Jacob SzwarcbergProduct & Business Systems Leader · Hands-on builder

From product strategy to production code.

I'm a product and business systems leader who turns complex operations into software. I've led product work inside global companies, built new software businesses from the ground up, and stayed close enough to the technology to make better product and delivery decisions.

My experience spans consumer apps, B2B SaaS, AI, operational data platforms, internal systems, APIs, and connected hardware. I work across customers, executives, operational teams, and engineers from discovery and strategy through delivery, launch, and adoption.

Experience

TransTech Systems Inc.

Principal Product Manager

I lead product strategy and delivery across TransTech’s software portfolio, spanning contractor SaaS, DOT workflow automation, iOS and Android apps, on-device software, AI agents, and internal systems. I work with company leadership on executive product strategy, modernization priorities, product positioning, and partner integrations. I also established the company’s Agile software development process from scratch, introducing structured roadmaps, backlogs, prioritization, and delivery planning where no formal process previously existed. I collaborate across sales, production, hardware engineering, contractors, and government agencies while also building core products hands-on. The portfolio supports customers and distributors across 20 countries and has processed more than 75,000 field measurements across five continents.

TransTech ConnectConstruction quality-control platformCommercial SaaS · 75,000+ measurements across five continents

A commercial field-to-office product for contractors collecting and acting on density measurements. I identified the opportunity, led discovery, and built the platform from concept through launch.

  • Delivered as a React web application, a React Native application for iOS and Android, and software running directly on the density gauge.
  • Built Bluetooth device pairing, GPS positioning, photo capture, and real-time gauge-to-cloud synchronization for field workflows.
  • Architected organizations, role-based access, subscriptions, and shared project data; the platform now holds more than 75,000 measurements collected across five continents.
  • Ran go-to-market for the platform, from positioning and sales calls through product demos, customer onboarding, and ongoing support for major national contractors.
AI Operations AgentTransTech Connect capability · PilotApproximately ten tools · action-taking · permission-aware

Designed and piloted a permission-aware operations agent that could process reports, update project data, retrieve information from documents, summarize shifts, and recommend performance improvements. I defined its initial workflows, tool set, confirmation model, tenant boundaries, and pilot experience.

  • Parses and uploads reports, assigns measurements to projects, retrieves answers from customer documents, summarizes shifts, analyzes performance, and recommends improvements.
  • Built with the Claude API, database functions, edge functions, asynchronous job queues, and context management for long-running operations.
  • Uses confidence-based action handling to decide which operations can run immediately and which require confirmation.
  • Gates every tool and data request using the user’s JWT and verified organization membership, preserving multi-tenant data boundaries.
Ames ConnectRoad profiling and DOT collaboration platformNebraska DOT pilot · contractor and agency collaboration

A separate multi-tenant product for contractors and state transportation agencies working through roadway analysis, submission, and pay-adjustment workflows, now being piloted with the Nebraska Department of Transportation.

  • Created shared projects that let contractors and DOT teams collaborate on the same road-profiling data.
  • Built GIS visualization, road-profile analysis, and IRI computation tools.
  • Automated state-specific submissions and pay calculations to reduce cost and turnaround time for both sides.
  • Led go-to-market and the pilot process with DOTs and contractors, including discovery, sales conversations, demonstrations, onboarding, and direct customer support.
Gauge SoftwareOn-device measurement softwareRedesigned on-device experience · Wi-Fi synchronization

I redesigned the software running directly on TransTech’s density gauges, improving the field workflow and connecting the instrument more directly to the rest of the product ecosystem.

  • Redesigned the on-device experience used to collect, review, and manage density measurements in the field.
  • Added Wi-Fi synchronization so measurements can move directly from the gauge into connected cloud workflows.
  • Worked across measurement hardware, device software, data transfer, and the downstream web and mobile products.

Valinor Systems

Founder & Software Consultant

Founded a software consultancy focused on replacing manual business processes with purpose-built products. I led discovery, process mapping, requirements, prioritization, client communication, and delivery.

Designed and built the software hands-on. A consulting engagement with TransTech expanded into my current role leading its software portfolio.

Spresso ClubIndependent consumer and shop-owner platformPre-launch · maps · deep linking · collaboration · owner tools

Created as an independent Valinor product, Spresso Club is a two-sided coffee platform that connects community-driven discovery with tools for coffee shop owners. Customers can find, review, organize, and share shops using details generic listings miss, while owners can claim and customize their shop pages through a dedicated web application.

  • Built map and list discovery with filters for Wi-Fi, outlets, seating, noise, food, parking, distance, and ratings.
  • Designed a coffee-specific review model that combines ratings, comments, photos, and structured good-to-know attributes.
  • Created deep-linked sharing and collaborative lists so users can organize coffee plans together and send friends directly to shops, profiles, and curated collections.
  • Built community loops around local activity, followed profiles, public reviews, and user-curated shop lists.
  • Developed a separate web application where coffee shop owners can claim their listings and customize how their businesses appear to customers.
  • Positioned the product around community-submitted data with no ads, sponsored pins, or scraped business-directory listings.
Machine Shop ERPOperations and production controlGoogle Sheets → custom ERP · quote-to-invoice · ISO 9001 traceability

Designed and built a custom ERP that migrated a precision machine shop away from Google Sheets and connected its core business processes in one system, from quoting and customer orders through planning, production, inventory, and invoicing.

