Who we are
Bloom Works is a women-owned civic technology consultancy. Our mission is to build government capacity to deliver services well, so that people get the public services they need, frictionlessly and with dignity. We partner with government agencies and purpose-driven organizations through product thinking, user experience design, content strategy, research, and technical strategy, working at the intersection of human-centered design, policy, and implementation.
What this role does
We're looking for a Director of Product & Delivery to lead and develop our Product and Delivery practice, set the standard for how we support our clients, and raise Bloom's profile as a product partner in government. You'll manage and develop a team of Product and Delivery Managers (PDMs), help client teams grow their own product capability, and build the external relationships and field presence that bring Bloom's product expertise to more government teams.
In this role, you will:
Build client capacity in product thinking
The measure of our product work is whether clients can run well without us.
- Help clients see and learn the value of product thinking firsthand on engagements (both by fostering a team that is extraordinary at this, and by working directly with clients as an advisor and subject-matter expert when needed).
- Support clients in adding product roles, capability, and team structures of their own, with structured support that outlasts the engagement.
- Serve as a trusted advisor to government leaders on setting up product leaders and teams for success, increasingly at senior and strategic levels.
- Define and maintain the standards, workflows, and rituals that let teams deliver well and sustainably, and make room for experimentation and iteration.
- Establish how the practice measures progress, learns, and adjusts as conditions change.
- Set up knowledge management so lessons carry forward instead of getting rediscovered.
Lead and grow the Product & Delivery practice
- Support a team of 7 to 10 seasoned PDMs through regular 1:1s, candid feedback, and coaching at the moments that matter, while trusting them to run their projects day to day.
- Grow senior practitioners toward broader scope and leadership, so the practice gets stronger over time.
- Hire PDMs and place them on projects where they will thrive and serve the mission.
- Set the practice's direction and norms for collaboration and candor, so the team can deliver without you in the middle of every call.
- Step in on hard team dynamics when needed, and work toward resolution in the open while modeling resilient conflict patterns.
Advance the role of product in public interest tech, and Bloom’s expertise specifically
- Shape and contribute to the ecosystem-wide conversation on the importance of product in delivering user-centered public services
- Raise the visibility of Bloom's product expertise with government teams and partners: publishing tools and points of view, speaking at and attending field events, and getting reusable resources into the hands of gov teams.
- Build relationships with potential partners and clients, and connect Bloom's product perspective to the problems they're working on.
- Represent Bloom's product practice in the field, shaping how the wider civic technology community understands product in government.
Contribute to Bloom's growth as a director
- Work with Bloom's leadership team on tactical and strategic decisions, especially hiring, staffing, culture, and business development.
- Scope proposed work with appropriate time and cost estimates, and set strategic direction for proposals.
- Take a long-term view, make decisions aware of second-order effects, and keep moving amid ambiguity.
What we're looking for
- At least 10 years of product and delivery experience, including leading teams in a consulting-like environment
- Experience leading and maturing a team or practice, including developing senior practitioners
- A track record of building client capacity: helping client teams grow their own product capability, and advising senior leaders on standing up product roles and teams
- A history of representing product approaches in public interest technology through speaking, writing, or partnership-building
- Comfort in a remote, distributed team, with exceptional communication, ease in ambiguity, and a collaborative, low-ego style
- Fluency in agile, iterative, user-centered delivery
- Experience in business development and government procurement: scoping work, shaping proposals, and navigating how government buys
- Deep familiarity with the public interest technology landscape and the challenges of digital service delivery
- A thoughtful, curious, and technically savvy stance toward emerging technology, including AI: willing to use it, ready to help the team build its own fluency, and able to judge where it helps and where it carries risk for government and the people these services serve
Salary and term
- $180,000 - $205,000 annually
Benefits
In your first year, some benefits are prorated based on when you join.
- An environment that empowers you to apply your skills and experience for the public good
- Remote/distributed work environment
- Health and wellness benefits (medical, dental, vision, life & AD&D, FSA, STD, LTD, & 401k + 3% match)
- PTO, sick, and national holidays
- Paid company closures during the week of July 4th and between Christmas and New Years Day
More about our team, and commitment to building a diverse workforce
Bloom Works believes a diverse workforce enhances our ability to improve public services. We are committed to ensuring equal employment opportunities to all qualified individuals without regard to their race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.
As a public interest technology company, we see diversity and equity-building as integral to both our mission and our research practices. We are committed to disrupting power dynamics and equity barriers in our work. We strive to recruit employees and partners who reflect the demographics of targeted end users, and we analyze, test, and iterate to make sure everyone can easily access and use the digital tools we build. As a public benefit company, we are compelled to generate social and public good, and to operate in a responsible and sustainable manner.
Background check and work authorization
Successful candidates will need to complete a background check before starting work.
We participate in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S.
