Senior Product Manager

The City of Seattle is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Senior Product Manager (IT Professional-B) with Seattle Information Technology's (IT) Digital Engagement Team.

Department Overview

As a city, Seattle is known as a progressive leader in technology, innovation and the environment. As an employer, the City of Seattle is leading local government in environmental stewardship and social justice amongst other things, making our City what it is today and shaping our exciting future. The organization’s workforce plays a critical role in making this possible.

Seattle IT is the technology backbone of the City of Seattle’s complex operations and its ability to deliver a wide array of services for the residents of Seattle. The 600+ strong professionals in Seattle IT are involved in the full spectrum of an IT enterprise offering many dynamic career opportunities. Seattle IT is a trusted partner that provides secure, reliable, and compliant technologies that enable the city to deliver equitable and responsive services to the public.

Digital Engagement Overview

Digital Engagement is the City of Seattle’s digital services team, established in 2017. The team's planning efforts aim to improve the consistency, usability, and accessibility of the City's digital experiences, ensuring successful interactions between Seattle residents and their government online. The Digital Engagement Team is composed of three work groups: Product, User Experience, and Development. The team has two main objectives:

1. Design, develop, and manage a suite of products that enable City departments to communicate effectively with the public. Products include Seattle.gov, department blogs, newsletter & press releases, calendars, and social media.
2. Guide the digital experience for all public-facing web applications through the style guide, policies, and user experience strategy. Oversee Citywide branding, design, content strategy, and accessibility.

The Product team collaborates with the User Experience and Development teams to evaluate, enhance, and manage our product suite. The team works with partners across City departments to identify business needs and make recommendations using our enterprise digital products. The team also takes on product operations to improve processes, establish standard methodologies, plan release communications, and onboard new users.

Reporting to the Product Management Team Supervisor, this position focuses on identifying and implementing accessible and usable solutions to create new product features that are inclusive for all Seattle residents and business owners. The Senior Product Manager handles specific products in our product suite, leads initiatives collaborating with subject matter experts across the City departments, and also plans and leads Citywide communications and change management for all new or updated technical features.

The ideal candidate should be creative, innovative, and passionate about building digital platforms that are intuitive and valuable to Seattle residents and business owners. You seek to balance the needs of City departments, digital policies, and responsibility to the public with enterprise standards, then translate those needs into specific recommendations. You will work closely with product, design, and development colleagues to manage meaningful digital experiences.

Key Accountabilities/Responsibilities

• Lead complex digital initiatives in coordination with Digital Engagement colleagues.
• Oversee assigned products as the functional expert. Monitor vendor roadmaps and evaluate features. Synthesize data and research to identify improvements to products and systems. Build webpages, components, and the navigation between them.
• Partner with City department staff to understand and prioritize business requirements to recommend solutions.
• Create training presentations, documentation, and resources for users. Deliver product training to onboard new users and offer guidance and support using standard methodologies.
• Perform quality assurance testing across operating systems and browsers for new features, enhancements, and bug fixes.
• Responsibly and effectively advocate for our end users, members of the public.
• Maintain positive stakeholder relationships while saying no to a request or presenting alternatives.
• Champion inclusive design, including, but not limited to, accessibility, language translation, digital equity, and privacy.
• Adhere to the City’s brand and design standards. Leverage best practices in user experience, including information architecture and content strategy.
• Contribute to cross-functional improvements to the Digital Engagement team’s internal processes and systems.
• Participate in team meetings to review and share work for feedback.
• Perform duties as assigned commensurate to the IT Professional level.

Required Qualifications

Note: Equivalent combinations of education and experience will be considered for the required qualifications except where specifically noted.

Education:

• An AA Degree or equivalent experience in Computer Science, Information Science, Human-Computer Interaction, Business, Psychology, or similar.

