Contract Senior Producer (project manager delivery manager)

We are Australias leading innovation partner for public good developing technology and design solutions that power the public and the people who serve it. We seek out areas of acute social need and work with government agencies nonprofit organisations and socially minded businesses to make transformational change.

There are 65 of us: researchers strategists designers technologists and producers working from our head office in Collingwood and remotely from co-working spaces and homes across Australia.

We have an immediate gap in one of our delivery teams and need an experienced contract producer to help us cover it. Were also using this as a chance to build an ongoing pool of contract producers we can call on when the need arises: covering a capacity gap supporting a team through a busy patch or adding delivery leadership at short notice.

Were keen to hear from people who can start immediately or relatively soon as well as people whod like to be considered for future opportunities.

We use the title producer at Portable. If you know this kind of work as project management delivery management or delivery leadership this is the same role: its about managing scope budget timelines and the people and partners involved in delivering a project rather than producing film video or animation.

The kind of project you join will depend on whats needed at the time. Portable delivers digital products large-scale website design and development strategic design and service design work AI tool development and a range of other project types (check out for examples of our work).

Youre an experienced producer project manager or delivery manager with significant experience behind you: typically 8 or more years delivering technology design or research projects. Youve done enough of these engagements to know how to read a new team client and project quickly.

Youre comfortable leading delivery independently: picking up a brief asking the right questions and getting moving without waiting to be told what to do next. Youre a problem-solver at heart and can apply your experience to new contexts and project types even if you havent worked with them before. And youre genuinely comfortable with feedback: giving it as well as receiving it from whoever on the team has something useful to say because you know thats how good work gets made under pressure.

• Experience in quickly onboarding into new contexts environments and tools: you dont need months of ramp-up to be useful and youre comfortable getting oriented on the job.
• A natural ability to work across diverse teams and stakeholders: you build relationships quickly adapt your communication style to your audience and know how to get the best out of people in different contexts.
• The ability to work and lead work independently: youre confident picking up a brief and driving it forward with minimal oversight.
• Comfort with feedback in both directions: youre open to input from anyone on the team not just people in your exact role because youre as invested in the quality of the work as we are.
• Significant experience (typically 8 or more years) delivering digital research design or technology projects ideally with significant budgets ($500k).
• Confident stakeholder communication and the judgement to know when to escalate.
• Comfort managing scope budget and timelines under real time pressure.
• Experience across agile and waterfall methodologies and the judgement to know when each is useful.
• Familiarity with common delivery tools (Jira Asana and similar) and the flexibility to pick up whatever a new team is already using.
• Experience delivering projects for government and/or not-for-profits.

Because this is an ongoing pool rather than one fixed role the work varies depending on whats needed at the time. You might be:

• Leading delivery on one or more projects end to end keeping scope budget and timelines on track.
• Stepping into an existing team partway through a project and getting up to speed fast.
• Writing or refining a statement of work tracking assumptions risks and dependencies.
• Running stand-ups workshops and client check-ins.
• Coordinating research design and development inputs so the right work happens at the right time.
• Providing extra delivery leadership or capacity during a busy period or a gap in the team.
• Supporting in identifying scoping and bidding for new business opportunities.

Engagement length hours and rate vary depending on whats needed: anywhere from a short burst of support to a few months of work. Were especially keen to hear from people who could start immediately or at short notice though we also want to hear from people available further down the track.

Preferably youd be able to work hybrid from our Melbourne or Adelaide office but were also open to other remote options within Australia.

Were committed to building a diverse and equitable pool of contractors. People from underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply.

To be considered please send us:

1. Your resume.
2. A short cover note answering:

• What attracted you to this opportunity and why do you think youd be a good fit
• Tell us about a time you gave or received some tough feedback in the middle of a project. How did you handle it