Purpose of the Role
This is a remote, long-term contract role for a Delivery Owner with redPanda Development Services in the UK. The Delivery Owner makes sure that projects run smoothly, stay on track, and deliver what the client actually needs.
You’ll work in a custom software development environment, which is very different from the product world.
In custom delivery, change is constant, priorities shift, and each client has unique goals and constraints.
You’ll need to be flexible, realistic, and able to balance quality, scope, and timelines while keeping clients confident and informed.
You work closely with your delivery team — usually a Solutions Owner, QA, and sometimes a designer — and the development team.
You understand what’s happening at ground level and can spot when something’s off before it becomes a problem.
You also manage the project budget from a delivery point of view. That means keeping an eye on how the work being done affects time and cost, raising any risks early, and keeping both the client and management in the loop through regular updates.
This role reports to the Head of Operations.
How You’ll Work
- You lead the day-to-day delivery of projects and keep the process running smoothly.
- You’ll work with the Solutions Owner, QA, and team members to plan, prioritise, and deliver work in a way that’s visible and predictable.
- Collaboration is important, but so is accountability. You’re there to make sure our core processes are followed and that the team keeps improving how they work. You help create structure, consistency, and visibility — not for the sake of process, but to help everyone do their best work and to give the client confidence in what we’re delivering.
- You check in regularly with the team and the client to make sure everyone’s aligned.
- You give the team space to handle their own challenges — they should be accountable and learn to solve problems themselves.
- But if things start to spiral or there’s a risk that could damage the client relationship, you step in fast, take control, and help get things back on track.
- Once things are stable again, you help the team understand what went wrong and how to handle it better next time.
Core Responsibilities
Oversight
- Keep delivery on track, with clear priorities and predictable progress.
- Work with the Solutions Owner to make sure sprint plans, timelines, and release schedules are up to date and realistic.
- Keep the team and client informed about progress, changes, and upcoming work.
- Help the team plan ahead by spotting risks or blockers early.
- Keep management updated on delivery status, risks, and potential impacts.
Quality
- On a regular basis, review what the team is doing to make sure the right things are being worked on, at the right level of quality.
- Make sure requirements make sense, are easy to follow, and match what the client actually needs.
- Check that QA work is being done properly — that tests are useful, results are clear, and issues are captured in a way that helps the team improve.
- Ensure the team’s work and progress are visible and easy to understand for everyone, including the client.
- When things keep going wrong, look deeper to find out why — whether it’s planning, unclear requirements, or gaps in process — and fix the cause, not just the symptoms.
Risk Management
- Spot problems early and help the team find ways around them.
- Step in when something blocks progress or puts delivery at risk.
- Keep an eye on capacity so priorities can shift before it becomes a problem.
Process and Continuous Improvement
- Make sure the team follows our core processes and understands why they matter.
- Support and encourage continuous improvement within the team — find better ways to plan, test, and deliver.
- Help identify what’s slowing the team down and work with them to fix it.
- Lead by example — be calm, clear, and solution-focused when things get tough.
Budget and Tracking
- Manage delivery against the high-level budget agreed with the client.
- Keep track of how time is being spent and what’s impacting cost or scope.
- Raise budget or timeline risks early with the client and management.
Post-Delivery Support
- Oversee the handover to production and make sure post-release issues are handled properly.
- Keep communication clear so clients feel supported after delivery.
Expectations in Practice
- You know when to lead from the front and when to step back and give the team space to own their work.
- You check that things are moving in the right direction — not by micromanaging, but by staying close enough to spot small issues before they become big ones.
- You don’t wait for problems to be handed to you — you see them coming and guide the team to handle them early.
- You understand that in custom software, things will change. You help the team and the client adapt quickly without losing focus on quality or trust.
- You make sure delivery is visible and understandable for everyone involved — no surprises, no confusion.
- You don’t rely on process for the sake of it. You use it to create predictability, structure, and a shared way of working that makes collaboration easier.
