the customer's organization, within Space Inch teams, and among Space Inch, our clients, and any relevant third parties.
• Explore new business opportunities with existing clients.

Management Consulting

• Evaluate and enhance internal operations and project methodologies.
• Employ Space Inch’s “Project Improvement Cycle” to interview everyone working on a project and identify areas for process improvement.
• Collaborate with clients and Space Inch engineering leadership to implement process improvements.

Leadership Skills

• Proficiently communicate project progress, issues, and challenges to the leadership team, fostering a shared perspective on each client and its challenges.
• Adapt communication to the needs of each leader.
• Manage up effectively by knowing when to employ the skills of each leader and how to seek context from each leader.
• Prepare the leadership team for C-Suite presentations, ensuring their readiness and effectiveness in high-level meetings.

Typical Challenges You Will Be Solving

• Gather essential information from clients, particularly when time is limited. Utilize a toolkit of strategies to uncover their actual needs.
• Balance technical detail with client understanding.
• Educate clients on optimal practices in a respectful manner.
• Employ technical resources to maintain the right technical expertise on projects.
• Monitor sprint and milestone progress consistently. Re-align project sprints as needed to adapt to changing requirements or inaccurate estimates.
• Challenge engineers’ thinking confidently. Ask for alternate plans and extract thorough explanations.
• Know when and how to bring in additional support from engineering leadership.
• Develop comprehensive product descriptions that resonate.
• Cultivate creativity and mind-meld with designers.
• Resolve ambiguity in client needs, team roles, and solution strategies.
• Digg deeper to identify the real pain points and needs of clients and end-users.
• Monitor and address challenges that may arise outside of our immediate scope:
• Client-side engineers are not on board with shared vision and scope.
• Client-side product owners are not on board or are struggling with requirements.
• Client-side team lacks some leadership capacity.

• Facilitate the integration of our team with the client’s team. Strategize with our team to foster better team-mentality between companies.
• Know when to initiate a “Project Improvement Cycle.” Know which potential process interventions will be best received and implemented by all parties.
• Implement effective monitoring strategies to identify and rectify inefficiencies.
• Maintain alignment and transparency among leadership.

Qualities That Are Important For Success In This Role

• A healthy relationship with risk – able to identify and manage it without becoming overwhelmed.
• High emotional intelligence and a genuine interest in understanding other people's psychology.
• A high level of self-awareness.
• Inherent curiosity about the mechanics of business operations and the ability to demonstrate this curiosity.
• A composed demeanor in high-pressure situations, as this role will involve managing multiple requests from multiple people simultaneously.
• Bonus: You have used an executive coach or you’ve otherwise received and used coaching effectively.

Where You’ve Likely Developed These Skills

You have likely honed these skills while working in a company where you:

• Worked closely with engineers.
• Created and managed various project tickets.
• Acted as a bridge between business and technical requirements.
• Carried out these responsibilities in either a formal or ad hoc capacity.
• Participated in the development of new products or services.
• Navigated projects that demanded the integration of 4-5 different perspectives across different organizational levels.
• Collaborated closely with fellow leaders, maintaining a shared sense of accountability.
• Thrived in an environment where you had to solve novel challenges and produce new solutions for problems you had never encountered.
• Bonus: You sometimes understood business needs before the C-Suite in some areas.

This Job Might Not Be For You If You

• Dislike rapid context switching and handling multiple action items.
• Constructive criticism tends to make you uncomfortable or defensive.
• You don't thrive in an environment that encourages healthy conflict as a means of improvement.
• You don't find satisfaction in the process of consensus building.
• You prefer roles with a pre-established and clearly defined roadmap.
• You're uncomfortable with getting deeply involved in the nitty-gritty aspects of the job.
• You have a strong need for direct control over all aspects of your work.

What’s In It For You

• Gain unique insights into the inner workings of diverse companies.
• Develop a broad range of business skills.
• Develop a broader knowledge base in business including the ability
• to evaluate business opportunities,
• to develop products,
• to understand the psychology of particular business actors, and
• to act as a management consultant.
• Enjoy the freedom to contribute to shaping the culture and processes within your sphere.
• Collaborate with companies of varying sizes and industries.
• Work with a strong team of engineers and designers.
• Experience international project engagements.