Reporting to the Director – Digifarm, the Product Manager (Merchant Solutions) will be responsible for leading the product development of Digifarm’s merchant platform (conducting market research; generating product requirements; determining specifications, product roadmap, partnerships, pricing, and go to market)

RESPONSIBILITIES

Insights, Research and Analysis

• Determine customers’ needs and desires by specifying the research needed to obtain market information.
• Articulate market requirements, consumer trends and opportunities.
• Identify opportunities for product innovation and enhancements.
• Assess and benchmark to competition, and drive market leadership through best-in-class products and customer experience.

Product Planning and Management

• Recommend the nature and scope of present and future products (merchant platform)  by reviewing product specifications and requirements, appraising new product ideas and/or product changes.
• Bring new products to market by analyzing proposed product requirements and product development programs.
• Define the long-term strategy of Digifarm’s payments products and create and manage product road map.
• Prepare market requirement documents and product use cases to drive product activity.
• Work with commercial team to develop pricing strategies and product policies.
• Provide technical & thought leadership throughout various stages of solution lifecycle – planning, design, specification, implementation and launch.
• Create user cases and detailed product roadmap documents to articulate desired features and functionalities to Developers and Designers.
• Build relationships with, onboard and manage partnerships required for the execution of the products.

Customer and End-User Support

• Manage product-related support, feedback, and inquiries from users.
• Co-ordinate market research to track customer and end-user feedback.
• Use market feedback to inform product refinements and ongoing development.
• Build awareness and understanding of the products across the company – be Digifarm’s ‘evangelist.’

Post Launch governance 

• Track and analyze metrics compared to industry benchmarks, publish reports on product performance, trends, and risks/opportunities for both short and long term.
• Support teams that track and manage business case metrics and financial planning models ensuring that product delivery stays on track and on budget.
• Monitor impact of product features on key metrics.

Key performance indicators

• Successful development of an insights-led merchants platform that solves for customer challenges.
• Roll out and ongoing innovation across the platform to drive customer growth, retention and strong value propositions.
• Roadmap planning, prioritization and delivery of the product in a timely and efficient manner.
• Defined metrics, controls and fully documented processes for the platform.
• Drive transformative impact on agriculture, farmers and food security through creative problem solving and innovation.

Core competencies, knowledge and experience

Customer Obsession

• Deepen team connection to our customers and communities.
• Foster authentic relationships with customers and partners that build trust.
• Explicitly take customer-centric decisions and take personal ownership to achieve results.
• Simplify processes through digitalisation and promote a digital mindset and digital first customer experience.
• Stay focused on the big priorities, know when to make meaningful trade-offs and demonstrate brilliant execution.

Purpose

• Create an inspiring vision for your team to drive strategy and performance.
• Show ambition and courage, empowering others to go beyond the plan.
• Bold and challenge teams to reimagine how things are done.
• Prompt new thinking and ideas by asking “what if” questions.
• Use knowledge of the external environment (customers, partners, competition, external bodies) to identify and act on opportunities for growth at pace.

Innovation

• Create psychological safety so everyone can have an impact.
• Fuel innovative ideas from others and test them to enable growth.
• Explore successes and failures with curiosity and resilience; fearlessly recognizing lessons learned.
• Share your ongoing learning and personal purpose with others.
• Learn fast from digital adoption, using learnings to drive simplicity, scale and efficiency.

Collaboration

• Articulate your team’s role in making our strategy happen, prioritizing and aligning resources with current and future needs.
• Actively collaborate to break silos and hold your team accountable to do the same.
• Develop others to make the most of their talents and coach them to take ownership to get things done.
• Create an inclusive environment ensuring the safety and wellbeing of others.
• Live our Purpose and demonstrate the highest Standard of integrity.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Relevant Business Undergraduate Degree or relevant field along with professional qualifications, or equivalent qualification(s) from a recognized institution of higher learning.
• At least seven (6) years’ knowledge and experience in the relevant field with at least three (3) in in product management, product development or business development within the financial services industry (preference for digital financial services, fintech or agri-fintech).
• Member in good standing of a recognized professional body.
• Superior business understanding, with the ability to leverage technology to solve business and technical issues.
• Possess high professional and ethical standards.
• Be a strategic thinker with an analytical mind.