Technical Program Manager

Job description

Portcast is a venture-backed, Singapore-based logistics technology startup helping freight forwarders turn data into better decisions and measurable business impact. Portcast uses AI to surface shipment exceptions, cost risks, and the right actions, helping teams focus on the shipments that need their attention, keep freight costs under control, and make procurement decisions with confidence. Our vision is to be the AI data and intelligence layer that powers exception management and margin improvement on every shipment. Founded in 2018 and backed by leading technology investors, we are a lean, globally distributed team building technology for an industry going through a major digital transformation. ### **ABOUT THE ROLE** You'll be the person accountable for the delivery state of our product initiatives once they move into execution. You'll report directly to our Senior Product Manager and make sure ownership is clear across Engineering, Data, and Solutions, work is progressing as expected, dependencies are being managed, and risks are surfaced early rather than when they become launch problems. We're looking for someone who understands our product, technology, and data well enough to follow the work, understand why we're building something, spot when execution is drifting from the intended outcome, and know when to bring an issue back to Product for clarification. This is a hands-on IC role and you'll be the first person in this role at Portcast, giving you the opportunity to shape how we manage and deliver product initiatives as we scale. This role requires daily working-hour overlap with our Asia-based Tech Team. ### WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE IN THIS ROLE - No launch delays, cleaner releases, and shorter cycle times, driven by earlier identification of risks, dependencies, and blockers, better coordination across Product, Engineering, Data, and Solutions, and clearer visibility into what is moving, what is blocked, and what needs attention. ### WHAT YOU’LL OWN - Own delivery from kickoff to release: Take ownership of the operational delivery state once a product initiative moves into execution. Make sure ownership is clear, work starts when expected, progress is visible, and initiatives continue moving through development, testing, and release. - Track dependencies and surface risks early: Monitor cross-functional dependencies, blockers, competing priorities, scope changes, and potential delays. - Coordinate across Product, Engineering, Data, and Solutions: Make sure teams know who owns what, dependencies are understood, and the right people have the context they need. Act as the central point of coordination so Product has a clear view of delivery. - Coordinate handover and launch readiness: Help coordinate the handover between Engineering, Data, Solutions, and Product so that the relevant teams have what they need for testing and acceptance. - Keep execution aligned with product intent: Understand the goals and key requirements behind an initiative well enough to spot when implementation appears to diverge from what was intended. Surface questions, gaps, or inconsistencies early and bring them back to Product for clarification before they become testing or release issues. - Maintain a clear source of truth: Keep tickets, timelines, project status, dependencies, key decisions, and risks up to date so that the team can quickly understand what is moving, what is blocked, and where attention is needed. - Keep delivery moving without creating bureaucracy: Bring structure, follow-through, and accountability to the delivery process without adding unnecessary processes. Join relevant standups and working sessions so you can identify issues and resolve them quickly. ### WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR - Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field. - At least 3+ years in project management, program management, delivery, product operations, or a similar role. - A proven ability to close things and keep initiatives moving: Experience managing projects or initiatives involving multiple technical and cross-functional teams in a startup or B2B SaaS environment, ideally in data-heavy domains, and even better in logistics tech or supply chain tech. - Understands data and strong technical foundation. You can read code, understand how systems and data pipelines fit together, and dig into the work alongside engineers and data scientists. You know the difference between a real blocker and noise. - Strong execution instincts: You naturally keep track of the details that others might miss. You chase loose ends, surface blockers, follow up on dependencies, and make sure decisions actually turn into action. - First-principles problem solving: When something is stuck or going off track, you understand why rather than simply following the existing process. You work out what needs to change and involve the right people to resolve it. - Comfort with ambiguity: You can create clarity when the requirements, ownership, or process aren't fully defined. You are comfortable making progress without having every answer upfront. - Strong cross-functional communication: You can translate between Product, Engineering, Data, and customer-facing teams. You know what different teams need to know, communicate clearly, and escalate issues early without creating unnecessary noise. - High ownership: You don't see your job as simply tracking whether someone completed a task. You take responsibility for the overall delivery state and stay on an issue until it is actually resolved. - Startup mindset: You enjoy working in a lean environment where there isn't a dedicated person for every function. You're willing to get into the details, solve problems yourself, and build lightweight processes when they are genuinely useful. ### WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU - Own a high-leverage problem: You'll be the person responsible for keeping delivery moving across teams, directly influencing how quickly and reliably we turn product ideas into something customers can use. - Work at the intersection of Product, AI, Data, and Logistics: Our products combine software, data, machine learning, and deep logistics expertise. You'll get exposure to complex product problems where the challenge isn't simply building software, but making sure data, models, workflows, and customer needs come together. - Real impact from day one: we’re lean by design so you'll have a high degree of ownership. There is no large PMO or layer of project managers around you. You'll need to be comfortable getting into the details, figuring things out independently, and knowing when something needs to be pushed, clarified, escalated, or simply solved. - Globally distributed, remote-first flexibility: work with a fully distributed team across Asia and Europe, built on trust, accountability, and collaboration. ### OUR CORE VALUES GUIDE EVERYTHING WE DO - **Curiosity:** We dig into why something's slipping, not just how to patch it. We stay close to the work and the data. - **Ownership:** We act like founders. We hold a project together end to end and stay on it until it ships cleanly. - **Raising the bar:** We don't settle for "it launched." We aim for delivery that's predictable, aligned, and free of last-minute surprises. - **Effective:** We focus on shipping what was actually intended, on time, with real impact, not process for its own sake.