Experience

• Minimum five years of professional experience managing digital products, both SaaS and custom.
• Minimum five years of professional experience using content management systems to build and maintain websites. Strong HTML and CSS skills.
• Experience in digital product management and the product development lifecycle from ideation to build to ongoing evaluation and user experience, ensuring alignment to the overall vision.
• Familiarity with agile software development practices.
• Experience developing testing plans for feature or product upgrades.
• Experience building digital products for WCAG 2.1 and Section 508 compliance, along with privacy and security standards.
• Experience applying demand management principles to prioritize a workplan.
• Experience communicating with partners through visual and textual presentation of digital solutions. Strong oral and written communication skills to convey technical information to non-technical staff.
• Acceptance of ambiguity when faced with new scenarios or shifting priorities.
• Self-directed, well-organized, and able to maintain high levels of productivity with minimal direction in a remote work environment. Innovative, resourceful, collaborative, and reliable.
• Handles multiple tasks and deadlines, maintains confidentiality, uses good judgment and discretion, and easily interacts with a diverse workforce.

Desired Qualifications

• Experience with the Ingeniux web content management system (CMS).
• Experience in continuous improvement and business process analysis.
• Familiarity with web analytics and metrics for content quality, accessibility, and visitor behavior.
• Experience conducting trainings or supporting open lab environments.
• Experience developing organizational change and communications plans related to technology.
• Strong skills building professional relationships at all levels within an organization.
• Experience working as a Product Manager in a state or local government organization.
• Demonstrated interest in public service or civic technology.

The 2024 full salary range for this position is $50.35 - $75.96 hourly. The salary for this role has been identified as up to $64.00 depending on experience.

(In 2025, the salary range for this position is scheduled for a wage increase no less than 2%, nor shall it exceed 4%.)

Why work at the City of Seattle?

The City of Seattle recognizes every City employee must play a role in ending institutional and structural racism. Our culture is the result of our behavior, our personal commitments, and the ways that we courageously share our point of view and encourage others to do the same. To cultivate an antiracist culture, we seek employees who will engage in the Race and Social Justice Initiative by working to dismantle racist policies and procedures, unlearn the way things have always been done, and provide equitable processes and services.

The City of Seattle offers a comprehensive benefits package including vacation, holiday, and sick leave as well as medical, dental, vision, life and long-term disability insurance for employees and their dependents. More information about employee benefits is available on the City's website at: https://www.seattle.gov/human-resources/benefits/employees-and-covered-family-members/most-employees-plans.

Application Process:

Who may apply: This position is open to all qualified candidates that meet the minimum qualifications.

The City of Seattle values different perspectives and life experiences. Applicants will be considered regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, marital status, disability, religious or political affiliation, age, sexual orientation, or gender identity. The City encourages people of all backgrounds to apply, including people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ, people with disabilities, veterans, and those with diverse life experience.

Application Process
Please submit the following with your online application:

• A cover letter in which you clearly describe how your knowledge, experience, skills, and abilities prepare you for the job responsibilities and qualifications outlined in the job announcement.
• A current resume of your educational and professional work experience.

Incomplete applications may not be considered.

Apply online at https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/seattle/

If you have any questions, please contact Julie Hugill, HR Strategic Advisor at Julie.Hugill@seattle.gov.

We will schedule first round interviews as a virtual meeting during the week of January 20. Second round interviews will be held in person late January/early February.

Workplace Environment (Telework Expectation): This position offers the flexibility of a hybrid work schedule. Starting January 2, 2025, City employees will have the option to work remotely two days a week. Individual schedules will be based on operational needs and agreement between the employee and their supervisor.

This hiring process involves a background check of conviction and arrest records in compliance with Seattle's Fair Chance Employment Ordinance, SMC 14.17. Applicants will be provided an opportunity to explain or correct background information. In addition, a Seattle Police Department criminal history check that includes fingerprinting.

Unions

NOTE: This position is covered by a collective bargaining unit; International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 77. For information explore Local 77’s website.

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