Senior Technical Project Manager

Title: Senior Technical Project Manager Location: Chicago

Who you’ll be working with

We ideate, create, and coordinate. We analyze, strategize, organize, and prioritize. We bridge the communication channel between the client and our project team. We chart the course and navigate the product roadmap sprint by sprint. Some of us are product owners. Some of us are scrum masters. Many of us wear multiple hats and do whatever’s needed to deliver successful projects. As a Senior Technical Project Manager, you’ll sit closest to engineering, partnering with architects, tech leads, and DevOps to turn complex technical work into predictable delivery.

What you’ll be doing

Technical Discovery & Delivery Strategy

• Own end-to-end delivery of technically complex projects and programs (platform builds, system integrations, migrations, and modernization), from technical discovery through release and post-launch support.
• Partner with Solution Architects and Tech Leads to translate business objectives and technical designs into structured delivery plans, milestones, and sprint-level execution.
• Ensure alignment between scope, timeline, and budget, proactively managing trade-offs such as technical debt, build vs. buy, and phased release decisions.
• Lead technical discovery with Solution Architects and Tech Leads: facilitate architecture and integration workshops, document system dependencies, and surface feasibility risks before estimates are committed.

Product Delivery Process

• Lead Agile ceremonies including sprint planning, standups, backlog grooming, demos, and retrospectives.
• Partner with Product Managers and Tech Leads to ensure prioritized backlogs, technically refined stories, clear acceptance criteria, and a shared definition of ready and done.
• Drive delivery predictability through velocity tracking, capacity planning, and release planning.
• Oversee the release and deployment process alongside DevOps, including environment strategy, CI/CD readiness, code freeze, release notes, cutover, and rollback planning.
• Coordinate QA strategy across functional, regression, performance, and UAT cycles, and track defect trends to keep quality on target.
• Use delivery data (cycle time, burndown, defect leakage, deployment frequency) to spot bottlenecks and drive continuous improvement.

Program & Stakeholder Management

• Serve as the primary point of contact for client business and technical stakeholders (including CTOs, IT leaders, and engineering teams), providing clear communication on progress, risks, and outcomes.
• Manage cross-functional teams including Product, Design, Engineering, QA, and DevOps, and coordinate with client IT teams and third-party vendors.
• Align project-level execution with broader program and business objectives.
• Translate technical concepts, constraints, and risks into clear language for non-technical stakeholders, and business priorities into clear direction for engineers.

Risk, Governance & Financial Management

• Own and actively manage RAID logs (Risks, Assumptions, Issues, Dependencies), with particular focus on technical risks such as integrations, data migration, security, performance, and third-party dependencies.
• Implement strong project and technical governance practices (change control, release approvals, environment and access management), ensuring transparency and accountability.
• Track and manage budgets, forecasts, and resource allocation, ensuring delivery efficiency and margin health.

What you’ll need to be successful (Requirements)

• Technical background in software development, systems engineering, or IT (a computer science or related degree, prior engineering experience, or equivalent hands-on exposure).
• 8-10 years of formal project management experience in client-facing, consulting, or agency settings, with at least 3 years managing software engineering or technical implementation projects.
• Proven track record of leading end-to-end delivery of complex technical initiatives (e.g., custom web/mobile applications, platform modernization, system integrations, cloud migrations, or eCommerce platforms).
• Experience leading or coordinating large offshore or distributed engineering teams (10+ people), ideally in India or other global delivery centers.
• Strong client-facing experience, with the ability to manage expectations and influence stakeholders at multiple levels.
• Experience driving both discovery and delivery phases of digital engagements.
• Working knowledge of the software development lifecycle and modern architecture concepts, including APIs, microservices, cloud platforms (AWS), CI/CD pipelines, and environment management.
• Ability to read technical documentation, contribute to architecture discussions, challenge estimates, and assess technical risk alongside engineering leads.
• Experience managing project financials, including budgeting, forecasting, and resource planning.
• Strong RAID management discipline (risks, assumptions, issues, dependencies) with proactive mitigation planning.
• Knowledge of using AI tools to speed up project management and communication such as drafting reports and producing first-pass plans, estimates and risk tracking, checking every output for accuracy and keeping client data within approved tools.

Bonus Points for these (Preferred Experience)

• Hands-on experience with enterprise integrations (ERP, CRM, PIM, OMS), data migrations, and data-driven or AI-enabled platforms.
• Experience working across multiple solution types (application modernization, headless CMS, composable commerce, etc.).
• PMP, CSM, PMI-ACP, SAFe, or equivalent certification; cloud certifications (e.g., AWS Cloud Practitioner) are a plus.
• Advanced Jira/Confluence experience (JQL, dashboards, workflow configuration), plus exposure to GitHub/GitLab, Azure DevOps, or similar engineering tools.
• Experience delivering against security, compliance, or performance requirements
• Prior experience as a software engineer, QA engineer, business systems analyst, or technical lead.

Need another reason to hit the “apply” button?

• Codal is a global agency with over 200 employees, and offices in the US, UK, and India
• We regularly host happy hours, dinners, excursions, and other company events to unwind after a hard day at work
• Office snacks and drinks + a fancy Bevi water machine with flavored water
• We offer Medical, Life, Dental/Vision, and many more insurance types
• Employer 401k match - 4%
• A recreational group that regularly competes in city leagues for softball and volleyball
• An office in the heart of downtown Chicago with a gym, food court, Walgreens, rooftop bar, outdoor sports court, and other amenities
• Working hybrid for in-person collaboration and sprint-planning days

We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression, or veteran status. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.