The Digital PM and Producer hiring guide

Table of contents

---

Job description

This job description is based on a suggested role description for a strategic project manager/producer who works in-house or with clients on digital projects and software products.

As a Digital PM, you're the nucleus of the team: you interact with designers, developers, researchers, content writers, and owners and execs to keep projects healthy, happy, and on track. You also work directly with clients and other decision-makers to help define business goals, align project scope and features, and ensure that everyone has what they need to build highly usable and beautiful products. You'll be planning and writing project documentation, running kickoffs and facilitating all sprints and meetings. You'll also be working alongside your business development team to align incoming projects on estimates, scope, schedule, and the team's capacity. As well, you'll be managing stakeholder expectations and reporting back on the progress of daily and weekly budgets, outcomes, and tasks.

Role

• Plan, run, prioritize, and support the launch of valuable and profitable projects/products
• Adeptly forecast project revenue, potential risks, and resources needed
• Play an active role scheduling and leading all stakeholder meetings including kickoff
• Support the development of the product vision while scoping, managing, and prioritizing requirements
• Work with the team to build the product roadmap and strategy
• Assess the efficacy of business models on products you manage
• Plan projects to ensure that they are completed within defined time and budget
• Monitor progress of projects to ensure they meet targets and client expectations
• Ensure all stakeholders have a clear view of activities, milestones, costs, and risks at all times
• Check in with teammates to ensure they are not over-scheduled on project tasks and have everything they need to work effectively and efficiently
• Collaborate and communicate regularly with internal team leads on project resourcing, progress, and challenges
• Provide regular status updates during standups and check-ins
• Actively work to reduce and manage risk on projects
• Manage day-to-day operational aspects of projects:
  • Allocate appropriate resources
  • Review and update project schedule
  • Plan and manage project timelines and budgets
  • Supervise and review work done by the project team
  • Maintain project documentation (as little as the team/client requires)
• Ensure smooth onboarding and offboarding processes with stakeholders
• Establish and support positive work and stakeholder relationships
• Provide estimation and planning support for business development roles
• Facilitate presentation of milestones/deliverables to the client
• Interact closely with leaders and clients on any issues or questions that arise day to day

---

PM experience levels

Junior PM

1+ years experience

• Learning core PM methodologies and tools
• Needs guidance on scoping and estimation
• Strong communication and organizational skills
• Eager to learn and adapt to processes
• Benefits from mentorship and structured support
• Best for smaller, well-defined projects

Mid-Level PM

2-4 years experience

• Comfortable running projects independently
• Can scope and estimate with moderate accuracy
• Strong stakeholder management skills
• Adapts processes to team needs
• Surfaces risks proactively
• Ready for medium-complexity projects

Senior PM

5+ years experience

• Leads complex, multi-stakeholder projects
• Expert at scoping, estimation, and risk management
• Mentors junior PMs and improves processes
• Strategic thinker aligned with business goals
• Navigates ambiguity and change confidently
• Handles high-stakes, enterprise clients

---

What to look for in stellar PM candidates

When hiring, focus less on how many years of experience your PM candidates have and in what industry, and more on their openness and ability to learn, grow, adapt, and demonstrate expertise in people management and workflows. Veterans in PM may be great at client management, but they also pick up bad habits like a 'my way or highway' mentality and they might not be as open to adjusting processes. On the other hand, inexperienced PMs may lack confidence and the ability to set clear boundaries and expectations that keep projects healthy and profitable.

Anyone who has worked in the service industry (baristas, bartenders, teachers) are often better candidates than task-oriented folks who don't understand that the real job is to support the people doing the work on the project. A process can't come before a person. Look for candidates who get buy-in and alignment around process.

Emotional intelligence

You want candidates to understand different kinds of people and how they think and work. They can have tough conversations with your team and client decision makers. They demonstrate how to say no and have a justifiable reason or business case and they can align decision makers around a common goal.

• Watch for 'I' vs 'we' language ('we' indicates collective thinking vs siloed credit taking)
• They take actions that bind the team together and will not throw anyone under the bus
• They embrace discomfort and help everyone else work through discomfort
• They create a supportive, safe environment for the people around them

Integrity

Great candidates are confident and have an opinion: they don't just mimic what you want them to say. They are willing to question your processes and ensure that your company and processes are a fit for them, too. They inquire about the way you treat the team and the way you work, and if you'll go to bat for them when they stand up for a decision they believe in.

• They don't back down just because something intimidates them; they will seek to understand it, engage with it, or question it
• They embrace change and the uncertainty that comes with it
• They don't hold back — they are proactive and communicate risks up front with ease

Critical thinking

They love to solve complex problems. They love to learn. They carry no ego and no sense of entitlement. They ask why a lot. They like systems and processes. They think big but see and love small details.

• Ask them to describe how they would explain a complex PM task or feature to someone who had never done it before
• They can demonstrate that they have made improvements and reduced inefficiencies in broken or limping systems
• They make tweaks and question process when it hurts people and projects
• They help decision makers prioritize effectively
• They remove barriers and blockers that prevent the team from doing good work

Intuitive communication

They listen, read, write, and communicate well — really well. And yet they are direct and confident. They don't waste words; they are precise, persuasive, and know their audience. They will be direct with you and with the team. They aren't timid and know when and how to push back.

• They have a demonstrated ability to communicate complex things in a simple and straightforward way
• They can tell you about a past situation when they were extremely direct with a client or team member and it turned out well
• They have an opinion about the best communication tool for every situation
• They are intentional in their written communication — structure, formatting, and brevity all matter to them

Accountability

Great PMs own their mistakes and fix them without blame. They don't make excuses or deflect. They are responsible for the health of the project and the people on it.

• Ask them to tell you about a project that failed. What did they learn? What would they do differently?
• They can tell you about a time they had to hold someone accountable — a team member or a client
• They are honest with themselves and others about what they know and don't know

---

Good project leaders versus great ones