Project Technical Lead - Mission-Critical Grid Software

About the role

We are seeking a Project Technical Lead to drive the turnaround of a critical Grid Software initiative facing governance issues, technical challenges, and demanding expectations. This is a strategic leadership position requiring someone who can diagnose system problems, implement governance despite objections, and proactively partner with the Project Managers and Team Leads to build customer and team trust.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership and Root Cause Analysis: Diagnose root causes of underperformance (currently internal completion challenges) and implement systemic solutions, not quick fixes.
• Design and implement governance frameworks despite objections.
• Use data-driven decision making to drive improvements in sprint predictability and completion rates.
• Change Management and Resistance Handling: Drive process changes by weighing objections and building trust within the team.
• Facilitate and redirect meetings independently when derailed.
• Influence without authority – build consensus while holding firm on critical governance principles.
• Technical Collaboration and Orchestration: Leverage technical team leads effectively to manage complex Energy Market Management System architecture – you cannot be the technical expert on everything.
• Build technical contingency buffers to protect against infrastructure outages and blockers.
• Address chronic estimation inaccuracy through improved planning and risk management.
• Work effectively with technical experts – building trust within the team.
• Customer-Facing Leadership and PM Collaboration: Proactively partner with the Project Manager (not reactive).
• Align with the project manager and take co-ownership of the successful execution of the project.
• Provide clear technical input, options, and arguments for customer discussions WITHOUT being asked.
• Identify and mitigate technical risks BEFORE they become critical issues affecting customers.
• Navigate communication challenges: varying technical knowledge levels, and differences in communication styles.
• Explain complex technical topics pragmatically and simply to diverse customer collaborators.
• Build customer trust through transparency about risks and challenges, realistic expectation management, and consistent follow-through on commitments.
• Manage expectations realistically, discussing trade-offs, and communicate proactively about risks.
• Serve as credible technical voice in customer meetings, presenting options with pros/cons for decisions, bringing to bear subject matter experts within the team as necessary.

Requirements

• Basic qualifications: Bachelor's degree required – with a preference for majors in computer science, computer engineering, information technology, electrical engineering, or physics (master's degree preferred).
• 5+ years in technical project leadership within software development, with at least 3 years in mission-critical or grid software systems (EMM, EMS, ADMS, SCADA, or similar).
• Ability to travel 20% (including international).
• Experience implementing governance frameworks.
• Experience managing meeting derailment independently.
• Experience with SCRUM.
• Proven experience proactively partnering with Project Managers or Account Managers to realistically manage customer expectations.
• Track record of building customer trust.
• Ability to influence customers, senior leadership, and technical experts to change culture.
• Experience working effectively with and leading team members.
• Strong partner management skills – managing UP (to Engineering Manager) ACROSS (to PM, team leads), and DOWN (to team).

Qualifications

• Basic qualifications: Bachelor's degree required – with a preference for majors in computer science, computer engineering, information technology, electrical engineering, or physics (master's degree preferred).
• 5+ years in technical project leadership within software development, with at least 3 years in mission-critical or grid software systems (EMM, EMS, ADMS, SCADA, or similar).
• Ability to travel 20% (including international).
• Experience implementing governance frameworks.
• Experience managing meeting derailment independently.
• Experience with SCRUM.
• Proven experience proactively partnering with Project Managers or Account Managers to realistically manage customer expectations.
• Track record of building customer trust.
• Ability to influence customers, senior leadership, and technical experts to change culture.
• Experience working effectively with and leading team members.
• Strong partner management skills – managing UP (to Engineering Manager) ACROSS (to PM, team leads), and DOWN (to team).

Skills

• Strategic Leadership and Root Cause Analysis.
• Design and implement governance frameworks.
• Data-driven decision making.
• Change Management and Resistance Handling.
• Facilitation and meeting redirection.
• Influence without authority.
• Technical Collaboration and Orchestration.
• Technical contingency management.
• Estimation accuracy improvement.
• Customer-facing leadership.
• Project Manager collaboration.
• Technical input and argumentation.
• Risk identification and mitigation.
• Communication facilitation.
• Complex topic simplification.
• Customer trust building.
• Expectation management.
• Decision presentation.
• Subject matter expert engagement.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation range: $102,459 - $210,773.
• Flexible work schedule: 10-15%.

Pay

• $102,459 - $210,773

Schedule

• Remote role within the contiguous U.S., collaborating with U.S. colleagues in Central and Eastern time zones while providing global support across time zones up to 7 hours ahead of Eastern time.