Join Candlelight Foundation for Children with Special Needs as a Technical Program Manager!

Candlelight Foundation is a beacon of hope and support for children with special needs, including those diagnosed with Autism, Dyslexia, and ADHD. Our mission is to empower these children by providing essential support, resources, and opportunities that enable them to thrive. We believe in the power of technology to amplify our impact, and we're searching for an exceptional Technical Program Manager to join our dedicated team and transform our ambitious roadmap into tangible realities.

About the Role: Technical Program Manager (Mobile & Web Platforms)

This is a pivotal role for an experienced Technical Program Manager who thrives on execution and understands the intricacies of software development. As our Technical Program Manager, you won't just schedule meetings; you'll be the driving force behind the delivery of our critical mobile applications, web platforms, administrative dashboards, and backend systems. Working directly with our CEO and engineering team, you will ensure that every project is meticulously planned, thoroughly documented, delivered punctually, and meets the highest quality standards.

Key Responsibilities: Driving Technical Excellence and Delivery

End-to-End Project Management: Own and strategically manage the complete Jira backlog, translating product visions into actionable Epics, Features, User Stories, and Tasks with clear, concise acceptance criteria for our developers.
Agile Leadership: Plan and coordinate all Agile sprints, expertly facilitating sprint planning, daily stand-ups, backlog refinement, and retrospectives to foster an efficient and collaborative development environment.
Dependency Management: Proactively track and manage dependencies across Mobile, Backend, Web, and DevOps teams, identifying potential blockers early and ensuring their swift resolution to maintain project velocity.
Team Coordination: Seamlessly coordinate the efforts of internal and external developers, UI/UX designers, and QA testers to ensure cohesive and integrated project progression.
Quality Assurance & Release Management: Ensure all completed work rigorously satisfies acceptance criteria before reaching the Founder. Oversee release planning for iOS, Android, and Web platforms, coordinating successful App Store and Google Play releases.
Documentation & Reporting: Maintain comprehensive technical documentation and produce insightful weekly project status reports. Track critical engineering KPIs and sprint performance to drive continuous improvement.
Strategic Alignment: Guarantee that all technical work is precisely aligned with our overarching product roadmap, and proactively escalate project risks before they escalate into significant problems.

What We're Looking For: Your Essential Skills and Experience

To excel in this role, you will need a strong foundation in software project management and a passion for driving technical initiatives. Your qualifications should include:

At least 1 year of hands-on experience managing software development projects.
Proficiency in Jira for backlog management and project tracking.
Demonstrable expertise in Agile/Scrum methodologies.
Experience leading and coordinating remote engineering teams effectively.
Familiarity with Mobile App development (Android & iOS) and coordinating Backend and Frontend teams.
Exceptional technical documentation skills, including the ability to write clear User Stories and Acceptance Criteria.
Strong communication and organizational abilities.
Experience with documentation tools such as Confluence or Notion.
Comfort and capability to engage with and understand technical discussions, even if not directly writing code.
The confidence to professionally challenge developers when necessary to ensure optimal outcomes.

Highly Valued Attributes (Nice to Have):

While not strictly required, the following experiences will be a significant advantage:

Prior startup experience.
Experience with marketplace, social media, or community platform development.
Product Management or QA/Test Management experience.
DevOps coordination experience.
A track record of successfully launching products on the App Store and Google Play.
An understanding of technologies like MongoDB, Node.js, React, React Native, and Firebase.

Success in Your First 90 Days:

Within your first three months, you will have made a significant impact by:

Organizing the entire Jira backlog into a clear, manageable structure.
Establishing a predictable sprint planning and release cadence.
Creating comprehensive product documentation that serves as a single source of truth.
Demonstrably reducing delivery delays across projects.
Significantly improving communication flow within the engineering team.
Increasing sprint predictability and reliability.
Ensuring every new feature has well-defined and complete requirements before development commences.
Building clear visibility into project status through insightful dashboards and reports.

Reporting Structure & Collaboration:

You will report directly to the CEO, playing a critical role in the strategic direction and execution of our technical initiatives. You will work closely with: