Special Projects Lead

NIOS SPA; New York (NY); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Part time

Job summary

A progressive tech and design firm based in New York City is seeking a generalist to tackle complex problems that integrate software, hardware, and vendors. This part-time role involves shipping systems, managing vendor relationships, and ensuring effective deployments. Ideal candidates have a proven record of ownership and can navigate ambiguity successfully. If you thrive in versatile roles and enjoy creating functional systems, send in your application!

Qualifications

• Proven high agency and loop-closing behavior.
• Evidence of shipped work (deployments, installs, metrics, photos, postmortems).
• Love for the 'messy middle'.

Responsibilities

• Architect and ship software systems including AI tools and ops automations.
• Evaluate SDKs, APIs, and no-code tools for rapid development.
• Design, prototype, or commission physical systems like audio and sensors.
• Source and manage relationships with vendors.
• Document systems, SOPs, risks, and decisions.

Skills

High agency

Systems judgment

Outcome ownership

Comfort operating across software + physical systems

Strong judgment on project management

Job description

Overview

Nios Group is a multi-disciplinary company building experiences at the intersection of physical space, technology, and human perception. Our portfolio includes Nios and noyah, modern spa and wellness concepts where software, sound, lighting, operations, and physical design all have to work together in the real world—not just on slides. We also incubate Virtual Fudge, an AR startup exploring how digital layers interact with physical environments and human behavior.

This means our problems don’t live in one domain. They span storefronts, sensors, software systems, vendors, customer experience, and operations—often all at once. We build, test, and deploy fast, and we care deeply about things actually working once customers show up.

If you’re excited by projects where code meets concrete, where ideas turn into installed systems, and where responsibility doesn’t stop at “handoff,” you’ll feel at home here.

The Role

We’re not hiring a specialist. We’re hiring a high-agency generalist who closes loops.

This role owns messy, high-impact problems that span business, software, hardware, vendors, and real-world deployment. You don’t just manage projects—you design systems and make sure they actually work in the wild.

If something breaks, you fix it—or you hire the right person and supervise the fix. Either way, the loop closes.

This role is part time contract to start, with the opportunity to grow into full time.

What You’ll Do

• Architect and ship software systems (AI tools, ops automations, internal platforms)
• Evaluate SDKs, APIs, and no-code tools and pick what ships fastest without future regret
• Design, prototype, or commission physical systems (audio, sensors, office infrastructure)
• Source, vet, negotiate with, and manage vendors
• Get hands-on when it’s high-leverage; delegate low-leverage work
• Document systems, SOPs, risks, and decisions so nothing lives only in someone’s head

How You Operate

• High agency: You\'re proactive & like to hit the ground running
• Systems judgment: You de-risk unknowns early and prioritize correctly
• Outcome ownership: You prioritize follow through

Example Problems You Might Solve

• Deploy an AI chatbot and handle edge cases (e.g., refunds route to humans—no hallucinations)
• Scout commercial real estate, cold-call brokers, and rank locations based on constraints
• Design and install a directional audio system for a storefront
• Debug real-world hardware issues (sunlight, vibration, interference)
• Roll out ops software and make sure it actually gets adopted
• Figure out safety/compliance needs (e.g., fire extinguishers), install, document, and standardize

About You

• Proven high agency and loop-closing behavior
• Evidence of shipped work (deployments, installs, metrics, photos, postmortems)
• Comfort operating across software + physical systems
• Strong judgment about when to DIY vs when to hire licensed pros
• Love for the “messy middle”

Nice To Have

• Operations+ technical background overlap
• Titles like: Engineer (any flavor), Creative Technologist, Ops Engineer, Technical Program Manager, Solutions Engineer, Special Projects Lead

The Bottom Line

This is a role for people who turn ambiguity into working systems—across code, hardware, ops, and vendors—and take pride in making things actually function. If that’s you, then send us your resume & cover letter!