We believe EVERYONE in the world deserves access to the internet and affordable communications. Communications have an incredibly positive impact on improving the lives of individuals and accelerating the economic and social growth of developing countries; yet 4.4 billion people around the world are still unconnected and many more are poorly serviced. At poa! we believe everyone deserves access to the internet and it should not be limited to the privileged few. Our poa! Internet service provides wireless broadband to low income and rural communities across East Africa, offering individuals and small businesses highly affordable Internet access. poa! brings significant social benefit to the communities we serve by offering free access to digital content including educational and health materials as well as generating substantial employment opportunities.

Mission Statement for the Role:

Innovation is at the core of Poa’s ability to scale rapidly and cost-effectively, product development plays a crucial part in that. The Mission for the product manager is to own the end to end delivery of product features and roadmap continually driving efficiencies and innovations to meet our strategic goals

Overall Responsibility:

The Product Manager will work on identifying, validating designing and enabling a set of product features across different product areas that impact several business segments to provide solutions to solve customer/user challenges.​

Key SMART Results for A-Player Success:

Customer-Centric Product Development & Strategic Vision: By end of year 1

• Assist in managing product features or components to align with customer needs and strategic objectives.
• Conduct research and gathering data to inform product decisions, ensuring they resonate with customer expectations.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to develop and execute strategic initiatives that enhance the customer experience.

Revenue Growth and Market Expansion: By end of year 1

• Support other product managers in prioritizing features and initiatives that drive revenue growth and market expansion.
• Provide insights based on data analysis to identify opportunities for revenue optimization and market penetration.
• Assist with the development of strategies to capitalize on emerging market trends and customer demands.

Cross-Functional Collaboration through fostering collaboration across multiple business functions: By end of year 1

• Collaborating effectively with cross-functional teams to deliver on product deliverables and objectives.
• Communicating priorities and coordinating efforts across different departments to ensure alignment with product goals.

Learning and Development: By end of year 1

• Learning to balance tactical execution with strategic thinking to contribute effectively to product development.
• Adapting to the fast-paced and dynamic nature of the product environment, continuously seeking opportunities for learning and growth.
• Developing proficiency in product management fundamentals, data analysis, and research techniques to enhance skills and expertise.

Execute on Product Priorities: By end of year 1

• Learning to balance tactical execution with strategic thinking to contribute effectively to product development.
• Adapting to the fast-paced and dynamic nature of the product environment, continuously seeking opportunities for learning and growth.
• Developing proficiency in product management fundamentals, data analysis, and research techniques to enhance skills and expertise.

Level of Management Experience required (Mandatory & Nice to Have)Must have 6 Months-1 year of experience

Department stage of development where this role sits

Preparing for Scale

Key Competencies Criticality (H, M, L)

• Strategic Thinking: Ability to set a clear product vision and strategy-M
• Market Understanding: A deep understanding of market trends, customer needs, and competition-M
• Communication: Strong communication skills for conveying the product vision and goals-H
• Decision-Making: The capability to make informed decisions based on data and insights-L
• Stakeholder Management: Managing relationships with various stakeholders effectively-L
• Technical Skills or Domain Knowledge-M

Mandatory Criteria if any with no exceptions to hire

• Developing product management fundamentals.
• Effective teamwork and communication skills.
• Data analysis and research capabilities.
• Willingness to learn and grow within the role.
• 6 Months- 1 year in product development