Chief Product Officer at Kuda

Description

Introduction:

Kuda is a full service, app-based digital bank. Our mission is to be the go-to bank not just for those living on the African continent, but also for the African diaspora wherever they might live, anywhere in the world. Kuda is free of ridiculous banking charges and great at helping customers budget, spend smartly and save more. We raised the largest seed round ever seen in Africa, and completed a Series A funding round in February 2021, led by some of the world's smartest venture capital investors.

With offices in London (our HQ), Lagos and Cape Town, and further offices opening across Africa during 2021, Kuda is fast becoming recognised as the leading 'Neobank' for Africans.

To help us grow into a company that can bring meaningful change to the way people across Africa get access to great financial products and services, in order to take control of their personal finances, we are actively looking for bright, talented, driven people who are excited by our mission. If this sounds like a great way to spend your valuable time, then please get in touch with us.

Role Overview:

The Chief Product Officer’s role is to ensure the successful execution of the company’s product mission through the development and deployment of Kuda’s web and apps platforms, and other channels such as USSD, APIs etc. They will be responsible for the strategy and execution of all product-related activities. Establishing a product vision, product innovation, product development, product design, and building a product organization all fall under this umbrella.

This requires envisioning the company’s service offerings as a digital business, leading the product team in the implementation of applications and features, and planning for risk, monetisation, and growth. You will lead and facilitate the creation of products that deliver value to both customers and the business, and lead a product management (PM) team in building great products that deliver sustainable value to the business. The Chief Product Officer role is therefore responsible for the strategic product direction - including product vision, product innovation, product design, product development, product marketing, project management, and project resources planning.

You will make sure services and product offerings are all functioning supremely well, and you will possess keen leadership and organisational skills, a sharp and creative mind, and a successful track record of managing and motivating product teams at scale.

Responsibilities include:

• The product strategy, identifying the target market, customer segments and unique selling points that our product suite needs to deliver in order to succeed. You would also identify opportunities and risks for delivering the company’s services, including identification of competitive services, opportunities for innovation, and assessment of marketplace obstacles and technical hurdles to the business success.

• Management of company staff or outsourced vendors who will implement the applications.

• To lead and coach a high-performing team to run effective products that deliver customer and business value. You will also be expected to help grow this team.

• Identify technology trends and evolving social behaviour that may support or impede the success of the business.

• Lead strategic planning to achieve business goals by identifying and prioritizing development initiatives and setting timetables for the evaluation, development, and deployment of all web-based services.

• Participate as a member of the senior management team in establishing governance processes of direction and control to ensure that objectives are achieved, risks are managed appropriately, and Kuda’s resources are used responsibly.

• In collaboration with the CTO and Compliance department, direct development and execution of a company-wide information security and disaster recovery and business continuity plan pertaining to the Products.

• Responsibility for the product and customer development process for the company as a whole, helping your teams to test hypotheses, break down complex problems and ensure good feedback loops are in place.

• Help set up the structure and team for success, making sure we define goals to be achieved, build a team of internal and external hires, assign responsibility, and deliver on commitments.

• Development of roadmaps (we have several products at different stages which you will oversee).

• Communicate Kuda’s product strategy to investors, management, staff, partners, customers, and stakeholders.

• Establish and supervise quality assurance processes, including integration and system testing.

• Review and approve proposed development releases and manage the release process.

• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of technology standards, industry trends, emerging technologies, and software development best practices by attending relevant conferences and reading.

• Help to develop, track, and control the development and deployment of annual operating and capital budgets for purchasing, staffing, and operations.

• Supervise or be involved in the recruitment, training, retention, and organization of all product team staff.

• Establish standards of performance and monitor performance for staff (through performance review) and vendors (through service level agreements).

• Input into finance (P&L management), Marketing, strategy, hiring plans, and other departments where reasonably required.

Requirements

• Have led products across all stages of the product life cycle, and have ideally worked in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.

• Have experience in the B2C and B2B sectors, specifically something finance-related (challenger banks, payments, fintech, etc.).

• Be happy with a "hands-on" role even when the team grows.

• Whilst being hands-on, be able to step back and be involved with the CEO and Founders on the highest level of strategy for the business.

• 10 -15 years of experience in Product development roles.

• At least 5 years in a very senior/leadership capacity.

• Very good level of technical understanding.

• Ability to articulate ideas to both technical and non-technical audiences.

• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English.

• Exceptionally self-motivated and directed.

• Superior analytical, evaluative, and problem-solving abilities.

• Excellent relationship building, stakeholder engagement and stakeholder management skills.

Benefits

• 25 Days Leave per annum

• The Cape Town team share offices in Claremont to enable connection and collaboration, but we currently follow a remote-first work policy and offer flexible working hours.

• We look forward to offering great perks and benefits in the near future, to create a rewarding environment that supports work-life balance.

• Additionally, we will soon be introducing a full range of health and wellness benefits covering medical support, long term savings, insurance as well as a few other exciting perks!