Staff Program Manager, Strategic Initiatives (Automation)

Flexport•Los Angeles, GA

20d

About The Position

Flexport is investing heavily in the next generation of fulfillment and is looking for a Staff Program Manager, Strategic Initiatives to be at the center of that transformation. This role involves architecting and building the future Flexport Fulfillment network by deploying automation, designing processes, building decision tools, and creating operational standards for scaling. The position requires owning initiatives from conception to go-live, including developing business cases and ROI justifications. Responsibilities include deep dives into automation system design (ASRS, robotics, goods-to-person), building financial models, driving implementation, and tracking realized returns. The role sits at the intersection of operations, product, engineering, and technology, requiring collaboration across functions to identify gaps, design solutions, and bring them to life. The ideal candidate thrives in ambiguity, enjoys solving technical problems, and is willing to get hands-on, whether that involves writing SQL, building financial models, or validating workflows on the warehouse floor. This is an opportunity to make a lasting impact by building something from the ground up with end-to-end ownership.

Requirements

8+ years of experience in fulfillment, logistics, supply chain, or operations strategy—with direct exposure to high-volume networks and automation or robotics programs.
Bachelor’s or advanced degree in Engineering, or a related technical field.
Proven end-to-end ownership of large-scale capital programs: you’ve built the business case, driven implementation, and tracked realized ROI.
Hands-on automation experience: you’ve worked directly with ASRS, robotics, goods-to-person systems, or conveyor/sortation technology—not just in a vendor management capacity, but as a technical program owner.
Strong financial modeling skills: you can build an ROI model from scratch, stress-test assumptions, and defend the numbers to a CFO.
Extremely strong technical skillset: SQL (expert), Excel/Google Sheets (advanced), BI tools (Looker, Tableau, PowerBI), and preferably Python for modeling and automation.
Entrepreneurial mindset: thrives in ambiguity, comfortable building from scratch, naturally biased toward action, and not afraid to get on the warehouse floor.
Executive-level communication skills: ability to influence stakeholders at all levels, from site operators to C-suite, and translate complex technical trade-offs into clear business decisions.
Experience working with software engineering teams: comfortable partnering closely with engineers on tooling, systems, and technical trade-offs.

Responsibilities

Own the End-to-End: Lead initiatives with full accountability—define the problem, build the business case, drive implementation, and track realized ROI post-launch.
Build and own ROI models for automation and capital projects (ASRS, robotics, goods-to-person), including labor savings, throughput gains, and payback analysis.
Track actuals vs. projected ROI post-implementation and close the loop with leadership and finance.
Lead Automation Programs: Evaluate, select, and implement warehouse automation solutions (ASRS, AMRs, conveyor systems, goods-to-person) across the fulfillment network—as a technical program owner, not just a vendor manager.
Define automation requirements from operational data: throughput, bin/cube utilization, labor rates, SKU profiles, and peak capacity.
Manage implementation timelines, construction sequencing, and go-live readiness—including transition plans to minimize disruption.
Build, Not Just Manage: Develop tooling, dashboards, and models directly using SQL, Python, and BI platforms.
Use data to uncover bottlenecks, size automation opportunities, and drive capital allocation decisions worth tens of millions.
Prototype workflows on the floor before scaling.
Scale the Network: Partner with engineering, product, operations, and finance to align on priorities and scale solutions across all sites.
Establish SOPs, KPIs, and reporting cadences that become the operational backbone of fulfillment execution.
Develop and execute multi-year automation and network buildout roadmaps with senior leadership.