Senior Technical Product Manager - AI, Staples Promotional Products

While you may know Staples as the world’s leading office supply company, Staples Promotional Products – a division of Staples – is a national leader in the promotional products industry. At Staples Promotional Products, we help customers build love for their brands with customized merchandise solutions. Whatever story they want to tell, connection they want to make, or goal they need to deliver, Staples Promo makes it easy to design promo experiences that create lasting impact. Join our winning team! 

The Senior Technical Product Manager -AI is a pivotal role at Staples, requiring deep subject matter expertise and a strategic mindset. This role is responsible for driving the vision and strategy of our technical platforms, ensuring alignment with both current operational needs and future business objectives. The Senior Technical Product Manager I leads through an iterative, agile process, fostering strong collaboration across both internal and external teams, and manages complex platform development lifecycles with a focus on technical integrity and innovation.

What you’ll be doing:

• Develop and continuously refine the platform's strategic vision and roadmap, aligning them with the long-term business goals and market trends.
• Conduct regular reviews of the current platform capabilities and business processes, identifying areas for innovation and improvement.
• Lead the definition and execution of product strategies that bridge the gap between current operations and desired business outcomes.
• Collaborate with engineering, design, and UX teams to translate product requirements into functional designs and actionable development plans.
• Prioritize and manage the product backlog, ensuring that the team focuses on tasks that provide the most significant value based on ROI and strategic importance.
• Oversee the full product development lifecycle, from ideation through development, launch, and ongoing enhancement phases.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement by leading the adoption of Agile methodologies and integrating SAFe practices into project management.
• Engage with customers and other external stakeholders to gather feedback and integrate it into product development processes.
• Communicate effectively with all levels of the organization to keep stakeholders informed of progress, potential roadblocks, and overall product health.
• Create and maintain detailed documentation for product requirements, including both functional and non-functional specifications.
• Monitor and report on the product's performance, using key performance indicators (KPIs) to assess its health and alignment with business objectives.
• Work closely with solution architects and technical teams to ensure the platform's architecture supports current and future business needs.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate technical risks throughout the product development process.
• Develop contingency plans to address potential project delays and technical challenges.
• Mentor and guide junior product managers, helping them develop their skills and understanding of technical product management best practices.
• Build and maintain strong internal relationships across the organization to support cross-functional collaboration and knowledge sharing.

• Continuously analyze industry trends, customer needs, and technological advancements to keep the platform and its features competitive and innovative. 

   

What you bring to the table: 

• Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Strong interpersonal and communication abilities.
• Proactive leadership and a collaborative spirit.
• Ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously with a keen eye for detail. 
• Demonstrated expertise in leading the end-to-end lifecycle of a product, from conception through deployment and post-launch enhancements.
• Proven ability to develop product strategies and roadmaps that align with business objectives.
• Experience in writing detailed functional and non-functional product requirements, and effectively communicating those requirements to engineering teams.
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize product features and tasks based on an analysis of technical feasibility, business impact, and user feedback.
• Solid track record in managing cross-functional teams and projects, demonstrating strong leadership and team-building skills.
• Experience in conducting rigorous KPI analysis and utilizing metrics to guide product decisions and assess product health.

• Excellent problem-solving skills with a demonstrated capacity to address technical challenges and find resolution effectively.

• Experience leading AI-enabled product initiatives, including data-driven automation, intelligent recommendations, and customer-facing bots that reduce manual effort and scale across large, distributed platforms.
• Strong ability to translate ambiguous business problems into clear product requirements, leveraging data signals (e.g., incomplete inputs, customer intent, seasonal trends, vendor promotions) to inform AI-driven solutions.

What’s needed- Basic Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Business, or related field or equivalent work experience.
• 7+ years of experience in product management within a technical or related field with at least 5 years focused on managing complex technical products or platforms. 
• Strong proficiency with Agile development methodologies and tools such as Jira and Confluence.

What’s needed- Preferred Qualifications: 

• Advanced degree in Business Administration, Computer Science, or a related technical field.
• Experience in technical product management in high-tech or eCommerce industries.
• Deep understanding of B2B and B2C eCommerce platforms, with a proven track record of successful product launches in these areas.
• Strong experience with market research, competitive analysis, and usability testing, translating insights into actionable product enhancements.
• Exceptional skills in stakeholder management, capable of persuasively presenting ideas and influencing senior management.
• Extensive knowledge of industry trends, emerging technologies, and regulatory environments affecting the eCommerce and technology sectors.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor and develop junior product managers and build cohesive, high-performing teams.
• Experience in leading strategic initiatives that involve complex data analysis and implementation of state-of-the-art technology solutions.
• Proficiency in advanced analytical and data visualization tools, with the ability to derive insights from complex data sets.
• Strong entrepreneurial spirit and a track record of innovation within fast-paced, evolving environments.

• Experience defining and launching AI-powered features such as intelligent product recommendations, automated content updates, customer service bots, or workflow automation in eCommerce or B2B platforms.

• Familiarity with modern data and AI ecosystems (e.g., data lakes, analytics platforms, ML-driven decision systems) and using insights to drive product prioritization and roadmap decisions.

• Demonstrated success scaling products globally, balancing regional considerations while maintaining a unified platform strategy. 

• Languages: Python, SQL, PySpark

• Agent frameworks: LangChain, LangGraph, Hugging Face, OpenAI SDK, Gemini

• GenAI Tools: Azure AI Foundry, Vertex AI, Databricks AI

• ML Ops/LLMOps: MLflow, ONNX, Unity Catalog

• Data Platforms: Databricks, Snowflake, Data Lake, Knowledge graphs

• Understanding of AI governance, including model explainability, fairness, and security (e.g., prompt injection, data leakage mitigation).

   

We Offer:

• Inclusive culture with associate-led Business Resource Groups
• 22 days of PTO and Holiday Schedule (7 observed paid holidays + 1 floating holiday)
• Online and Retail Discounts, Company Match 401(k), Physical and Mental Health Wellness programs, and more!

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

The salary range represents the expected compensation for this role at the time of posting. The specific base pay may be influenced by a variety of factors to include the candidate's experience, skill set, education, geography, business considerations, and internal equity. In addition to base pay, this role may be eligible for bonuses, or other forms of variable compensation.

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