Project Owner Role – Agile Delivery & AI Skills Growth in Columbus
Career & Market Insight
Role Level & Market Position: This "Project Owner" title sits between a Senior PM and an Engineering Program Manager. With 3+ years required and full delivery accountability, it maps to a mid-to-senior IC role. Typical market compensation for this level at a remote-first tech company ranges from $70,000–$110,000 annually; no salary is disclosed here, which is a mild yellow flag worth clarifying early in the process.
Skills You'll Build: This role offers strong development in AI-augmented product delivery — daily LLM/agent usage is explicitly required, which is a fast-growing, in-demand skill set. You'll also deepen cross-functional leadership, agile process ownership, and D2C product intuition — all transferable to future PM, Chief of Staff, or COO-track roles.
Culture Signals:
- Green flag: High ownership culture with direct accountability — great for ambitious builders who want visible impact.
- Green flag: Unlimited PTO + remote-first signals trust in employees.
- Yellow flag: Language like "thrive under pressure" and "give their best every single day" can indicate a demanding pace; verify sustainable workload in interviews.
- Yellow flag: Contractor-only structure means no employee benefits (health insurance, retirement) — factor this into total compensation negotiation.
Growth Stage: Ruby Labs presents as a scaling consumer tech company (health, education, entertainment verticals), likely Series A–B stage. This means high visibility, fast iteration cycles, and real ownership — but also some organizational ambiguity that this role is specifically designed to resolve.
About Us
Ruby Labs is a leading tech company that creates and operates innovative consumer products. We offer a diverse range of opportunities across the health, education, and entertainment industries. Our innovative teams are driving the future of consumer-led products, and we're always looking for passionate individuals to join us. Learn more about our story at: https://rubylabs.com/about-us/
About the Role
We are looking for a highly organized Project Owner to own execution quality across one of our D2C subscription products. You will be fully responsible for keeping every workstream moving to standard — setting priorities with stakeholders, translating them into clear technical tasks, driving delivery across product, engineering, design, data, and marketing, and taking direct ownership of projects that have no dedicated owner.
This is a high-accountability role suited for someone who treats "almost done" as not done. We hold a high bar: clear tickets, honest timelines, and work shipped to standard. You will inspect the work, keep the team moving when pace or quality slips, and close gaps yourself when a project falls between roles.
Responsibilities
Execution Ownership & Process
Set priorities together with stakeholders and maintain a single, agreed backlog
Own the delivery pipeline end to end, from prioritized backlog to verified release
Define and enforce processes, definitions of done, and quality standards across all workstreams
Drive sprint planning, task tracking, and follow-through so nothing stalls silently
Identify process bottlenecks and fix them with structure, not workarounds
Task Definition & Technical Clarity
Translate product and business priorities into precise, developer-ready technical tasks
Write specs with clear acceptance criteria, edge cases, and measurable outcomes
Partner with engineering to scope, estimate, and sequence work realistically
Use AI tools daily to accelerate spec writing, analysis, and QA — and spread what works across the team
Verify delivered work against spec before it ships — and reject what falls short
Standards & Team Accountability
Hold every contributor to explicit quality and deadline expectations
Push pace and raise the bar when execution drifts, directly and constructively
Run reviews and retros that convert misses into changed processes
Institutionalize best practices so quality does not depend on individual heroics
Cross-functional & Unowned Projects
Take direct ownership of initiatives that lack a dedicated owner and drive them to completion
Coordinate across product, engineering, design, data, and marketing to unblock dependencies
Collaborate with the Managing Director to align execution priorities with business goals
Keep stakeholders informed with concise, honest status reporting
Qualifications
Must-Have Experience
3+ years as a Project Owner, Product Manager, or Delivery/Project Lead on a live software product
Proven track record writing technical tasks and specs that engineers execute without back-and-forth
Experience running agile delivery processes (backlog management, sprints, releases) end to end
Demonstrated ability to build processes, checklists, and quality standards — not just follow them
Experience holding cross-functional contributors accountable for deadlines and quality
Working technical fluency: able to discuss implementation trade-offs with engineers credibly
Advanced, daily use of AI tools (LLMs, agents, AI-assisted workflows) to accelerate specs, analysis, and delivery — with command of standard task-management tooling (Jira, Linear, Notion, or equivalent)
Leadership Attributes
Highly structured operator — you build systems that make quality repeatable
Comfortable giving direct, specific feedback and enforcing standards without drama
Bias to ownership: picks up unclaimed problems instead of waiting for assignment
Detail-obsessed about the work itself — reads the ticket, tests the feature, checks the numbers
Clear, direct communicator who operates effectively in a remote environment
Location
Ruby Labs operates within the CET (Central European Time) zone. Applicants from any country are welcome to apply for the position as long as they are located within approximately ±4 hours of CET. This ensures optimal collaboration and communication during working hours.
Benefits
Discover the perks of being part of our vibrant team! We offer:
Remote Work Environment: Embrace the freedom to work from anywhere, anytime, promoting a healthy work-life balance.
Unlimited PTO: Enjoy unlimited paid time off to recharge and prioritize your well-being, without counting days.
Paid National Holidays: Celebrate and relax on national holidays with paid time off to unwind and recharge.
Company-provided MacBook: Experience seamless productivity with top-notch Apple MacBooks provided to all employees who need them.
Flexible Independent Contractor Agreement: Unlock the benefits of flexibility, autonomy, and entrepreneurial opportunities. Benefit from tax advantages, networking opportunities, reduced employment obligations, and the freedom to work from anywhere. Read more about it here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nkrN76JlZkbKj9WSOhlT1_mni_CZeDkHdwfIjPXVwvk/preview?tab=t.0#heading=h.ndsdl4wapxtt
Be part of our fast-growing team and seize this excellent opportunity for personal and professional growth!
Interview Process
After submitting your application, we conduct a thorough review which typically takes 3 to 5 days, but may occasionally take longer due to the volume of applications received. If we see a potential fit, we proceed with the following steps:
Recruiter Screening (40 minutes)
Technical Interview (90 minutes)
Final Interview (60 minutes)
Life at Ruby Labs
At Ruby Labs, we move fast, aim high, and expect the same from our team. We're not here to play small — we're here to build, grow, and win. That means we look for people who are ambitious, driven, and ready to give their best every single day.
This is a place for individuals who thrive under pressure, embrace challenges, and see opportunity in every obstacle. If you're hungry to achieve, motivated by impact, and want to grow at the speed of your own ambition, Ruby Labs offers the platform to make it happen.
Here, effort is matched with reward. We recognize those who go all in and deliver results, and we create space for people who want more — more responsibility, more growth, and more success.
Frequently Asked Questions
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