Technical Product Manager

. Crane Worldwide Logistics . • Houston, TX

8d • Onsite

About The Position

We are seeking a Technical Product Manager to own the roadmap for Forwarding Operations technology. This role involves designing and implementing solutions for centralization, a universal task inbox, orchestration and metadata layers, and AR/AP automation. You will conduct deep process shadowing, map current-state workflows, and identify automation opportunities. A key part of this role is defining the architecture for an orchestration and metadata layer, leading technical design for a universal task inbox, and overseeing integrations with financial systems. You will also drive zero-touch execution initiatives and ensure standard engineering patterns are followed. Success in this role involves defining operational KPIs, partnering with training teams for rollouts, creating measurement frameworks, and driving adoption through change management. You will also build strong relationships with operations leadership, understand regional differences, and serve as the voice of forwarding operations within the TPM and engineering teams.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Business Administration, or related field.
• 5+ years of product management experience with strong preference for operations, workflow automation, or logistics technology.
• Cross-team leadership experience across engineering, AI, data science, and business operations.
• Comfort reading and writing code and working with modern application ecosystems (HTTP APIs, messaging and queueing systems).
• Experience in Agile or Scrum environments.
• Ability to build strong relationships across technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to articulate complex technical and operational concepts to diverse audiences.
• Strong analytical skills with solid experience in writing functional and technical specifications.
• Strong teamwork skills in both local and distributed settings across different geographic locations.
• Strong organization skills with excellent attention to detail.
• Proficiency with product management tools, diagramming tools (Visio, Miro), and collaboration platforms.
• Ability to drive short-term actions consistent with long-term strategic goals.
• Effective listening skills and stakeholder empathy.

Nice To Haves

• Academic or practical experience with fundamentals of AI across modalities (vision, language, multimodal).
• Familiarity with modern application ecosystems including HTTP APIs, messaging and queueing systems, and typical software engineering patterns.
• Deep understanding of freight forwarding execution: bookings, documentation (BLs, AWBs, customs), and exception management.
• Experience designing workflow orchestration systems, task management platforms, or process automation tools.
• Strong comfort with financial operations technology; AR/AP systems and invoicing automation.
• Strong data orientation with ability to define and instrument operational KPIs from scratch.
• Proven track record of creating meaningful measurement frameworks, especially during product rollouts and organizational change initiatives.
• Prior experience building applications as an engineer or product manager.
• Familiarity with freight forwarding and international logistics.
• Cargo Wise or similar freight Transportation Management Systems (TMS)/Warehouse Management Systems (WMS).
• EDI or API-based carrier integrations.
• Change management experience for large operational teams.
• Relevant certifications in project management (PMP, CSM) or product management (PSPO, PGSPO) are a plus.

Responsibilities

• Own the roadmap for Forwarding Operations technology, covering centralization strategy, universal task inbox, orchestration and metadata layer, and AR/AP automation.
• Conduct deep process shadowing and interviews with ops teams across regions.
• Map current-state workflows from booking through customs clearance, documentation, and exception handling; and identify the highest-leverage automation opportunities.
• Design SOPs and future-state workflows; build mockups and POCs to validate operational feasibility before engineering investment.
• Define the architecture of an orchestration and metadata layer for workflow provider plug-ins, enabling the business to swap and integrate operational tools without rebuilding core flows.
• Lead technical design for a universal task inbox; a cross-system, cross-region queue for freight ops tasks.
• Oversee integrations with financial systems for AR/AP automation.
• Drive zero-touch execution initiatives for specific freight corridors and modes.
• Ensure standard engineering patterns are followed; identify and resolve cross-team capability gaps.
• Define operational KPIs: task completion time, exception rates, manual touchpoints per shipment, and ops cost per file.
• Partner with performance management and training teams for structured ops rollouts.
• Create meaningful measurement frameworks throughout the project lifecycle, with particular emphasis on instrumentation during rollouts to track adoption, impact, and operational improvements.
• Instrument experiments with analytics and data science; evaluate automation impact rigorously.
• Drive adoption of new ops tools through change management and internal enablement.
• Build strong relationships with operations leadership across central and regional teams.
• Understand regional operational differences, customs regimes, carrier relationships, documentation standards and ensure platform flexibility to accommodate them.
• Serve as the primary voice of forwarding operations within the TPM and engineering teams.

Benefits

• Quarterly Incentive Plan
• 136 hours of Paid Time Off which equals 17 days for the year, that can be used for Sick Time or for Personal Use
• Excellent Medical, Dental and Vision benefits
• Tuition Reimbursement for education related to your job
• Employee Referral Bonuses
• Employee Recognition and Rewards Program
• Paid Volunteer Time to support a cause that is close to your heart and contributes to our communities
• Employee Discounts
• Wellness Incentives that can go up to $100 per year for completing challenges, in addition to a discount on contribution rates

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior