Technical Project & Product Manager: Villager CMS and SPACES

Villager is a purpose-built content management system designed for hyperlocal news media. It powers 27 owned and operated community news sites across Ontario, Canada, and is licensed by media partners around the world. Built for efficiency, scalability, and local relevance, Villager enables publishers and journalists to focus on what matters most - serving their communities with timely, trustworthy, and engaging stories.

Complementing Villager is SPACES, our hyperlocal social media platform that connects residents, businesses, and local organizations in real time. Together, Villager and SPACES form a growing digital ecosystem for community engagement - enabling journalism and conversation to thrive at the neighborhood level.

Role Overview

We are seeking a Technical Project & Product Manager to oversee the development, evolution, and operational success of the Villager CMS platform and SPACES. This role blends technical project management (coordination, delivery, QA, and stakeholder communication) with product management (strategy, roadmap, and innovation).

You’ll be the bridge between editorial teams, developers, and business leadership - ensuring that Villager and SPACES continue to scale, innovate, and deliver exceptional value to both internal sites and global licensing partners.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Product Management (Strategic Leadership)

• Define and own the product vision, roadmap, and strategy in collaboration with executive and editorial stakeholders.

• Prioritize feature development based on user feedback, analytics, and market trends in digital publishing.

• Manage the product lifecycle from concept to launch to post-release analysis.

• Develop business cases for new features, integrations, and partner opportunities.

• Monitor competitive platforms and emerging technologies to inform product direction.

• Collaborate with licensing partners to identify global product needs and localization opportunities.

Technical Project Management (Delivery & Operations)

• Manage project timelines, sprint planning, and deliverables with the development team.

• Serve as primary liaison between editorial users, technical teams, and external partners.

• Translate business requirements into clear technical specifications and ensure successful implementation.

• Oversee QA processes for new features and updates.

• Maintain documentation for product features, API integrations, and technical standards.

• Ensure uptime, scalability, and performance targets are consistently met.

Stakeholder & Partner Collaboration

• Act as product ambassador for internal teams and external licensees.

• Coordinate training, onboarding, and support for partner news organizations.

• Gather feedback from editors, developers, and management to continuously improve platform usability and functionality.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required:

• 5+ years of experience in technical project management or product management for web platforms, ideally in digital media, SaaS, or CMS environments.

• Strong understanding of web technologies (CMS frameworks; APIs; cloud hosting).

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to convey technical information to non-technical stakeholders.

• Demonstrated experience defining and delivering product roadmaps aligned with organizational goals.

Preferred:

• Experience in news media, publishing, or content management systems.

• Familiarity with SEO, analytics, ad ops, and audience engagement tools.

• Working knowledge of UX/UI principles and design collaboration.

• Experience managing global partners or licensees.

This role can work out of our Sault Ste. Marie office, be remote or hybrid. If this sounds like the perfect position for you, please submit a cover letter and resume. 

Village Media only posts job listings on our careers portal at villagemedia.easyapply.co, on Indeed and on LinkedIn.  If you have found this listing anywhere else, it was scraped without our authorization or knowledge, and thus may be expired or inaccurate.  Applications are only accepted through the three sites listed above.

About Village Media

Village Media is where local news lives — and thrives. An ever-expanding network of community journalism websites, we cover the stories that matter most: the ones right in our backyards. A champion of hyperlocal news and information, Village Media publishes its articles on an innovative content management system (CMS) developed in-house. Born digital, our leading-edge company is a pioneer in its industry, continuously expanding its reach and changing the landscape of online news.

Village Media is committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion among our staff, volunteers, programs, and partners. We encourage applicants of diverse abilities, backgrounds, and life experiences to apply. If you require accommodations during the selection process, please contact hr@villagemedia.ca.

Please visit our careers page to see more job opportunities.