About

Contract Technical Project Manager / Solutions Architect Project Length: ~4–6 weeks (10–15 hours/week) Start Date: ASAP About Us We’re a SaaS company with a small but capable development team. Our devs know the codebase deeply and can execute reliably — but we need a strategic thinker to guide our rebuild. Without that, we risk reinventing the wheel, overengineering, or heading in the wrong direction. What We Need This Person For This isn’t a coding role. Our developers already know the stack. We need someone who can: 1. Define the approach before coding starts • Choose the right level of effort (widget vs. custom build, build vs. buy). • Outline flows, dependencies, and risks in a short design doc or diagram. • Ensure everyone understands what’s being built and why. 2. Turn fuzzy goals into structured work • Translate high-level vision into detailed, testable tickets. • Add acceptance criteria, edge cases, and “definition of done.” • Break features down so developers aren’t left guessing. 3. Protect against wasted cycles • Spot shortcuts (widgets, libraries, tools) that prevent unnecessary work. • Flag when scope is creeping or when solutions don’t align with priorities. • Keep the team moving fast without cutting critical corners. 4. Leave behind a repeatable process • Create templates, checklists, and SOPs so the team can “measure twice, cut once” even after the contract ends. • Model disciplined engineering thinking, even without writing code. Responsibilities • Review project scope with leadership and break it down into actionable parts. • Document technical approaches, dependencies, and risks. • Write pseudocode or flow diagrams to guide devs. • Define ticket standards and acceptance criteria. • Facilitate lightweight “design reviews” before coding begins. • Monitor progress, push back on scope creep, and call out risks early. • Provide clear documentation and handoff materials for ongoing use. Qualifications • 5+ years experience as a Solutions Architect, Engineering Lead, or Technical Project Manager. • Proven ability to guide junior/mid-level dev teams and experience coding. • Strong skills in documentation, systems thinking, and scoping tradeoffs. • Pragmatic mindset: you know when to go scrappy, when to go scalable. • Excellent communication across business, design, and dev teams. What Success Looks Like • Projects are well-structured, scoped, and documented before coding starts. • The dev team has clear tickets, pseudocode, and flows to work from. • We avoid unnecessary rebuilds and reinventing the wheel. • You leave behind a repeatable playbook for faster, more disciplined development.