Senior Product Manager (Western Cape) at Flash Group

Job Role:

• The Senior Product Manager will lead the development and execution of strategic initiatives for multiple products within our Ithemba electricity department.
• This role involves overseeing comprehensive product roadmaps, ensuring alignment with business objectives and market needs, and managing the entire product lifecycle from concept to launch and post-launch optimisation.
• The successful candidate will have a high degree of ownership over the products, their growth, and the customer experience, thinking long-term to bring products to market in both informal and formal retail spaces.
• You will be responsible for product features, processes, and driving end-to-end product growth by collaborating with numerous cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities:

Cross-functional Team Leadership

• Lead cross-functional teams to ensure cohesive and timely product development.
• Collaborate with design, engineering, and marketing teams to deliver high-quality products.
• Ensure compliance with legal and financial regulations across all product initiatives.

Product Lifecycle Management

• Own the products and their success from end-to-end.
• Drive growth of product turnover and penetration into market segments and channels.
• Develop detailed business requirements and user stories with the product development team.
• Manage the entire product lifecycle from concept to launch and post-launch optimization
• Make data-driven decisions to enhance product features and improve performance.
• Gather market research and study industry trends.

Stakeholder Management

• Engage with senior leadership to communicate product vision, strategy, and performance.
• Collaborate with internal channel teams to identify growth opportunities.
• Regularly communicate with senior management on commercial health, product status, risks, and change controls.
• Present product updates and strategic initiatives to executive teams and key stakeholders.

Mentorship & Development

• Mentor and guide junior and associate PMs, providing feedback and support.
• Lead training sessions to share knowledge and best practices with the broader team.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement within the product/operations management team.

Requirements

Requirements:

• Required: 5+ years of experience in product management, with a strong background in leading product development initiatives and managing cross-functional teams in Fintech.
• A Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Computer Science, or a related field, or certification in Product Management (e.g., Pragmatic Institute, AIPMM) or Agile methodologies (e.g., Certified Scrum Product Owner, SAFe) or Business Analysis (e.g., IIBA) or Project Management certifications (e.g. PMI or Prince2) (advantageous).
• Fintech-specific certifications, such as Certified FinTech Professional (CFP) (advantageous).

Required Knowledge / Technical Skills:

• Extensive experience in leading strategic product initiatives and managing complex product lifecycles in Fintech.
• Deep understanding of South African market dynamics, customer behaviour, and competitive analysis within the financial services industry.
• Advanced experience and expertise in integrated fintech ecosystems, including in-depth knowledge of APIs and Swagger, with a strong track record of successfully managing complex projects.
• Proven ability to drive product innovation, optimize product performance, and ensure alignment with business objectives.
• Strong track record of making data-driven decisions and resolving technical, functional, and business issues.
• Experience in mentoring junior PMs and fostering a culture of continuous improvement and learning.

Advantageous Knowledge & Experience

• Extensive experience in managing utilities, municipalities, and/or aggregators.
• Experience with prepayment/prepaid electricity vending and comprehension of the industry value chain.
• Experience with government contracting and public sector procurement processes.
• Proven success in managing complex stakeholder relationships and influencing executive-level decision-making.
• Familiarity with advanced financial technologies and their application in product development.
• Experience in leading cross-functional teams through major product pivots, mergers, or acquisitions.

Competencies / Attributes:

• Product Strategy & Research: Defines and drives overarching product vision, aligning it with Ithemba organisational goals and adapting strategies based on large-scale market research and feedback.
• Performance & Analytics: Uses advanced analytics to improve product performance, translating complex data into strategic insights and recommendations for senior leadership
• Market Segmentation & Positioning: Leads strategic market segmentation, competitor research, and positioning efforts, ensuring alignment with long-term business objectives and market dynamics.
• Roadmaps & Requirements: Oversees and balances strategic product roadmaps, facilitating cross-functional collaboration to gather and prioritise complex requirements aligned with business goals.
• Launch & Operational Support: Crafts sophisticated go-to-market strategies, managing the full product lifecycle, while ensuring operational readiness, risk mitigation, and continuous process improvements post-launch.