Senior Technical PM at SmartLogic | Agile & AI Skills in Columbus
Career & Market Insight
This role is a solid opportunity for experienced PMs looking for high-flexibility contract work without sacrificing professional engagement. At $70–$85/hr, it sits at or slightly above market rate for senior contract PMs in the US (typical range: $65–$95/hr for comparable consultancy roles), though the part-time nature (10–25 hrs/week) means total annual income is variable — roughly $36K–$110K depending on hours.
Green flags worth noting:
- SmartLogic has been operating since 2005 — a stable, mature consultancy, not a volatile startup.
- Explicit emphasis on AI tool adoption signals forward-thinking culture and positions you to build in-demand skills at the intersection of PM and AI.
- Multi-client exposure (managing several engagements simultaneously) accelerates breadth of experience faster than single-company roles.
- Agile ceremony leadership across full project lifecycles (discovery through launch) is highly transferable to future senior or director-level roles.
Potential considerations:
- As a contractor, you receive no traditional benefits (health, 401k, PTO) — factor this into your effective rate calculation.
- Variable hours (10–25/week) may create income unpredictability; this works best as a primary contract for someone managing utilization actively, or as a secondary engagement.
- The role demands proven consultancy experience — agency-side PMs will have a clear advantage over in-house candidates.
Overall, this is a strong fit for a senior PM who wants autonomy, modern tooling, and a reputable client roster without the constraints of full-time employment.
We are seeking an experienced Senior Technical Project Manager with a strong background in agile software development, client relationship management, and delivering complex software projects on time and within budget. The ideal candidate is a proactive leader who can independently manage multiple client engagements, anticipate risks, and guide teams toward successful outcomes.
This role requires 5+ years of software project management experience, including leading custom software development projects and working directly with clients and engineering teams. We are also looking for someone who embraces AI-powered tools and modern project management practices to improve efficiency, communication, and delivery outcomes.
SmartLogic is an experienced custom software development consultancy serving clients since 2005. We build custom web and mobile applications for organizations across a variety of industries. We are deeply committed to our team, our clients, and the communities where we work. Our culture emphasizes collaboration, continuous learning, accountability, and thoughtful adoption of emerging technologies.
This is a fully remote, ongoing contract position with a variable commitment of approximately 10–25 hours per week, depending on project needs.
Responsibilities
Our project teams are supported by a Project Manager, Staff Engineer, product designer, and one or more developers. Your responsibilities will include:
- Lead project management for multiple client software development projects, serving as the primary point of contact and ensuring successful delivery.
- Partner with clients, stakeholders, and engineering teams to define project scope, requirements, priorities, deliverables, and timelines.
- Lead agile ceremonies, including sprint planning, standups, backlog refinement, sprint reviews, and retrospectives.
- Collaborate with Staff Engineers and developers to maintain actionable backlogs, develop user stories, establish acceptance criteria, and ensure development priorities align with client objectives.
- Proactively manage project budgets, timelines, resource allocations, and scope changes while identifying risks and communicating mitigation strategies.
- Maintain accurate project documentation, including project plans, requirements, roadmaps, status reports, and budget forecasts.
- Support quality assurance efforts, coordinate testing and acceptance processes, and ensure deliverables meet client expectations.
- Build strong, trusted relationships with clients through clear communication, proactive problem-solving, and consistent delivery.
- Identify opportunities to expand existing client engagements by understanding business objectives, anticipating future needs, and recommending valuable solutions.
- Leverage AI-powered tools to improve project management workflows, including requirements documentation, meeting summaries, backlog refinement, reporting, and project analysis.
- Collaborate with engineering teams to identify opportunities for AI-assisted delivery while maintaining appropriate quality, accuracy, security, and human oversight.
- Contribute to continuous improvement of SmartLogic's project management practices, delivery processes, and operational efficiency.
Requirements
We are seeking a resourceful, organized, and proactive team player with strong interpersonal skills and a demonstrated ability to lead software projects independently. The successful candidate will be comfortable navigating ambiguity, balancing competing priorities, and communicating effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Additionally, the successful candidate will have:
- 5+ years of professional software project management experience, preferably within a custom software development consultancy or agency.
- Demonstrated success managing six-figure software development projects with varying team sizes, technical complexity, and client requirements.
- Strong understanding of agile software development methodologies and experience managing projects from discovery and planning through development, testing, and launch.
- Experience managing multiple client engagements simultaneously while maintaining accountability for budgets, schedules, scope, and delivery quality.
- Proficiency with project management and collaboration tools such as ClickUp, Jira, Harvest, and similar platforms.
- Experience developing project roadmaps, writing user stories and acceptance criteria, managing backlogs, tracking budgets, and coordinating quality assurance activities.
- Strong client-facing communication skills, including the ability to translate technical concepts, facilitate difficult conversations, manage expectations, and build trusted relationships.
- Experience identifying project risks, managing scope changes, resolving delivery challenges, and holding project teams accountable for commitments.
- Practical experience using AI tools to improve productivity, documentation, communication, or project management workflows, with an understanding of their limitations and the importance of validating AI-generated outputs.
- Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, sound judgment, and the ability to work independently in a remote, collaborative environment.
Compensation & Contract Details
This is a fully remote contract position open to candidates based in the United States.
Compensation range for this position is $70–$85 per hour. Compensation is based on the applicant's experience and qualifications.
This position has flexible weekly hours based on project needs and your availability, currently estimated at 10–25 hours per week. You must be available during SmartLogic's core working hours of 10:00 AM–3:30 PM ET on weekdays, as some client and internal meetings occur during this window and your attendance may be required.
As a remote-first organization, SmartLogic works intentionally to build a supportive, collaborative culture. Contractors are encouraged to participate in relevant team meetings, knowledge-sharing opportunities, and professional development activities.
We value continuous learning, thoughtful experimentation, and the responsible use of emerging technologies, including AI, to strengthen how we work and deliver value to our clients.
SmartLogic is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor.
No phone calls or unsolicited emails, please. We do not work with recruiters or placement agencies.
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