Managing Partner

Atomic is growing a diverse and inclusive team of curious, creative people who love creating great software for our clients.

We’re looking for thoughtful problem solvers who are passionate about finding success for our clients, teams, and end-users through the human-centered design process.

Atomic’s specialty is software product development—including new product development, product enhancement, product modernization, and AI + data.

We’re a close-knit team that believes it takes passionate people to create exceptional and innovative products that change the way people do business.

Since Atomic’s founding in 2001, we have grown to more than 120 employees and over $25 million in annual revenue. From our offices in Ann Arbor, Chicago, Grand Rapids, and Raleigh we serve a national client base in many industries, ranging in size from well-funded startups to the Fortune 500.

Atomic is an employee-owned company.

Atomic Object (Atomic) is seeking to hire a second Managing Partner to run our Chicago office. 

Atomic believes in the power of pairs. The Managing Partner will get to work hand-in-hand with Jordan Schaenzle, a well-respected Managing Partner who has over 13 years of experience at Atomic. Together, the pair will be responsible for running the Chicago office and be primarily tasked with growing a local client base, recruiting and developing a top-notch team, keeping project teams busy with engaging work, and ensuring that we deliver client project success.

Client demand growth will be focused on establishing a healthy, local client base. Team growth and development includes hiring, developing, and managing employees (Atoms) while maintaining our core values and standards for excellent makers. 

The Managing Partner will utilize Atomic’s established infrastructure, culture, and operations for growing and running the Chicago office.

The Chicago team currently has 10 makers. We expect to grow the Chicago team to an eventual office size of 40-50 makers.

The Managing Partner will report to Atomic’s Co-CEOs—Michael Marsiglia and Shawn Crowley—and be supported by Atomic’s operational leadership team.

• Home base in Chicago, IL
• Expectation to be generally present in the office five days per week
• Work 40-45 hours most weeks. Some weeks will require more time than others.

Managing Partners hold the following responsibilities. In offices with 20+ makers, some of the responsibilities can be delegated.

• Lead, manage, and assume accountability for overall office success
• Steward, and serve as an exemplar of, Atomic’s culture
• Uphold company rules, policies, and guidelines
• Hold office P&L accountability
• Ensure we deliver on our brand promise of providing a high-quality product with an outstanding client experience across all office projects
• Create/maintain office vision: 1-year plan and 3-year picture

• Continuously drive local customer demand (e.g., local business development, local community engagement, speaking, hosting user groups, attending conferences, etc.)
• Nurture and close sales leads using Atomic’s consultative sales process
• Manage key client accounts

• Maintain high maker team utilization
• Manage a healthy portfolio of client projects
• Create growth opportunities for Atoms through project assignments

• Manage Atoms (incl. hiring/firing responsibility) 
• Onboard new Atoms
• Set compensation
• Provide career development for Atoms
• Resolve issues

• Forecast team mix, results, office space needs, etc.
• Manage office lease, layout, and equipment
• Manage client rates and past due AR
• Manage maker pay

In smaller offices, Managing Partners will occasionally take on part-time billable project assignments when needed for team capacity or experience reasons.

• Positive team member
• Able to get up after being knocked down
• Strong work ethic
• Excited by challenge

• Authentic and obvious personal integrity
• Ability to influence and empower others
• Demonstrated ability to build rapport with people
• Trustworthy
• Demonstrates confidence under pressure
• Challenges the status quo; comfortable experimenting and leading the team in new directions
• Gets satisfaction from seeing the team succeed
• Demonstrated willingness and skills to successfully have difficult conversations

• Time management skills
• Ability to make trade-off decisions on short-term deadlines
• Ability to balance multiple initiatives and tasks at the same time

• Able to effectively create compelling presentations
• Able to effectively present information
• Strong writing skills
• Excellent listening skills

• Has general business acumen

• Anticipates future events and needs; plans accordingly
• Ability to use data to make decisions and measure outcomes
• Knows when and how to preserve options or act decisively

• P&L responsibility experience
• Experience leading a team and managing direct reports
• 10+ years of career experience
• Hands-on experience in business development and managing the sales process, including closing a sale as the main point of contact

Below are typical daily tasks and the approximate percentage of time that Managing Partners currently spend on each. Some days are focused on specific tasks; other days provide a variety of all tasks. The Managing Partner job requires daily prioritization and balance of short-term and long-term work.

Managing Partners are ultimately responsible for managing their own schedules.

~25% Business Development (we follow the Activator model)

~25% Sales (sales meetings, proposals, budget models, etc.)

~25% Management (1:1s, scheduling teams, office huddle, hiring, employee connectedness, etc.)

~12.5% General communication (email, Slack, etc.)

~12.5% Office initiatives, other

• Proactively drive 4-8 business development meetings with new or existing customers
• Attend 2-4 networking/community events to grow and maintain local brand presence
• Make incremental progress on office initiatives
• Attend office Spindown (Atomic’s monthly office social gathering)

• Plan and assign new office initiatives based on yearly goals
• Lead quarterly, open-book, office presentation and attend party

• Provide compensation reviews and raises for Atoms
• Engage in annual planning with other Atomic leaders

Atomic’s organizational architecture is based on regional teams, serving their local customers. We have centralized marketing, operations, and administrative teams to support our regional teams. Managing Partners have significant autonomy and control over their location. 

Atomic delivers the most value to our clients when our cross-functional teams work together in our offices.

We have a high-degree of workplace flexibility, but believe our best work is done collaboratively. Generally, Atoms spend a minimum of 60% of their time in-person with their team(s), or in any Atomic office, in any given week. Managing Partners work from the office by default.

Our office environment is collaborative, team-oriented, fun, and serious about getting work done to provide client value.

We strive to maintain an environment where the best ideas are heard and implemented.

Leaders at Atomic foster this environment by being highly communicative, valuing and encouraging high trust, living our values, and creating a diverse and inclusive environment where Atoms feel psychologically safe. 

Atomic pays on-market salary based on experience level and provides generous benefits:

• Quarterly and Annual cash profit sharing
• Paid time off and holidays
• Atomic-sponsored health insurance (including dependents) with HSA contributions
• Access to Dental & Vision Insurance with Competitive Premiums
• Employee ownership
• Sustainable working pace
• Regular 401(k) company contributions (3%)
• Parental leave
• Long and short-term disability insurance
• Support for professional development