Localization Vendor Manager Jobs in Chicago, IL (NOW HIRING)

Braze produces content across dozens of products, teams, and markets. Localizing that content today runs through Phrase and a set of manual processes that, while functional, create bottlenecks that don't add proportional value. We're building an AI-powered translation infrastructure to change that; we need a TPM who can own it. This is an early-stage platform role. The architecture is taking shape; the problems aren't all known yet. You'll be most effective if you thrive in that ambiguity.You'll sit on the Content Platforms team as a senior individual contributor. No direct reports, but a strong remit to lead - setting direction, raising the bar, and pulling colleagues across teams toward better solutions.You'll design systems that let teams self-serve and drive the technical execution of an internal AI translation platform. AI won't replace human judgment in this process - you'll help us figure out where human review is essential and design workflows that make that review fast, targeted, and high-quality. The goal is to remove friction that doesn't need to exist, not to cut corners on quality. Localization at Braze touches almost every part of the business: Demand Gen, Product Marketing, Sales, Enablement, Product, Engineering, Support, and the regional teams that depend on locally-relevant content to do their jobs. Your first job is to plug into the existing localization program - understand what's working, what's not, and where the people closest to it think the real opportunities are. The platform we build has to be informed by that reality, not imposed on it.This is not a research role and it's not a presentations role. You'll write code, ship prototypes, pair with engineers, and measure adoption. AI-assisted development is how we work - you'll be expected to use it, build with it, and be opinionated about it.

The role itself is Senior TPM, Content Platforms - the parenthetical reflects initial focus, not permanent scope. The team owns a broader technical content operations remit, and as the localization platform matures we expect this role to expand into adjacent problem areas. The right candidate sees localization as a way in, not the whole job.

The localization industry is in the middle of a real shift, and most people in it are watching from the sidelines. This role puts you at the front of it - not as someone reacting to AI, but as someone deciding how an enterprise actually adopts it.You'll build the kind of experience that compounds: hands-on systems thinking, real product ownership, and fluency with the tools that are reshaping how technical work gets done. A problem big enough to matter, the autonomy to shape the solution, and a team of engineers who actually want to build with you.This is a role for people who'd rather shape how AI gets used than watch it happen to them.

• Own the localization infrastructure product: roadmap, architecture decisions, stakeholder alignment
• Partner with engineers to design and ship multi-platform systems that meet complex, evolving localization needs across the business
• Build functional prototypes independently to validate ideas and sharpen requirements before full engineering investment
• Design the workflows and self-serve patterns that let teams move forward without routing every request through a central queue
• Drive adoption of AI-assisted translation tooling while maintaining quality and consistency standards
• Help us make smart build-vs-buy decisions - knowing when to build internal tooling and when existing or emerging vendors are the better answer
• Manage relationships with translation and localization vendors - what we expect of them, what we move away from, and how their work integrates with everything we build

PMs are encouraged to apply, but so are solutions architects, solutions consultants, engineers, and others with a background in localization or content operations. Read the rest as a description of the work, not a checklist of prior titles.

A working background in localization is a strong plus, but it isn't a requirement. What we do need is a thoughtful interest in the space - someone who has read into the problem, has views on where AI shifts the cost curve, and is genuinely curious about how a modern enterprise should be running this kind of program. If you bring the systems thinking and product instincts, we can build the domain depth around you. 

If you do have localization experience, here's what we'd expect you to bring:

• Familiar with the localization landscape - tools, workflows, vendor relationships, and where the real friction lives
• Able to develop a clear framework for when human review is required, tuned to content type, audience, risk, and context - not just an instinct, but a defensible model others can apply
• Experience with platforms like Phrase is relevant context

• Deeply familiar with headless CMS architecture; Sanity experience is a strong plus
• Comfortable with Node.js, TypeScript, and modern web frameworks
• Able to build simple web apps and functional prototypes on your own - you won't be shipping complex systems to production solo, but you can independently validate an idea end-to-end
• Comfortable building with AI development tools like Claude Code or Cursor

• Comfortable architecting multi-platform systems and reasoning about long-term design tradeoffs
• Truly embedded with engineering - not just mediating through tickets and grooming sessions, but collaborating in real time, pairing on problems, and helping the team move faster using the AI development tools available today
• Can hold your own in technical conversations without needing to defer every decision
• Experienced managing stakeholders across team boundaries, including customers who have real expectations tied to your delivery

• Genuinely curious about what AI makes possible - not as a buzzword, but as a tool you use and build with
• Iterative by nature: you'd rather ship a rough thing and learn than over-plan before moving
• Systems thinker: you design for the problems you haven't seen yet, not just the ones in front of you

For candidates based in the United States, the pay range for this position at the start of employment is expected to be between $140,000 and $221,000/year, with an expected On Target Earnings (OTE) between $156,000 and $245,000/year (including bonus or commission). Your exact offer may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. In addition to cash compensation, this role qualifies for a comprehensive Total Rewards package that includes equity grants of restricted stock (RSUs) so that you will own a piece of our company.