- You take ownership when things go wrong. You deal with the issue, protect the relationship, and then help the team learn from it.
- You keep communication honest and straightforward — no jargon, no hidden meaning.
- You use AI to speed up delivery. Make planning, reporting, monitoring and admin faster and easier and you still know exactly what's happening on your project.
Skills & Experience
Planning & Prioritising
- Strong at planning and keeping priorities clear.
- Able to balance delivery work, testing, and support needs.
- Confident in adjusting plans when priorities or capacity change.
Leadership & Ownership
- Has experience directly managing people — you’ve led a team before, not just coordinated work.
- Organised, accountable, and proactive.
- Understands how requirements, testing, and delivery connect.
- Gives the team space to take ownership but knows when to step in.
- Asks the right questions and keeps delivery focused on the goal.
Communication
- Communicates clearly — both in writing and in conversation — with no ambiguity.
- Comfortable working async and remotely.
- Keeps clients and teams aligned through simple, honest communication.
Requirements & Analysis
- Knows how to review and break down requirements into clear, testable work.
- Spots dependencies and risks early.
- Helps the Solutions Owner refine requirements and plan realistically.
Tools & Methodologies
- Experience with Agile delivery methods (Scrum, Kanban, or similar).
- Comfortable using Jira, Confluence, or similar tools to track progress.
Industry Experience
- Experience with enterprise web-based systems.
- Exposure to different types of projects and industries is a plus.
Who You Are
- Understand how business needs translate into software that actually solves a problem.
- Comfortable working in a visible, transparent way — nothing hidden, no surprises.
- Strong attention to detail and a calm, problem-solving mindset.
- Good at managing multiple things at once and switching context smoothly.
- Independent, self-driven, and motivated to keep learning and improving.
- Believe that structure and process create space for good work, not red tape.
Who We Are
Built on experience. Driven by improvement.
- We’re a remote-first company that believes good work happens when people have clarity, accountability, and space to focus.
- We work in custom software — meaning no two projects are ever the same — and that keeps things challenging and interesting.
- We value open communication, teamwork, and practical problem-solving.
- We take ownership, think critically, and care about the craft of doing great work.
What You’ll Need
- A reliable computer, headset and camera.
- Stable internet connection (all meetings and work are online).
- Backup plan if you have internet or power issues.
- You can work from anywhere, as long as it’s quiet, professional, and free from background noise or distractions during calls.
- You can easily adapt to work remotely with distributed and asynchronous teams.
What to Expect: Our Interview Process
We want to give you a clear picture of what our interview process looks like, so you know what to expect at every stage. The process has four steps. Every stage is recorded, and we work from the transcript of that recording to carry out our analysis. At each stage we look at whether your skills, experience, way of thinking and communication all line up and are a good fit for our company. This analysis is there to support our decision making. A person makes the final decision at every step. Each stage builds on what we learned in the one before it.
Step 1: Initial Video Interview
You will record answers to a set of interview questions on video. This gives us a first look at your experience and how you communicate. We review every recording and use it to decide who moves forward to the next step.
To complete Step 1: Initial Video Interview, please go to this link https://app.hireflix.com/public-application/6a7db60ae26008ae3dfb8a4c and answer the questions.
Step 2: Assessment
Shortlisted candidates complete a practical assessment relevant to the role. This is your chance to show us how you think and work in practice, not just how you describe it.
Step 3: First Interview
Shortlisted candidates meet with our Managing Director and Head of Operations. This interview is recorded and reviewed alongside everything we have learned about you so far.
Step 4: Second Interview
Candidates who reach this stage meet again with our Managing Director and Head of Operations, joined this time by the Delivery Owner team. This is our final chance to get to know you and for you to get to know us.
Final Decision
After the second interview, we bring together everything we have learned across all four steps to make our final decision. We will let you know the outcome and, if successful, talk you through next steps and the offer.
Please consider your application unsuccessful if you have not heard back from us in three weeks.