Product Pilot Manager

Miami-Dade Innovation Authority, Inc. (“MDIA”) bridges gaps between private innovators and the public sector to fast-track the procurement of technology and innovation solutions that enable municipalities to more effectively and efficiently address pressing issues that impact resident quality of life in cities.

Through our signature Public Innovation Challenge, we accelerate the discovery and commercialization of innovative solutions to critical public challenges by identifying, investing in, and supporting early-to-growth stage companies to pilot, test, and validate their technology in collaboration with the economic engines and local government.

Title: Product Pilot Manager

Target Salary Range: $80,000-$100,000 (commensurate with experience)

Hours: Full-time, salaried with benefits

Location: hybrid in Miami, FL

Level: Manager

Benefits Include:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance is fully covered
• 21 days PTO, 5 sick days
• Remote work flexibility
• Life and disability insurance
• 401(k) match contribution

About the Public Innovation Challenge

Through its public challenge process, MDIA provides funding that allows early-stage (pre-seed, seed, or Series A) companies with responsive technologies to test their solutions in Miami-Dade County. MDIA works with public challenge stakeholders to identify infrastructure requirements to support test and validation of a solution through a subsequent pilot demonstration. 

THE ROLE

The Product Pilot Manager’s role is to design, build, and manage the public test and validation process as well as support portfolio companies who participate in it. This manager will work collaboratively with the public sector, institutional partners, and subject matter advisors to support MDIA’s portfolio to ensure the success of the public test of their technology and products. You will also be responsible for coordinating with our advisory network in order to connect resources (partner support programs, technical assistance, alternative financial resources, etc.) with portfolio companies based on their many changing needs.

This role will work cross-functionally with internal and external stakeholders to ensure that the right strategy, infrastructure, partners, and programmatic elements are in place to maximize the likelihood of success of the test for each portfolio company.

An ideal candidate should have experience working in the public sector involving technology testing and validation or managing public-private partnerships. They are highly relationship-oriented, able to listen and understand each portfolio’s companies' stated (and unstated) needs, translating your understanding into action by connecting startups to people and resources that can help them. 

They must take a systematic approach in their product or program development, implementing a strategic, regular cadence of check-ins on KPIs. This candidate should have experience either working in or supporting early or growth-stage companies.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Leadership & OKRs

• Lead the pilot program’s strategic direction by setting clear objectives and key results (OKRs) that accelerate pilot execution and shorten procurement timelines for municipal partners.
• Design pilot strategies that align with municipal priorities, advancing MDIA’s role as a catalyst for fast-tracking public-sector innovation adoption.
• Ensure pilots are structured to generate rigorous, policy-relevant data that supports procurement readiness and long-term scalability.

Pilot Strategy, Infrastructure & Program Design

• Design and oversee the full test-and-validate process for portfolio companies participating in MDIA’s Public Innovation Challenges.
• Lead the design of enabling technical infrastructure and pilot data architecture to ensure rapid validation, reliable reporting, and integration into municipal systems.
• Activate and manage a network of government partners and subject matter experts (SMEs) to steward execution of pilots.
• Supervise execution of infrastructure setup and technical exchanges by the pilot team associates to ensure municipal partner pilot readiness.

Supervision & Team Development

• Supervise pilot team associates by providing oversight, guidance, and accountability to ensure technical and operational tasks advance strategic OKRs.
• Provide professional development opportunities to strengthen MDIA’s technical depth and operational agility.
• Manage cross-functional coordination between associates, SMEs or special advisors, and municipal stakeholders to ensure program-wide alignment.

Municipal Engagement & Partnerships

• Serve as the primary liaison with municipal customers, aligning pilot design with city/county priorities, procurement policies, and regulatory/risk/operational requirements.
• Ensure alignment across multiple municipal departments, especially regulatory bodies that often need to weigh in on pilot execution.
• Build trusted relationships with public-sector partners to streamline pilot approvals and integration into procurement frameworks.

