Job Description:

Imagemakers is a close knit team of dreamers and problem solvers. We’re an award winning digital experience firm where strategists, project managers, designers and developers bring UX and technology together to solve unique business challenges. We are website digital experience masters and we’re looking for someone to join our team who loves website development! In our growing company, creativity, confidence and collaboration are valued, and because we’re growing we’re looking for a Project Manager to join our team and help us continue our momentum.

This is a hybrid role, with 2-3 days a week in our Wamego, Kansas office, plus a remote office set up for the other 2-3 days a week. (For the right candidate we will consider fully remote candidates with some role expectation modifications.)

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities:

At Imagemakers, Project Managers (PM) play a critical role in managing client relationships, understanding and anticipating client needs, and ensuring successful project delivery in the dynamic field of software and website development. As a Project Manager, you will have the responsibility of optimizing the value delivery flow, ensuring quality, and creating alignment among all stakeholders while contributing to the overall success of software development projects.

Core Functions:

• Client Relationship Support - Develop and maintain positive relationships with clients. Foster open communication to understand client needs and expectations. Establish and uphold rapport to ensure a positive and collaborative partnership.
• Project Delivery Oversight - Develop comprehensive features and project roadmap to monitor and track progress. Coordinate internal resources and third parties/vendors for the flawless execution of projects. Maintain constant communication with stakeholders to provide updates on project progress, potential risks, and expected outcomes. Oversees the delivery of content, information, and key deliverables.
• Project Planning and Team Alignment - Foster a culture of alignment, engagement, and accountability within the development team. Cultivate an environment where team members are on the same page and contributing effectively. Address performance concerns that are hindering project progress. Create detailed project plans, breaking down scope and feature acceptance requirements. Track progress and manage high-risk moments to ensure project success.
• Optimize Value Delivery Flow - Implement strategies to optimize the flow of work within the development team by gathering project requirements and translating them into actionable project plans. Encourage innovation and feedback loops to continuously refine development processes. Identify and manage project risks, devising contingency plans as needed.
• Quality Assurance - Establish and uphold stringent standards for project deliverables. Ensure the development team meets customer expectations on the first attempt. Implement quality control measures throughout the development lifecycle through daily stand up meetings and thorough QA processes.

Accountabilities:

• Optimize value delivery flow for the team, by ensuring a smooth flow of work, minimizing hidden tasks, and fostering effective communication within the team. Maintaining a strong presence of engagement from the entire team, and optimizing the work in progress.
• Foster a team environment where alignment, engagement, and active contribution are critical. Creating accountability within the team and ensuring that every team member is actively involved and contributing effectively. Provide clear and concise communication, using effective listening skills to convey information quickly and accurately.
• Plan and implement project plans. This includes breaking down project scope and requirements, aligning plans with the team, identifying and resolving unknowns, actively tracking progress, and managing high-risk moments effectively.
• Ensure the quality of project deliverables, with a focus on meeting customer expectations right from the initial attempt. This involves setting and maintaining high standards for work output, implementing quality control measures, and ensuring that the team consistently delivers on customer expectations.
• Create alignment and clarity among all stakeholders, as well as ensuring adherence to the project budget. This involves facilitating communication channels, resolving discrepancies, and maintaining transparency to achieve overall alignment between project objectives and budgetary constraints.

Position Requirements :

• Strong time management, organization and project management skills
• One to three years of relevant website or software project management experience or proven learning track
• Familiarity with website project management and other software applications, like Asana
• Ability to work autonomously and make decisions with minimal supervision
• Strong work ethic and dedication to proactively problem solving 
• Ability to easily anticipate the needs of other and resolve issues before they even arise

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with project management methodologies / frameworks
• Experience in collaborating with diverse teams in a professional setting
• Proven ability to inspire and lead teams toward project goals through strategic decision-making and problem-solving skills
• Skilled in negotiating with stakeholders, vendors, and team members to resolve conflicts efficiently while maintaining a positive team environment

Physical Requirements:

Able to work at a computer and monitor (sitting and standing) for extended periods of time.

Who Should Apply:

• Do you love to constantly learn new things? And create new things?
• Do you love being deeply involved in projects and driving the momentum behind each project to see it succeed?
• Are you passionate about delivering technology solutions that solve complex business problems?
• Are you looking for an opportunity to use your experience and talent to help Imagemakers continue to grow and expand our impact? 
• Do you love working with a team and using your talents to help the team successfully deliver to the delight of our customers? 
• Do you want an opportunity to make your mark in an organization that’s small enough to work well together, but large enough to have the resources needed to solve big problems? 
• Are you intrigued by new challenges that don’t let the team settle for cookie cutter, system maintenance approaches? 

If you answered yes to most of the questions, we want to meet you!

What’s it like at Imagemakers?

Imagemakers is a close knit team of dreamers and problem solvers. Headquartered in Wamego KS, (home of the OZ museum) we’re the wizard behind the curtain for award winning digital experiences ranging from core business software and engaging websites, to IoT applications, financial portals and platforms, and 3D product configurators. 

Our core values and guiding principles give you insight into what’s important at Imagemakers. Curiosity, grit, resourcefulness, authenticity, making and impact and cultural understanding are the core values that drive our guiding principles. 

1. Solve the right problem. It’s the best way to deliver solutions that make an impact for our clients and their users.
2. Value in every interaction. You’ll see it in the solutions we deliver, and in how we work to get there.
3. Everybody benefits in every situation. This is what creative collaboration and focusing on impact does.
4. Learn and grow relentlessly. It’s the best way to improve individually and collectively to be amazing. 

While day-to-day processes are important, we keep bureaucracy in check to make sure rules and regulations don’t get in the way of our mission to deliver amazing solutions. We’re virtually integrated with flexible hours targeted between 9am and 6pm CST. You’ll work closely with our designers, some of the best back end developers you’ve ever seen, project managers, strategists, clients and vendors. Plus, you’ll get to experience the world through a wide variety of client industries, from tourism and entertainment, to healthcare, finance, manufacturing, retail and government. All focused on solving human problems in a digital world. 

Imagemakers is an equal opportunity employer that embraces the opportunity to build a team representing a variety of backgrounds, perspectives and skills.