Technical Project Manager | Startup Transforming legal tech with AI

About Us Tram Case is revolutionizing legal technology with AI-driven tools that enhance efficiency and accessibility for legal professionals. We're undertaking high-impact technology transformation, partnering with a high-volume immigration law firm to optimize workflows and streamline processes. Join us in building the future of legal tech, where impactful innovation meets user-centric design. Role Overview The Technical Project Manager will establish operational excellence across our engineering organization, transforming how we plan, track, and deliver software. As we scale rapidly, our project management infrastructure needs to evolve from startup chaos to disciplined execution without sacrificing velocity. You'll work directly with the Senior Engineering Manager and engineering leads to bring structure to Linear, implement sustainable task management practices, establish reliable metrics, and create visibility that enables data-driven decision making. This role requires both technical credibility to earn engineers' respect and the assertiveness to enforce standards that keep us shipping predictably. Interview Preparation Guide Key Responsibilities • Linear Ownership: Serve as the primary owner of our Linear workspace, ensuring it accurately reflects reality at all times. Audit existing tasks, establish hygiene standards, and maintain the system as our single source of truth for all engineering work. • Task Breakdown Facilitation: Work with engineering leads to decompose large epics into properly scoped, shippable work items. Establish standards for task sizing (2-5 day completions) and ensure consistent application across teams. • Metrics and Reporting: Design and maintain engineering health metrics including cycle time, lead time, PR age, task completion rates, and delivery predictability. Build dashboards that provide actionable insights to leadership without overwhelming engineers. • Process Implementation: Establish and enforce standards for task creation, updates, and closure. Create documentation, run training sessions, and ensure team-wide adoption of best practices. • Project Execution: Track projects from conception through delivery, identifying blockers early and coordinating across backend, frontend, and AI engineering teams to ensure timely completion. • Planning Facilitation: Run sprint planning, backlog grooming, and retrospectives with engineering teams. Ensure planning sessions are efficient, focused, and result in actionable, well-defined work. • Cross-Team Coordination: Manage dependencies between teams, ensuring visibility and proper sequencing of work. Facilitate communication between engineering, product, and infrastructure teams. • Stakeholder Communication: Translate engineering progress to non-technical stakeholders, providing clear project status updates and timeline visibility without creating reporting overhead for engineers. Technical Proficiency Must be proficient in several of the following: • Project Management Tools: Expert-level proficiency with Linear, including projects, cycles, views, automation, and API integration. 2+ years of hands-on experience required. • Agile Methodologies: Deep understanding of agile/scrum practices, sprint planning, backlog grooming, estimation techniques, and retrospective facilitation. • Engineering Metrics: Familiarity with DORA metrics, cycle time, lead time, throughput, and other engineering productivity indicators. Ability to design meaningful dashboards. • Technical Context: Sufficient technical depth to understand software architecture, API design, database schemas, CI/CD pipelines, and infrastructure concepts. You don't need to code but must understand what's complex and why. • Development Workflows: Understanding of Git workflows, PR processes, code review practices, testing strategies, and deployment pipelines. • Documentation Systems: Experience with documentation tools (Notion, Confluence) and establishing documentation standards for technical teams. • Tech Stack Familiarity: Bonus points for understanding Django/Python backends, React frontends, AWS infrastructure, or AI/ML project workflows. Qualifications • Linear Expertise: 1+ years of hands-on experience managing engineering projects in Linear in a technical environment. You know the tool cold and can configure it to support complex workflows. • Startup Experience: 2+ years in fast-moving startup environments, demonstrating ability to balance process with velocity and build systems from scratch. • Technical Credibility: Background that gives you credibility with senior engineers, whether through previous engineering roles, CS degree, technical project management, or deep immersion in technical environments. • Process Transformation: Proven track record of inheriting messy project management situations and transforming them into well-functioning systems. You've built or significantly improved PM processes, not just maintained existing ones. • Execution Focus: Strong delivery track record with measurable improvements in engineering productivity, predictability, or process efficiency. • Communication Skills: Excellent written and verbal communication, able to translate between technical and non-technical stakeholders clearly and concisely. • Assertiveness and Influence: Ability to enforce standards and push back on poor practices while maintaining positive relationships. You can be firm about process without being a bureaucrat. • Analytical Mindset: Data-driven approach to problem-solving, comfortable with metrics, analytics, and using quantitative evidence to drive decisions. Core Values and Culture Tram Case is built on a foundation of shared principles that guide our work and interactions. We seek team members who embody and contribute to these values: • User-Centric Perspective: Build with empathy, ensuring every feature enhances our users' experience and addresses their needs. • Radical Transparency: Promote open communication and information sharing to make the best decisions and foster trust. • Purpose-Driven Work: Ensure each task aligns with our mission to deliver meaningful, innovative solutions. • Single Responsible Individual: Every team member takes ownership, driving tasks to completion with accountability. • Extreme Ownership: Learn and grow from challenges, continuously refining our work and striving for excellence. • Singular Focus: Dedicate attention to core objectives, eliminating distractions to achieve impactful results. • Documentation Excellence: Maintain clear and thorough documentation to enhance collaboration and continuity. • Data-Informed Decisions: Use data to guide priorities, ensuring our work delivers value to our users. • Compassionate Communication: Foster empathy and respect in dialogue, embracing diverse perspectives and encouraging respectful collaboration. • Excellence in Craft: Uphold high standards in functionality and design, committing to quality and impactful solutions. Perks and Benefits • Remote-First Work Environment: Enjoy the flexibility to work from anywhere, with a remote-first setup that supports work-life balance and productivity. • Competitive Salary: We offer a competitive salary to recognize and reward your skills and contributions. • Unlimited Paid Time Off: Take the time you need with an unlimited PTO policy, empowering you to recharge and maintain balance. • Professional Development: Access resources for growth, including conference passes, online courses, and training programs to support your career advancement. • Home Office Stipend: We provide a budget for setting up your home office with high-quality equipment and tools. • Latest Tech Gear: Receive a top-of-the-line laptop and any necessary peripherals to ensure you have the best tools to do your best work. • Team Retreats and Virtual Events: Participate in team-building retreats and regular virtual gatherings to connect with colleagues and strengthen our culture. • Parental Leave: We offer paid parental leave to support you and your family during this important time. 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