Program Operations & Reporting

• Support the pilot team to ensure the development and management of SOPs, frameworks, and reporting systems effectively document pilot execution, outcomes, and impact on procurement timelines.
• Conduct regular check-ins with pilot partners and portfolio companies to monitor progress, address barriers, and keep pilots on track.
• Lead internal and external reporting on pilot outcomes, using data-driven insights to demonstrate ROI for municipal customers and MDIA stakeholders.
• Continuously refine pilot strategies and OKRs based on municipal feedback, ensuring faster, more effective pathways from testing to procurement adoption.

EXPECTATIONS

• Our work, mission, and purpose resonate with you. You share our commitment to treating people with dignity and respect, fostering collaboration, and ensuring broad access to opportunity.
• Strives for a high-impact, low-ego working style and a deep commitment to mission and team. Asks “Why?” not “Who?” when trying to solve problems.
• Ability to set goals and develop achievable timelines to hit them. Delivers well ahead of deadlines.
• A high level of efficiency and self-direction - devotes appropriate amount of time to each situation (sometimes shorter, sometimes longer)
• Moves quickly and innovates iteratively, understanding that progress often comes from testing, learning, and improving in rapid cycles.
• Unwavering attention to detail, understanding that form is as important as function.
• Excellent organizational, project and task management skills.
• A diplomatic and consensus-oriented approach to decision-making.
• Great listener. You know when it is pertinent to speak and when it is better to be quiet. Highly developed self-awareness and leadership skills.
• You are goal-oriented, driven, determined, highly energetic, hard-working, an out-of-the-box thinker and highly dependable
• Understand the big picture of each project and the company, but also be able to drill deep into each project to establish what needs to be done and when.
• Seeks to grow with the organization, with possibility for advancement into a more senior position
• Demonstrates innovative thinking and intentionality in program development
• Knows how to play the “infinite game”, considering how to build a strong foundation so the organization’s initiatives can continue to be just as impactful beyond the current leadership and team members. At the same time, has an adaptable & nimble mindset to meet immediate demands that arise.
• You are people-oriented: you have developed a high degree of self awareness, emotional agility, and a great capacity for compassionate empathy. You strive to create psychological safety to maximize each team member’s potential.
• You are also process-oriented: you are efficient, detailed, focused on the quality of the work, able to think of systems and processes to help solve problems. You also strive to hold people accountable to maximize each team member’s potential.

QUALIFICATIONS

• A bachelor’s degree in any field. Advanced degrees add significant value.
• You strive for a high-impact, low-ego working style, have a passion for working with others (being collaborative) and a deep commitment to mission and team.
• You are goal-oriented, driven, determined, highly energetic, hard-working, an out-of-the-box thinker and unfailingly dependable.
• 5 years of early stage technology startup building or technology development experience
• Preferred 3 years of experience in technical product or program management experience (experience using data to improve programmatic impact is highly desirable)
• ​​Significant experience as an entrepreneur and/or investor in one or more of the following domains: Climate Tech, Fintech, Enterprise, Data, Sustainability, Housing, Transportation/ Mobility, Talent (includes workforce development and Education )
• Passion for working with startups and patience for working with large enterprises
• Hunger to learn about and understand complex technology and business problems, and experience developing and evaluating new business strategies
• Excellent stakeholder, organizational, and project management skills.
• Willingness to learn new skills and adapt to the needs of the organization.
• Good listener. You know when it is pertinent to speak and when it is better to be quiet. Highly developed self-awareness and leadership skills.
• Delivers well ahead of deadlines.
• Proficient with Google Suite, with other advanced computer skills desired.

MDIA’s hiring and employment policy is to provide equal opportunity to all persons without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, citizenship, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, marital status, veteran status, physical or mental disability, or other protected classes prohibited by applicable law. Further, we take special and intentional consideration to ensure that applicants are evaluated equally without regard to any of these characteristics. We do not tolerate discrimination of any type or form.