Technical Product Manager at Softworld, a Kelly Company

Technical Product Manager (Custom Software Development)Location: Modesto, CA (Local/Regional Preferred for Onsite Meetings)Duration: 3–6 Months (Contract)Work Model: Hybrid — Remote with onsite visits for key customer sessionsOverviewWe are seeking a Technical Product Manager with strong experience in custom software development, ideally within process manufacturing (food, beverage, wine, chemicals, CPG, etc.). This role will help guide the vision and delivery of a next-generation platform as the organization transitions from a legacy Java 6 / Spring Boot environment to a modern AWS-based architecture.You will work closely with internal stakeholders, engineering teams, and business partners to deeply understand the existing custom-built platform, how it works, why it works, and what needs to evolve, then translate that knowledge into actionable product strategy and new system design.This role requires someone who is analytical, highly collaborative, confident leading technical conversations, and comfortable researching industry-specific nuances (especially the wine industry).Key ResponsibilitiesLead product strategy and requirements for a new custom-built platform replacing legacy Java/Spring systems.Deeply understand legacy workflows, logic, integrations, and business rules to inform the modern platform design.Partner with engineers, architects, and stakeholders to define capabilities aligned to the future AWS environment.Conduct domain research, with emphasis on wine production, operations, and supply chain nuances, to translate into product insights.Run discovery workshops, user interviews, and requirements sessions with business partners.Produce clear, detailed product documentation: user stories, acceptance criteria, workflows, roadmaps, and feature definitions.Bridge business needs and technical implementation; serve as the voice of the customer to engineering.Collaborate cross-functionally across ERP, SAP, and operational systems ensuring alignment with enterprise data and process flows.Participate in key onsite meetings and customer sessions as needed.Required Qualifications5+ years as a Technical Product Manager in custom software development environments.Strong experience in process manufacturing, ideally with exposure to food/beverage or similar industries.Ability to analyze and reverse-engineer legacy systems to define future-state requirements.Familiarity with AWS, modern cloud architectures, and platform modernization initiatives.Background working with SAP or other ERP systems and understanding operational data flows.Demonstrated ability to translate complex business processes into well-defined product requirements.Excellent communication skills, able to engage business partners and technical teams effectively.Local or within reasonable travel distance to Modesto, CA for key onsite sessions.Nice to HaveExperience in wine or alcohol beverage operations, logistics, or production cycles.Exposure to modernization from legacy Java frameworks to cloud-native systems.Prior work with manufacturing execution systems (MES) or plant-floor applications.