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Every winning team needs a quarterback

At X by 2, our Technology Strategy & Delivery Leads—known as Project Quarterbacks—do far more than manage projects. Quarterbacks call the plays and drive the team, guiding clients through strategic decisions and driving the execution of complex technology initiatives from kickoff to launch with their teams. They don’t manage projects from the sidelines: Quarterbacks are hands-on leaders, experienced technologists who thrive in the space between vision and execution.

Call the Plays

Understand the client’s business vision, shape the strategy, build a roadmap, and make the tough calls that keep strategy and delivery aligned.

Drive the Team

Inspire and coordinate business experts, designers, developers, and client stakeholders to move as a team, clearing obstacles and keeping momentum.

Deliver the Win
Stay on the field until the last yard—ensuring solutions launch on time, on budget, exceed client expectation and deliver the promised business impact.

At X by 2, our Technology Strategy & Delivery Leads—known as Project Quarterbacks—do far more than manage projects. Quarterbacks call the plays and drive the team, guiding clients through strategic decisions and driving the execution of complex technology initiatives from kickoff to launch with their teams. They don’t manage projects from the sidelines: Quarterbacks are hands-on leaders, experienced technologists who thrive in the space between vision and execution.

Call the Plays

Understand the client’s business vision, shape the strategy, build a roadmap, and make the tough calls that keep strategy and delivery aligned.

Drive the Team

Inspire and coordinate business experts, designers, developers, and client stakeholders to move as a team, clearing obstacles and keeping momentum.

Deliver the Win
Stay on the field until the last yard—ensuring solutions launch on time, on budget, exceed client expectation and deliver the promised business impact.

Your Road to Technology Leadership

Our Project Quarterbacks start as technologists—and grow into leaders with time and experience. There’s no single playbook: we encourage every teammate to chart a path that fits their strengths and passion.

Meet the Playmaker(s)

Alex

No Nonsense D(r)iver

Your Place on the Roster

Every successful Quarterback knows that he’s as good as his team. Our first priority is to surround our QBs with the A-players to get the job done.

Strategy

A 2-3 person team consisting of a quarterback and architect(s) help translate our client’s vision or challenges into a strategy and a plan. Quarterbacks lead strategy engagements, immerse themselves in the business and technology, help our clients chart the direction and build the momentum to move forward on technology initiatives.

Delivery

Quarterbacks help mobilize and lead the team to deliver on the direction charted in the strategy. A Quarterback along-side an Architect often take the lead role in a partnership. Together they help form the agile team(s) that will design, develop and deploy the technology solutions.

An agile team usually consists of a set of cross-function roles such as: team lead, tech lead, business, developer, designer, and quality assurance.

We often form hybrid teams with X by 2 team members and the client’s in-house associates. Overall team size can range from a few to 100+ people, depending on the project scope and complexity.

Q + A

What is the typical duration of a project?

Strategy projects can run anywhere from 1–6 months, depending on scope and complexity.

Implementation projects often extend 6 months to a year, and some large programs can run for multiple years.

Strategy: We work hand-in-hand with senior client leadership to understand core business challenges, align business and IT priorities, and shape a unified vision supported by a structured, actionable roadmap. For long-standing clients, CIOs, CTOs, and their leadership teams frequently engage us to lead Strategy efforts as their trusted technology partner. For new clients, Strategy engagements often provide an invaluable entry point, allowing us to quickly demonstrate credibility, expertise, and measurable value.

Delivery: Once the strategy is defined, we take the lead on delivering the initiatives where our experience and capabilities make the greatest impact. Delivery engagements are focused on translating vision into reality; designing, building, and implementing solutions that drive meaningful outcomes. As agile practitioners, we follow an agile philosophy to deliver high-quality, working software iteratively and efficiently.

X by 2 supplies the key leaders who keep complex programs on track: quarterbacks, architects, technical leads, designers and developers. Our teams retain leadership roles throughout, ensuring strategy is carried through to successful delivery.

Traditional IT project management roles often focus heavily on administrative duties; status updates, budget tracking, process adherence, and risk reporting. While important, this approach can leave project managers operating from the sidelines with limited ownership of actual delivery.

A Quarterback, however, leads differently. They take true accountability for outcomes, roll up their sleeves, and do whatever it takes to exceed client expectations. Their technical background enables them to guide decisions, mentor team members, and orchestrate the work with confidence. They earn trust by leading from the front—not just reporting on risks, but actively navigating obstacles, resolving challenges, and steering the team toward success.

Our Interview Process

1
Resume Review

The first look at your play history. We review your background and experience to see how your skills line up with our Quarterback roster.

2
Phone Screen

A quick conversation to get aligned on goals, motivations, and fit—think of it as our first team huddle before kickoff.

3
Behavioral Interview

We'll dive into real plays from your career—how you adapt under pressure, lead your team, and make decisions when the game's on the line.

4 - Preliminary Interview 1
Project Quarterback Competency

Focused on leadership, communication, and ownership—how you set the strategy, rally the team, and move the ball downfield.

5 - Preliminary Interview 2
Technical Competency

We'll explore your technical depth and architecture thinking—how you analyze complex systems, anticipate challenges, and create winning solutions.

