Product Manager – CORE

Product Manager – CORE

Location: Nairobi, Nairobi County, Kenya
Department: Product
Employment Type: Full-time
Work Arrangement: Fully remote
Application Deadline: Apply by September 28, 2023

Kyosk Digital Services Limited

Job Description: Product Manager – CORE

Location: Remote in Africa, Nairobi
Reporting Lines: Direct report to Product Director; Functional report to Head of Engineering Platforms & System Architecture

Role Profile

Are you an experienced and technically-savvy Product Manager ready to take on a pivotal role? Join our team at Kyosk Digital Services Limited as a Product Manager – CORE and own the strategy behind our core platform. This role is crucial in ensuring that our platform aligns seamlessly with business requirements, offering scalability, stability, and security.

Your Mission

As the Product Manager for our core platform, your mission is to craft and execute a strategic roadmap for its development. This platform’s success is central to our business growth, so your expertise in scaling, stabilizing, and securing it will be pivotal.

What You’ll Do

Collaborate & Lead: Work closely with cross-functional teams, including engineering, architecture, and operations, to ensure a harmonized approach to platform enhancements. Your technical acumen and market insights will guide our growth.

Innovate: Navigate complex technical challenges, create ingenious solutions, and drive continuous improvements to optimize the core platform.

Impact: This role isn’t just about Kyosk; it’s about shaping the future of digital service delivery across Africa.

Key Responsibilities

Product Ownership and Strategy

• Own the Roadmap: Take complete ownership of the core software platform’s roadmap, aligning it with the company’s overall business goals.
• Define Excellence: Identify key features, functionalities, and improvements needed, grounded in technical requirements and market analysis.
• Strategic Partnerships: Collaborate with stakeholders, including engineering, architecture, and executives, to prioritize initiatives that boost the platform’s performance and scalability.

Technical Roadmap Development

• Technology Evolution: Create a detailed technical roadmap for the core platform, encompassing technology upgrades, system architecture enhancements, and infrastructure improvements.
• Manage Technical Debt: Work with the engineering team to identify and address technical debt, ensuring long-term maintainability and scalability.

Market and Technology Analysis

• Stay Ahead: Conduct in-depth market analysis, focusing on technical trends, to identify opportunities for innovation and competitive advantage within the core platform.
• Continuous Learning: Keep up with industry best practices and emerging technologies, integrating insights into the platform’s strategy.

Product Definition and Backlog Management

• Precise Specifications: Collaborate closely with the engineering team to define clear and precise product specifications and user stories that align with technical requirements and platform objectives.
• Prioritize Effectively: Manage the technical product backlog, ensuring efficient prioritization of tasks and deliverables.

Agile Development and Release Planning

• Champion Agility: Implement agile methodologies for technical product development, fostering collaboration between product, engineering, and cross-functional teams.
• Plan Strategically: Coordinate with the engineering team to plan releases, set functional timelines, and ensure seamless feature delivery.

Technical Documentation

• Documentation Excellence: Work with technical stakeholders to create and maintain comprehensive technical documentation for the core software platform, including system architecture diagrams, API documentation, and technical specifications.
• Always Current: Ensure technical documentation is up-to-date, easily accessible, and a valuable resource for development teams.

Product Performance Analysis

• Measure Success: Establish and track key performance indicators (KPIs) for the core platform’s technical aspects, analyzing and reporting on these metrics to identify areas for optimization.
• Data-Driven Decisions: Use data-driven insights to prioritize future technical enhancements.

Collaboration and Communication

• Seamless Collaboration: Foster effective communication and collaboration between cross-functional teams, ensuring a successful development process.
• Stay Informed: Keep stakeholders apprised of technical initiative progress, milestones, and potential delivery risks.

Skills & Key Competencies

Required:

• Technical Background: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field. 2-7 years of product management experience in a technical environment, with a focus on customer-centric core platform solutions.
• Fintech Expertise: 2-5 years of hands-on experience in building Fintech applications or platforms, including Buy Now Pay Later, Stock Financing, E-Wallet, Insurance, Savings, or Agency Banking.
• Communication: Exceptional communication and presentation skills, securing buy-in from stakeholders and delivering product-related presentations internally and externally.
• Ownership: Demonstrate ownership, commitment, and a proactive attitude in project execution.
• Collaboration and Agile Methodology: Proven experience in creating product plans and effectively communicating the product roadmap, using Agile methodologies.
• Time Management: Exceptional time management skills to prioritize work effectively in a fast-paced environment.
• User-Centric Approach: Strong user understanding and empathy, with an eye for good design and user experience.
• Work Ethic: Display a proactive attitude and a commitment to success.

Desired:

• Empathy for Lower Socio-economic Segments: Experience in understanding the needs of lower socio-economic segments.
• High-Growth Startup Experience: Previous experience in a high-growth startup environment.
• Toolset Familiarity: Familiarity with product management tools such as Jira, Confluence, and Productboard.

About Kyosk Digital Services Limited

Kyosk is a tech-led company that connects informal retailers directly to fast-moving consumer goods companies (FMCGs) in Africa. We bridge the gap by communicating demand from retail outlets to FMCGs and managing goods delivery.

Our digital-first platform ensures competitive pricing and efficient stock delivery for retail outlets while helping FMCGs solve distribution challenges.

Kyosk also promotes financial inclusion by leveraging fintech innovations to digitize payments for millions of informal retailers and consumers across Africa. Our Product and Engineering teams are at the forefront of innovation in Africa.

Apply by September 28, 2023

Join us in shaping the future of digital service delivery across Africa. Apply now!

Please submit your application in English language.

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Expert Tips To Be A Successful Applicant

1. Highlight Your Technical Expertise: Showcase your technical background and experience in managing core platforms. Provide specific examples of projects you’ve led or contributed to.
2. Fintech Focus: Emphasize your expertise in Fintech, especially if you’ve worked on applications or platforms related to Buy Now Pay Later, Stock Financing, E-Wallet, Insurance, Savings, or Agency Banking.
3. Effective Communication: Stress your communication skills. Describe situations where you’ve effectively communicated product strategies and gained buy-in from stakeholders.
4. Ownership and Collaboration: Illustrate your sense of ownership and commitment to project success. Share stories where you’ve taken charge of tasks and worked collaboratively with cross-functional teams.
5. Agile Approach: If you have experience with Agile methodologies, highlight it. Provide examples of how you’ve used Agile to streamline product development.
6. Time Management: Explain your time management skills, especially in prioritizing tasks in a fast-paced environment. Show your adaptability and desire for continuous improvement.
7. User-Centric Mindset: Discuss your ability to understand user needs and drive product enhancements. Mention your eye for good design