Temporary Product Manager

The Temporary Product Manager oversees the planning, development, and management of technology products within the Early Childhood Education Technology team. The position collaborates closely with internal staff and external contractors on UI design and technology development, maintains the product roadmap, analyzes and improves existing products, defines requirements for new features and integrations, and supports staff training in product management and agile methodologies. This role ensures that all products and systems align with the agency’s vision and objectives, while also enhancing functionality, user experience, and service delivery. This temporary role will last up to 6 months. 

• Manage the product backlog for the Early Care and Education Emergency Grant application and grant application eligibility workflows.
• Set up agile rituals and internal processes for the development phase of the Coordinated Eligibility & Enrollment system (CEE) in partnership with ECE Technology & Design and Technology teams.
• Manage the engineering development of the CEE, including maintaining the product roadmap, analyzing current products, recommending and implementing changes.
• Determine product requirements and develop specifications for the enhancement or integration of related systems and databases; ensure alignment with agency vision and objectives.
• Provide training and guidance to staff on product management practices and agile methodologies, building internal capacity and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
• Work with data engineers, developers, community engagement liaisons, UX researcher, and UI designers to prioritize work and plan development cycles.
• Manage the contracted development team to scope, develop and launch features.
• Clearly define technical requirements, specifications and priorities to ensure product quality and timeliness.
• Identify and resolve issues, optimize processes, and propose scalable solutions that enhance user experience and product performance.

Minimum Qualifications

Any combination of training and experience that would provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities is qualifying. Additional experience and/or education can be substituted to meet typical qualifications. A typical way to obtain the required qualifications would be:

Four (4) years of increasingly responsible experience in modern software development and experience managing technology products in a public sector or private small/medium size organization and the equivalent of two years of college (90-quarter or 60 semester units) with coursework in software development or related topic from an accredited college or university.

Additional relevant work experience may be substituted to meet the college coursework requirement

Knowledge of:

• Specific technology tools, including Jotform, Airtable, and Power BI
• Agile development methodology and working in iterative development cycles
• Principles of product management
• Data systems and technology solutions for streamlining business practices and capturing and storing data; including collection, storage, and analysis of data and business flow practices
• Principles of equity, social, racial, and economic justice
• Principles and practices of planning and project management
• Principles and practices of contract negotiation, development, and management
• SCRUM rituals
• Conduct quality assurance reviews of contractor delivered code and software
• Software security standards and compliance

Ability to:

• Communicate effectively with technical and non-technical audiences
• Scope, manage and execute projects
• Translate business needs into technical implementations, including mapping out data pipelines and data models
• Work in Agile teams
• Organize and prioritize work, multi-task, and work well under deadline pressure in a fast-paced organization
• Demonstrate ability to work with and administer products with an equity-centered approach for children, families and community
• Work effectively under pressure and with multi-disciplinary teams including program, technology, and data specialists

Please note

• We are currently working a hybrid 2 day per week in-office schedule and employees also come to the office to attend meetings and as requested.
• All First 5 employees must live and work in California.
• The salary range for this position is $116,000 to $167,000 and as an independent government agency, the posted salary is the set salary range for this position. We cannot offer salaries above this posted range.
• We conduct reference and background checks for all potential employees.

About First 5 Alameda County

First 5 Alameda County believes every child in Alameda County should have optimal health, development, and well-being to reach their greatest potential. Through innovative programs and policy advocacy, we help provide children and their families access to resources that support their first five years of development.

Join our mission-driven team that in partnership with the community, supports a county-wide continuous prevention and early intervention system that promotes optimal health and development, narrows disparities, and improves peak years of child development.

First 5 Alameda County Benefits

We offer a benefits package to our temporary employees including Medical, Dental, & Vision Coverage.

We also offer paid vacation and sick time. We have 17 paid holidays including the week between Christmas Day and New Year's Day as paid time off.