6 - FInal Interview 1
Topgrading/Artifact Presentation

Your chance to walk us through your career highlights and show the "game tape" of your best work—how vou think, build, and deliver results.

7 - FInal Interview 2
Cultural Fit

A conversation about how you’ll fit into our locker room—our values, our mindset, and our shared drive to win together.

Quarterback Experience

From Vision to Launch: Driving Insurtechs to Market

Quarterback Experience

From Vision to Launch: Driving Insurtechs to Market

Apply Now

Begin Charting Your Path with X by 2

Apply Now

Begin Charting Your Path with X by 2

Alex Marchenko

Project Quarterback

Since the late ’90s, I’ve been building software – as a coder, team lead, architect, and delivery lead – across industries including manufacturing, insurance, healthcare, and even a short stint in music entertainment. While I don’t write code anymore, I still value my technical roots and get excited when solving real problems with technology.

I’m a practical person who values action and results, so I don’t like wasting time. I’m fortunate to enjoy what I do for a living, but I also believe in having a full life outside of work. When I’m not managing enterprise programs, I focus on family time and on my seriously fun hobby – scuba diving.

As a Project Quarterback, my role is about guiding clients through technology assessments, architectural strategies, and complex implementations while keeping everyone moving toward the same goal. A typical day might start with aligning business and technology stakeholders on priorities, then translating those priorities into technical deliverables, milestones, and timelines. From there, I work closely with the project team, stepping in wherever needed to keep delivery on track. My job is not simply to report on project status – my job is to make the status happen, which means rolling up my sleeves and doing what it takes to ensure project’s success.

The projects I lead vary widely, but they all center on helping clients achieve their business goals and move technology solutions forward with confidence. I have guided multiyear initiatives to modernize core business platforms, stepped in to turn around failing data programs, and helped healthcare startups build the technology foundations they needed to grow. What ties these projects together is the balance of strategy and execution. It is not just about planning the right path, but also making sure clients see real results in efficiency, cost savings, and business outcomes.

I help clients make smart and incremental technology investments that lead to real business value outcomes. Whether it is a large enterprise or a tiny start-up, the challenge is often balancing ambitious business goals with real-world constraints like budget, timelines, and adoption.

The Quarterback role, by definition, requires adaptability and flexibility, which means there are no one-size-fits-all solutions. That said, patterns and best practices definitely exist. I’d like to continue building on our collective X by 2 experience by developing a playbook of templates, tools, and lessons learned. Pair that with practical recommendations, like standard agile rituals, sprint boards, or a lightweight risk tracker – and you’ve got a toolkit that keeps things predictable without being rigid. That would make life a lot easier for Project Quarterbacks while still leaving room for flexibility.

X by 2 empowers me to take ownership of client outcomes by trusting my expertise in both technology strategy and delivery leadership. I have the freedom to make architectural and project decisions that best serve the client, with support from a capable, experienced, highly collaborative team.

At a P&C insurance carrier, I was asked to lead the evaluation of vendors and define the architectural roadmap for modernizing their document management system. Early on, it became clear that purchasing a brand-new out-of-the-box solution would be expensive and create more complexity than value. Instead, I recommended a hybrid approach that built on what the client already had in place. We kept their existing vendor platform, then designed a custom user interface and integration layer using technology the team was already comfortable with. The result was a system that felt familiar but far more usable, which encouraged adoption, improved engagement, and gave the technical team a stronger sense of ownership, all while keeping costs under control.

I act as a translator between business goals and technical execution, ensuring both sides are aligned and invested in the solution. This means building trust with executives, business and technical stakeholders while providing clear guidance and support to technical teams.

For me it’s all about discipline and structure. I start by breaking large initiatives into smaller milestones that are tied directly to business value, so every step of progress is meaningful to stakeholders. From there, I keep a close eye on scope, budget, and timelines, making adjustments as needed before issues grow. Just as important, I stay in constant communication with both business and technical teams, creating a feedback loop that keeps everyone aligned and invested. By managing risks early and delivering value consistently, we avoid surprises and maintain trust throughout the project.I act as a translator between business goals and technical execution, ensuring both sides are aligned and invested in the solution. This means building trust with executives, business and technical stakeholders while providing clear guidance and support to technical teams.

When it comes to mentoring, I believe the best way to help someone grow is to trust them with meaningful work. I give team members ownership of pieces that matter, then stay close enough to provide guidance and feedback as they go. Over time, I have seen how this approach builds their confidence, sharpens their skills, and shows them the real impact of their contributions. For me, the most rewarding part is watching them step into bigger and more challenging roles knowing they have earned that growth.

In this role, strong communication and leadership are non-negotiable, because you are constantly bridging the gap between business and technology. You also need to be able to think strategically while still diving into technical details, since clients rely on you to connect vision with execution. Just as important are adaptability and problem-solving, because no two client engagements are ever the same. Every project brings new challenges, and success depends on how quickly you can adjust and find a path forward.

My advice is to show that you can connect high-level strategy with hands-on execution, because that is at the heart of the Project Quarterback role. Clients and teams need someone who can see the big picture while also rolling up their sleeves when challenges arise. In an interview, do not just list your accomplishments – share stories. Talk about the tough decisions you had to make, why you made them, and how they created value for your client. That is what demonstrates real leadership and impact.