Technical program manager Jobs in Waterloo, ON

Descartes Unites the People and Technology that Move the World

The need for efficient, secure, and agile supply chains and logistics operations has become ever more critical and complex. By combining innovative technology, powerful trade intelligence and the reach of our network, Descartes helps get goods, information, transportation assets, and people where they’re needed, when they’re needed.

We’re one of the most broadly deployed logistics and supply chain technology companies in the world. More than 26,000 customers around the globe use our cloud-based solutions to transform the way they move inventory and information to enhance productivity, better serve customers, thrive competitively, keep pace with evolving regulations, and respond to rapidly changing market conditions. Descartes is publicly traded (Nasdaq:DSGX, TSX:DSG) with headquarters in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, and offices and partners around the world. With record financial performance for more than 16 years, we lead the industry in innovation investment. Every day, logistics service providers, manufacturers, retailers, distributors, and other logistics-intensive businesses of all sizes rely on our scale, stability, and comprehensive solution footprint to move what’s most important to them. Learn more at www.descartes.com.

We’re growing fast and invite you to join our amazing team.

Mission
This role exists to ensure our product teams build systems that are not only functional, but scalable, secure, and built to last. As a Technical Lead, you will set the technical direction and elevate engineering standards by translating complex product needs into well-architected solutions that balance immediate delivery with long-term platform health.

Outcomes
1. Architect scalable, resilient Java-based systems that support current product requirements while enabling future growth, with clear documentation of key design decisions and trade-offs.
2. Improve engineering quality and consistency across the team, evidenced by reduced defects, stronger code standards, and adoption of best practices in testing, observability, and security.
3. Accelerate delivery predictability by providing accurate technical input into planning, breaking down complex initiatives into actionable milestones, and reducing rework.
4. Strengthen technical capability of the team through mentorship, resulting in measurable growth in engineer autonomy and technical decision-making.
5. Ensure production readiness and reliability, with systems meeting defined SLAs and improved incident response practices and observability.
6. Drive effective cross-functional collaboration with Product, Design, and other technical leaders, resulting in well-defined, feasible solutions and fewer late-stage changes.
7. Contribute to organization-wide technical alignment, ensuring consistency in architecture and shared standards across teams.

Skills & Competencies
Technical Expertise
• Strong software architecture and system design skills, with experience building scalable, secure, mission-critical Java-based systems
• Deep hands-on expertise in Java 8 and the Spring ecosystem (Spring Framework 4.3, Spring Security, Spring Integration)
• Experience with Hibernate 5.6 and enterprise-grade data access patterns
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft SQL Server, including T-SQL, performance tuning, and database design
• Experience with caching and scheduling frameworks (EhCache 3.x, Quartz Scheduler) to support performance and reliability
• Proven experience deploying and operating applications in AWS, with Docker (Linux containers) and Apache Tomcat
• Frontend development experience with JavaScript, jQuery, JQWidgets, and Velocity templating engine
• Experience with DevOps and engineering tools including Azure DevOps, GitHub, and CI/CD pipelines
• Strong testing discipline using JUnit 5 and Mockito, with a focus on maintainability and code quality
• Familiarity with AI-assisted development tools (e.g., Co-Pilot) to improve developer productivity

Leadership Through Influence
• Ability to lead through hands-on contribution, design leadership, and technical credibility—not authority
• Skilled in code reviews, design reviews, and setting engineering standards
• Proven ability to mentor and develop engineers through practical, real-time coaching

Collaboration & Communication
• Strong communication skills with the ability to clearly explain complex technical concepts and trade-offs
• Experience working cross-functionally with Product, Design, QA, DevOps, and Security
• Ability to translate product requirements into actionable technical solutions

Culture Add: TEAM Values
We value team members who communicate with transparency, sharing information openly and building trust across functions. You bring excellence and expertise to your craft, holding a high bar for quality while continuously improving your skills. You demonstrate accountability by owning outcomes, following through on commitments, and taking responsibility for results. You are driven by metrics, using data and experimentation to inform decisions and deliver measurable impact.

Aptitudes
• Smart: Able to quickly understand complex systems, connect ideas, and make sound judgments.
• Curious: Actively seeks to understand customer problems, emerging technologies, and better ways of working.
• Coachable: Open to feedback, willing to adapt, and continuously improving through learning.

What’s in It for You
This is an opportunity to shape the technical foundation of critical Java-based platforms while staying deeply hands-on. You’ll have significant influence over architecture and engineering practices, with visibility across teams and leadership. You’ll work in a collaborative environment alongside experienced product managers, designers, and engineers, where technical leadership is valued and autonomy is high. The role offers the chance to grow your impact beyond a single team, contributing to broader platform strategy and mentoring future technical leaders. You’ll also have access to modern tools, cloud technologies, and evolving architecture challenges that will continue to stretch and develop your expertise.

Location & Salary Range: This is a remote position within Canada, and the salary range for this role is $100,000–$120,000 CAD. Compensation information provided is a good faith estimate for this position only. Factors that may be used to determine your actual salary may include your specific skills as well as the years of experience you have. Similar positions located in different geographic regions will not necessarily receive the same compensation.

Join Us

As we scale, we’re looking for new doers, collaborators and innovators to join Descartes in uniting the people and technology that move the world as the Global Leader in Logistics and Supply Chain Technology. We’re entrepreneurial, hardworking, geeky-in-a-good way problem solvers. Guided by our values, we nurture a TEAM focused culture that invests in people and creates opportunities for advancement across a broad spectrum of career paths. We prioritize work-life balance and foster an environment with the space to take ownership, to be heard, and to carve a path for your individual accomplishments to help drive our success. At Descartes, everyone has a voice and the best idea wins, regardless of who makes it. We offer competitive compensation, great benefits, remote and flexible work hours, and the opportunity to join a company on an awesome mission with a great existing team and trajectory.

Descartes also has a deep sense of environmental responsibility. Learn more about how we helped our customers save over 552,000 metric tons of CO2 in 2020 by reducing fuel and paper consumption: https://www.descartes.com/who-we-are/social-responsibility-sustainability/environmental-impact. Join a team that’s committed to working with customers to conserve resources and enhance sustainability.

If you feel you have 70% of the qualifications we are looking for, and Descartes sounds like the team and the mission you want to be part of, apply now. We can't promise it will be a fit, but we do promise to consider your experience.

We conduct a mix of in-person and virtual interviews. Virtual interviews are held via Microsoft Teams and are recorded and transcribed. We may utilize AI tools to support our hiring team in notetaking, summarization, and internal training. AI tools are not used in our recruitment process for decision-making purposes. Recordings, transcripts, and notes are used for recruitment, including improvement of our process, and record-keeping purposes. Should you have any questions or concerns about our process, please connect with our hiring team in advance of scheduled interviews.

We are an Equal Employment employer. We do not discriminate in hiring on the basis of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religious creed, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, provincial, or local law. For more information about our commitment to equal employment opportunity, please review our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics at Descartes.com. Descartes is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to job applicants with disabilities. Applicants in North America with a disability who require a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process can email us at hrna@descartes.com. Provide your name and contact information along with the accommodation needed to assist you with the application process. Your request will be responded to as soon as possible. Reasonable accommodations will be determined on a case-by-case basis.