Technical Project Manager - School Management System Development & Maintenance

Job Description: Technical Project Manager - School Management System Development & Maintenance

Location: Remote

About SchoolDay:

SchoolDay is a forward-thinking EdTech company committed to empowering educational institutions with a secure and efficient ecosystem for managing their digital learning tools. Our zero-trust orchestration platform streamlines the discovery, assessment, procurement, provisioning, integration, and governance of EdTech applications, all while prioritizing student data privacy. We believe in fostering innovation in education by enabling seamless data exchange and providing real-time analytics to improve student well-being and academic outcomes. At SchoolDay, you'll be part of a collaborative team dedicated to making a positive impact on education through cutting-edge technology. We value innovation, security, and a commitment to empowering educators and students alike.

Role Overview:

The Technical Project Manager will be responsible for leading and coordinating the development and ongoing maintenance of our critical School Management System (SMS). This role demands a strong technical background combined with exceptional project management and communication skills to effectively manage remotely located engineering teams throughout the entire Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). The Technical Project Manager will collaborate closely with various stakeholders, including product owners, engineering leads, and potentially educational institutions, to ensure the successful delivery of a robust and scalable SMS that meets the evolving needs of the US education market. Fluency in both English and Russian is mandatory for effective communication with our distributed teams.

Responsibilities:

• Project Leadership & Planning:
• Define project scope, objectives, and technical requirements in collaboration with product owners and stakeholders.
• Develop comprehensive project plans, including timelines, resource allocation, and risk management strategies for SIS development and maintenance initiatives.  
• Lead and motivate remote engineering teams, fostering a collaborative and productive environment.
• Facilitate technical discussions, resolve conflicts, and drive informed decision-making within the engineering teams.
• Deliver weekly and monthly reports on team productivity. 
• Manage project budgets and track expenses effectively.
• Technical Guidance & Oversight:
• Leverage technical expertise to understand and guide the development and maintenance of the SMS, ensuring adherence to best practices and architectural guidelines.
• Oversee the technical execution of projects, ensuring the efficient and effective use of technologies such as PHP, Redis, REST API, WebSockets, HTML5, and daemons.
• Identify and mitigate technical risks and proactively address potential challenges.
• Ensure the technical quality, performance, and scalability of the SIS.
• Remote Team Coordination:
• Effectively coordinate the activities of remotely located engineering teams across all phases of the SDLC, including planning, design, development, testing, deployment, and maintenance.
• Establish clear communication channels and protocols to ensure seamless collaboration and information flow across distributed teams.
• Utilize project management tools and methodologies to track progress and ensure alignment across teams.
• Facilitate remote meetings, stand-ups, and other communication forums.
• Stakeholder Communication & Management:
• Serve as the primary point of contact for communication regarding SMS development and maintenance projects with internal and external stakeholders.
• Clearly and effectively communicate project status, risks, and progress to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Coordinate with product owners, support teams, and potentially educational institutions to gather requirements, provide updates, and manage expectations.
• Facilitate communication and collaboration between engineering teams and other departments.
• Data Integration & Compliance (Desirable):
• Understand and contribute to the planning and execution of data integration and exchange processes related to the SIS.
• Maintain awareness of and adhere to relevant data integration standards such as 1EdTech One Roster, LTI, Ed-Fi, and US state reporting requirements in education.
• System Knowledge (Bonus):
• Leverage familiarity with School Management Systems (SMS) to inform project decisions and ensure effective integration.

Requirements:

• Experience:
• Minimum of 3 years of professional experience in technical project management, specifically within software development and maintenance.
• Proven experience managing complex technical projects, ideally involving distributed teams.
• Experience utilizing PHP in web development technologies for building modern, interactive, and feature-rich web applications and experiences.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and motivate technical teams.
• Strong understanding of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC).
• Technical Skills:
• Solid understanding of web development technologies and architectures.
• Familiarity with web development technologies and the ability to understand technical discussions.
• Experience with project management tools (Jira, Confluence).
• Understanding of version control systems (Git, Bitbucket).
• Communication & Interpersonal Skills:
• Mandatory: Fluent English (both written and spoken).
• Mandatory: Fluent Russian (both written and spoken).
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills, particularly in a remote environment.  
• Proven ability to facilitate meetings and drive consensus across diverse teams.
• Organizational & Project Management Skills:
• Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and prioritize tasks effectively in a dynamic environment.  
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Education:
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Technology, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience).  

Desirable Skills:

• Familiarity with the US educational market and its unique requirements.
• Knowledge of data integration and exchange standards in education (1EdTech One Roster, LTI, Ed-Fi).
• Experience with Agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban).