Technical Program Manager

Build an organization, not band-aid an organization.

At Cernel, our Engineering team moves fast - and that means processes, systems, and tooling can sometimes lag behind. The Technical Program Manager owns that gap. You'll become part of an ambitious, fast-growing AI startup where you take full ownership of the connective tissue that keeps a fast-moving engineering org shipping with confidence. We're VC-backed, growing fast, and offering a role that is highly impactful, hands-on, and deeply embedded in how the team works day to day.

Join us on our growth journey

At Cernel, we're bringing the AI revolution to ecommerce by building the intelligent backbone behind every item sold online. We make ecommerce teams work smarter, faster, and with amplified abilities across the entire value chain - starting with what lies at the core: product data.

We're scaling rapidly, and our velocity depends on systems that support speed rather than slow it down. We need an agile systems builder - someone who designs creative workflows and processes that match the pace of the team, avoiding the slow, rigid routines that frustrate fast-moving people. You're the person who notices when something is slightly broken before it becomes a real problem, who takes absolute ownership of quality, and who has the confidence to ensure everyone follows the playbook.

What you'll own

• Delivery quality - ensuring bugs are caught before they reach customers, driven by a deep sense of personal responsibility for our product standards.

• Dynamic coordination - organising our backlog of "things that should just work better" and streamlining release processes so they adapt to fast-moving sprints.

• Creative systems design - building lean, innovative workflows and triage processes that help the team move faster, rather than slowing them down with red tape.

• Accountability and fairness - ensuring everyone understands our internal systems, and actively stepping in to align team members who bypass the agreed processes.

• Detail management - keeping documentation, release notes, and product health data clean and reliable.

• Culture of excellence - empowering the team to challenge what greatness means and fostering a culture where we innovate on behalf of our customers.

• Data-driven operations - owning and using data to continuously track and improve our engineering operations.

What success looks like

Six months in, the Engineering team moves faster because of you. Releases are predictable because you've organised our pipeline. You've identified two or three systemic problems and improved them. Most importantly, everyone follows the processes - because you've set clear, fair expectations and you're comfortable having direct, constructive conversations whenever someone slips.

How we do it today

We run on Linear and ship through continuous deployment, so changes reach production quickly and often. Our model is engineering-led: whoever builds it, owns it. There's no separate QA gate or handoff layer - engineers are responsible for their own work end to end. We bias toward innovation first, which means we'd rather move fast and refine than wait for the perfect process.

The upside is speed. The downside is that the connective tissue - triage, release discipline, documentation, product health tracking - hasn't kept pace. That's the gap you'd own.

Who you are

• You're an agile systems builder who designs process to enable speed, not bureaucracy.

• You have a deep sense of ownership and hold a high bar for quality, even when no one is watching.

• You spot small problems before they become big ones, and you act on them.

• You're comfortable having direct, constructive conversations - including holding people accountable to agreed ways of working.

• You think in systems and data, and you use both to drive continuous improvement.

• You thrive in ambiguity and enjoy building structure where little exists yet.

Bonus to have experience with Linear, continuous deployment environments, Notion, and G-Suite, as well as a background in technical program management, release management, QA, or engineering operations.

Who we are

Cernel is building the next generation of ecommerce infrastructure with AI-powered agents that automate complex tasks and connect workflows across systems. We're developing an advanced agent framework that analyses data, makes decisions, and drives performance - giving ecommerce teams better results, higher conversions, and more time for creative work.

We work from our HQ at Frederiksbjerg, Aarhus. We are ambitious, caring, and collaborative. We value honesty, data-driven decisions, and ownership. We work hard, move fast, and genuinely care about building both a great product and a great organisation. You'll have the responsibility and autonomy that comes with working in a startup, becoming a key resource in building the systems that enable Cernel's mission.

Next steps and how to apply

The process for the role will look as follows:

1. Apply and share information about yourself

2. 15 minutes phone call with CEO

3. Completion of talent assessment

4. 60-minute onsite interview in Aarhus

We look forward to hearing from you.