Product ManagerBFA Global

• We are looking for a Product Manager who can support Jobtech and TECA startups to improve their product offering based on identified users’ needs and problems, define product strategies such as roadmaps prioritisation or potential partnerships, analyse and understand the viability and sustainability of the product, and ultimately, to move Jobtech and TECA startups closer to product market fit.

What You’ll Do
As a Product Manager, your responsibilities will include the following:

• Support Jobtech and TECA startups in creating product development roadmaps and contribute to their overall product strategy.
• Successfully kick-off product development, including setting and testing hypotheses, doing customer research to understand users’ needs and validate ideas, and managing sprints and backlog grooming.
• Participate at any of the Product Life Cycle stages from discovery to ideation and/or idea validation, collaboratively with researchers, designers, and engineers, and translate user needs into product solutions.
• Analyse the viability and sustainability of various products and their features and appropriateness, given local markets and user preferences.
• Manage the execution of the product development roadmap, ensuring that milestones are met and progress is made iteratively.
• Lead projects with startup teams and BFA Global experts such as growth hackers, UX designers, researchers, and data analysts.
• Use analytics platforms to monitor and understand product metrics such as engagement and retention, funnels, or conversions (i.e. Firebase, Mixpanel or Amplitude).
• Analyse customer journeys and identify areas for optimisation. Use data insights that can ultimately improve the product.
• Design and run experiments to validate hypotheses cost-effectively.
• Create and disseminate knowledge products (presentations at high-profile industry events, blog posts, focus notes, case studies, white papers, best practice documents etc.) through appropriate channels.
• Proactively incorporate cutting-edge theoretical and practical methodologies while implementing technology-driven solutions.
• Keep up with the upcoming trends in technology and constantly strive to learn and improve on the same.
• Conduct user research based on the application by the startups.
• Additional tasks will depend on project requirements determined by our client-driven work.

Qualifications & Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degrees in Engineering, Computer Science or Statistics, or equivalent, MBAs are also a plus.
• Qualifications in human-centred design principal (HDC) or human-centred interaction design (HCI) will be an added advantage.
• Experience serving as a lead in projects with engineers, data scientists, UI/UX specialists, and designers.
• Demonstrated success defining, launching and managing e-commerce or digital financial products (fintech) such as credit, savings/investments, or insurance, among others.
• Expertise in lean product management, including design sprints, value proposition design, hypothesis-driven experimentation, roadmaps prioritisation, etc.
• At least 5+ years of experience managing digital products (USSD, SMS, mobile apps, web apps, data products) and should have experience in low connectivity areas.
• Must demonstrate the ability to think on your feet, i.e. a “hacker” mentality
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, startup environment, with strong attention to detail for all tasks
• Ability to complete tasks promptly while balancing several assignments with inputs from multiple team members

Any of the following will be considered a plus:

• Familiarity with financial inclusion and digital financial services innovation for low-income populations, economic development or social business sector.
• Familiarity working with different cultures and languages
• Experience with product management for low-income populations and/or in low-connectivity environments (i.e. USSD or SMS-based products)
• Spoken and written language proficiency in English. Proficiency in French will be an added advantage.

Competencies for the Senior Consultant position

• Problem-Solving Skills & Flexibility: This refers to evaluating a negative situation, analysing it and developing a creative solution that works for all stakeholders. 
• At this level, the Senior Consultant or Principal is expected to direct a project through the entire lifecycle and be accountable for successful project delivery and project outcomes, including client relationship management, overseeing a team across multiple geographies, team performance, and project profitability.
• It is also expected that the Senior Consultant or Principal conducts business development for a service line and generates new work (either alone or in a team).
• In these situations, problems tend to arise frequently, so employees at this level must demonstrate flexibility, a positive ‘can-do’ attitude and a willingness to grasp opportunities and the ability to demonstrate a dynamic approach to find creative and harmonious solutions for the team, specific individuals, clients, the business and other stakeholders that might be affected and respond positively to change and the challenges and opportunities it brings
• Goal setting for themselves and others: Goal setting as a competency is more than just saying what a person hopes to accomplish in a specific period.
• Senior Consultants/PCs and Unit Managers are expected to lead a multi-disciplinary project team to ensure successful project delivery, assist in overseeing or directly oversee a project team across multiple geographies on the day-to-day tasks of the project, and contribute appropriate mentorship to cultivate upskilling of consultants and/or analysts.
• Therefore, an employee who scores high in goal setting drives the team’s effectiveness by assisting in small and large goals for himself and for the team. Action plans are developed, and progress is constantly maintained to see if goals are on track.
• If adjustments are deemed necessary, the goal setter makes adjustments to redirect actions to meet the desired goals for themselves and the team, always maintaining the team focused on achieving the project outcomes.
• Give and receive feedback: This refers to giving and receiving actionable, candid, timely and kind feedback that helps improve one’s or another colleagues’ performance. In the workplace, it’s important to know how to provide feedback to others effectively and constructively as a way to learn from one another and enable each other’s growth. It’s also important to listen to feedback others provide to us to make sure we work successfully with one another.
• Communicate clearly and effectively: This refers to being concise and articulate in speech and writing. Employees with good communication skills listen well and seek to understand before reacting.
• They adapt their communication styles to work well with people from around the world who may not share the same native language and with people at all levels, from colleagues to clients to partners. Managers listen to the perspective the team brings and listen to suggestions.
• Teamwork and reliability: Employees with teamwork skills work cohesively with others towards a common goal, creating a positive working atmosphere and supporting other team members.
• Employees with teamwork skills also demonstrate leadership and collaboration, are reliable team members and are trusted by colleagues with time-sensitive tasks and challenging problems.

Remuneration
Compensation will be commensurate with experience.