Senior Manager, Technical Product

Position Summary / Job Purpose: 

Based in Miramar, FL and reporting to the Director, IT Shipboard Guest Experience, the Sr. Manager, Technical Product for Hotel Finance & Ops Technology will provide strategic product leadership for the modernization and optimization of shipboard financial systems and hotel operations platforms across Royal Caribbean Group’s brands (Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Silversea). This role is critical not only in shaping how foundational capabilities evolve, but also in identifying and defining entirely new product opportunities that support emerging operational needs and previously underserved functions. 

While the high-level strategy for financial modernization has been established, the Sr. Manager will be responsible for creating and refining product strategies that address new insights uncovered through discovery, cross-functional collaboration, or changes in business priorities. This includes crafting product visions for evolving capabilities, aligning them with broader enterprise objectives, and influencing cross-brand stakeholders to drive shared outcomes. 

In addition to shaping product direction, the Sr. Manager will oversee a team of internal and external contributors, managing capacity, aligning resources against strategic priorities, and ensuring the right talent is focused on the highest-impact work. This role requires someone who is comfortable working in ambiguity, confident in making strategic trade-offs, and deeply connected to both the user experience and operational realities of a complex shipboard environment. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities 

At a high level, responsibilities for this role include: 

• Strategic Product Leadership: 

• Partner with the Director to align on enterprise vision, while independently shaping product strategies for emerging capabilities within financial systems and hotel operations. 

• Identify and define new opportunities for transformation across areas like fraud prevention, real-time payment processing, crew gratuity distribution, and mobile access to financial data. 

• Drive long-term product thinking while making informed trade-offs on near-term priorities based on capacity, value, and operational readiness. 

• Serve as a subject matter expert in product strategy discussions and platform planning efforts across cross-functional and brand-aligned teams. 

• Product Definition and Planning: 

• Lead the development of clear, actionable product visions and roadmaps, grounded in user needs, operational feedback, and financial outcomes. 

• Shape epics and capability definitions in collaboration with product owners, engineers, and designers, ensuring feasibility, scalability, and business value. 

• Continuously evaluate product-market fit within the context of shipboard complexity, guest/crew experiences, and evolving business models. 

• Capability Development and Discovery: 

• Establish a forward-looking discovery practice to evaluate new product opportunities and adjacent innovations. 

• Proactively explore white space areas where legacy platforms lack coverage or innovation, and define compelling product concepts to close those gaps. 

• Translate feedback loops (from ships, shoreside, finance, and hotel ops) into actionable insights and product direction. 

• Resource & Team Management: 

• Lead a matrixed team of internal staff, contractors, and vendors responsible for delivering product outcomes. 

• Align resources and capabilities against prioritized workstreams, managing capacity planning in collaboration with Engineering and Program teams. 

• Foster a culture of ownership, innovation, and accountability, ensuring your team operates with a clear sense of purpose and product excellence. 

• Stakeholder & Governance Engagement: 

• Build strong partnerships with operational leaders, hotel directors, finance leads, compliance, and brand stakeholders. 

• Lead recurring product forums to share roadmap progress, gather feedback, and align priorities. 

• Contribute to enterprise product governance and partner with PMO/IT Finance on investment planning, delivery health, and KPI reporting. 

• Roadmap & Investment Planning: 

• Own the short- and mid-term roadmap for shipboard financial and operational technology platforms. 

• Partner with the Director to evolve the broader strategy while leading execution of roadmap areas within your scope. 

• Support capital planning, CAR creation, and strategic investment cases for initiatives within your domain. 

Education, Experience, Knowledge & Skills 

• Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA or advanced degree preferred. 

• 7–10 years of product management, product strategy, or platform leadership experience. 

• Deep domain knowledge in financial systems, property management systems, or hospitality technology—preferably in maritime or large-scale operations. 

• Demonstrated ability to define and launch new product strategies, manage large cross-functional initiatives, and lead high-performing teams. 

• Skills & Competencies: 

• Strategic systems thinker who can navigate between macro-level vision and tactical execution. 

• Strong communicator with experience influencing at Director/VP levels and managing executive stakeholder alignment. 

• Experienced in leading through ambiguity, defining new product areas, and managing competing priorities. 

• Familiar with agile product development, backlog management, and modern platform design principles. 

• Analytical and data-driven, with an ability to link KPIs to business and operational outcomes. 

Work Environment: 

• Position is based in Miramar, FL; up to 25% travel, including shipboard visits and global team meetings. 

Key Relationships: 

• Collaborates with Directors and Sr. Directors across Hotel Operations, Finance, Guest Experience, Compliance, and IT. 

• Chairs stakeholder meetings, roadmap reviews, and participates in steering forums as needed. 

Financial Responsibilities: 

• Responsible for product delivery budgets exceeding $5M annually, including vendor oversight. 

• Supports development and execution of CapEx projects totaling $10M–$50M. 

• May co-own CAR documentation and ongoing tracking of value realization for key initiatives.