  • Standardized normal and Kanban orders, part revisions, work orders, machine scheduling, material tracking, and production reporting.
  • Built due-date-based inventory allocation to prioritize customer demand and prevent overcommitting finished goods.
  • Added production history, scrap reporting, controlled corrections, and revision-level traceability for ISO 9001 workflows.
  • Introduced semi-automated quoting, automated invoices and customer emails, and real-time visibility into production and inventory.

Viking Cruises

Technical Product Manager

Served as the primary product contact for the Yield and Operations departments and third-party travel partners, translating business workflows into requirements and working with an Agile engineering team through planning, development, and release. Wrote Jira stories and acceptance criteria, contributed to backlog refinement and sprint planning, and communicated priorities and progress across stakeholders.

The work included yield and inventory products that generated seven-figure oversell savings, live inventory APIs for travel partners, and automated passenger health workflows that reduced reconciliation from hours to minutes.

Built workload dashboards and analyzed 24 months of Jira delivery data to identify software-team bottlenecks and improve planning visibility.

Yield & Inventory RedesignRevenue, occupancy, and overbooking riskSeven-figure oversell savings across annual sailings

Rebuilt the Yield department’s workflows for setting inventory availability and overage levels across sailings. The system had to maximize sellable inventory and occupancy while controlling the operational and financial risk of overbookings.

  • Mapped the existing yield process with the operational team and translated complex inventory decisions into a clearer product workflow.
  • Redesigned how inventory and overage levels were set so the business could sell more confidently without introducing avoidable oversell exposure.
  • The resulting process changes generated seven figures in oversell savings across annual sailings.
Live Partner Inventory APIThird-party travel distributionOn-demand live inventory · replaced daily CSV and FTP delivery

Designed and led development of an API that delivers current inventory on demand to third-party travel partners, replacing a once-daily CSV file distributed over FTP.

  • Moved partner integrations from stale daily snapshots to live availability at the moment inventory was requested.
  • Designed the API behavior and data flow, then led implementation across internal systems and external partner requirements.
  • Reduced dependence on batch-file delivery while giving travel partners more accurate information for customer searches and sales.
Passenger Health ScreeningTelehealth data integrationAPI automation · record reconciliation reduced from hours to minutes

Led a passenger health-screening integration that connected Viking’s passenger records with a third-party telehealth provider and replaced a manual reconciliation process with APIs and automated workflows.

  • Defined the data and workflow requirements between internal passenger systems and the telehealth partner.
  • Automated the transfer and reconciliation of passenger screening records across the two organizations.
  • Reduced an operational process that previously took hours to complete down to minutes.

SparkOffer

Product Manager, Contract

Worked as a contract Product Manager for a real-estate marketplace, translating feature requests, user workflows, and production issues into prioritized Jira stories with clear requirements and acceptance criteria.

Collaborated with UI/UX designers and engineers within an Agile team through refinement, development, QA, and release.

Accenture

Technology Business Analyst

Gathered requirements and helped manage a 300-feature backlog for enterprise clients, working across technical and business teams.

Analyzed SAP, Salesforce, and Confluence workflows and prepared client-ready recommendations and presentations under fixed deadlines.

Ventur

Founder & Product Lead

Founded and led a proptech startup building collaborative software for real estate agents and their clients, from discovery through launch, fundraising, and go-to-market.

Set product strategy and roadmap, hired and led five developers, planned external data integrations, and raised capital from local investors and business leaders.

Earlier engineering roles

574 Machine Tool · Advanced Controls & Automation

Before moving into software product leadership, I worked in automation engineering and precision manufacturing, helping build more than 20 custom automation systems. I assembled control panels and extrusion frames, managed bills of materials, inspected machined parts, and supported system delivery.

Capabilities

Product leadership: Strategy, customer discovery, process mapping, roadmaps, prioritization, requirements, 0-to-1 development, launch, and go-to-market

Business systems & data: Operational platforms, data modeling, reporting, integrations, workflow automation, access controls, auditability, and process modernization

Delivery: Cross-functional collaboration, Agile product development, backlog refinement, acceptance criteria, stakeholder alignment, and customer and partner management

Products & platforms: Consumer apps, B2B SaaS, AI agents, API platforms, internal operations systems, mobile products, and connected hardware

Technical toolkit: Claude API, Claude Code, Codex, TypeScript, React, React Native, Node.js, PostgreSQL, Supabase, REST APIs, BLE, and GIS

Let’s talk

If you’re working through a difficult product, software, or hardware-software problem, I’d be glad to hear about it.