Product Manager - Africa Ops
IO Global, Kenya

Summary

As a Product Manager at IOG, you lead and manage one or several products from end to end, from inception through to implementation and release. You report to the Product Director / Squad Head with regular milestone updates and work closely to create and execute the strategy for your product, but you are highly autonomous with your own product stream and expected to lead the requirements and direction for your product.

Duties

• Drive product end to end from initial concept to launch, through to implementation.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to build a vision and roadmap for your product.
• Establish and maintain roadmaps for company products based on market research and collaboration with internal and external groups and stakeholders.
• Work with customers and partners to ensure that their needs are addressed in the roadmap and that they are kept apprised of new releases and updates.
• Work with prospects to define new products and quantify opportunity size.
• Work with marketing, design, and communications to understand industry and community needs in order to develop a product roadmap.
• Collaborate with marketing and communications teams to explain how changes will impact the user community and support the development of collateral and communications to the wider market
• Work with business development team on evaluating inclusion into roadmap, planning, and scheduling.
• Work with operations to gain awareness of potential defects and prioritize their resolution in the product release plan and roadmap.
• Work with Program Management amp; Engineering to ensure that features are delivered in the right sequence and meet business expectations in terms of quality, function, and schedule.
• Define priorities for product development and work closely with internal stakeholders, engineers, and testing teams to ensure what is delivered meets business expectations in terms of function and quality.
• Where relevant, engage and contribute to Open Source Software communities.
• Work with other Product Managers on product roadmap integration points.
• Report to and be guided by the Product Director, but be autonomous and take responsibility for your own product.
• Have a keen understanding of new developments/trends in the product landscape to drive product excellence.
• Remain current with developments and advances in blockchain, smart contracts, and cryptocurrency technology and business trends.
• Stay abreast with the activities of competitors from a technical and business perspective.
• Provide technical guidance in evaluating applications systems or evaluating requests for proposals.
• Write content including blogs, presentations and technical documentation in support of business functions including marketing and business development.

Requirements

Key Competencies

• Ability to identify, collect, analyze, and synthesize new market segment needs and expectations as far as innovative digital projects are concerned, and to build a product meeting these expectations and bringing revenues to the company.
• Ability to develop products considering several layers of Customer Users and User Experience, with the objective to boost additional company features, services, and average revenue.
• Have strong leadership skills, be resourceful, and take initiatives.
• Demonstrate competency with requirements elicitation, analysis, specification, verification, and management practices and the ability to apply them in practice.
• Develop productive relationships with a variety of levels and roles and manage user expectations effectively.
• Leverage strong interpersonal skills to drive innovation in product development with a team of world-class engineers and scientists.
• Have exemplary people and communications skills coupled with the ability to garner the respect of senior management and clients.
• Have a keen interest in blockchain and cryptocurrency technology developments and trends in the product landscape.
• Keep up to date with the status of competitors from a technical and business perspective.
• Ability to travel regularly.
• Ability to work remotely with minimum supervision.

Education / Experience

• A relevant BSc or MSc degree.
• Product Management certification is a plus (CPM, AIPMM).
• Experience as a Product Manager or Associate Product Manager, with a specific focus on digital and financial inclusion products and services in emerging/African markets.
• Hands-on experience managing all stages of the product life cycle.
• Good understanding and experience of doing business in Africa (ideally in Ethiopia) with Government clients is a plus.
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Job Rewards and Benefits