Technical Product Manager, West & Central Africa at Sun King

Technical Product Manager

About Sun King

Sun King is the world’s largest off-grid solar energy company with cutting-edge product design, pioneering fintech and a grassroots installation model that provides energy to the 1.8 billion consumers across Africa and Asia who lack access to reliable electricity. Founded in 2007, Sun King sets the gold standard for off-grid solar performance and design as part of its mission: powering access to brighter lives.

Sun King’s 2,500+ staff and 23,000 field agents serve 100 million product users based in 65 countries around the world. With direct-to-consumer sales active in 11 countries, Sun King is growing rapidly. Every month, we equip 330,000 homes and businesses with power and light.

The needs of energy consumers in Africa and Asia are diverse. From cost-effective and durable lamps to powerful home and business energy systems as well as modern entertainment and energy storage systems, Sun King’s broad array of products unlock a higher quality of life. Whether devising safe and environmentally friendly electric-powered cookers or exploring the future of pay-as-you-go mobility and vehicles in Africa to concocting ever-more-powerful solar energy solutions, Sun King’s technology team nurtures and devises scalable, inventive solutions to pressing global challenges.

Sun King’s innovative pay-as-you-go financing model dismantles the upfront cost burden that blocks low-income households from transitioning from polluting and harmful kerosene fuels and gas generators to clean, affordable and green solar energy. Sun King customers can purchase products using the company’s technology-enabled, pay-as-you-go “Easy Buy” financing service, which breaks payments down into regular, affordable instalments. These payments can be made via mobile money for as little as $0.15 a day. After one to two years of payments, customers own their solar equipment outright.

Though united by a commitment to serving underserved off-grid families, Sun King comprises a broad, inclusive group of individuals working across 11 countries. Sun King’s world-class roster of product designers, data scientists, logistics experts, customer service professionals, operations gurus and marketing and communications strategists work together to devise solutions to the complicated and multidimensional challenges of energy access, climate action and social inclusion.

Across the diverse countries where we operate and work, we build awareness of diversity and promote equity. Sun King is committed to gender equality in the workplace. Women represent 47% of Sun King’s workforce.We’re on a mission to power access to brighter lives. Sun King designs, distributes, installs, and finances solar home energy products for the 1.8 billion people currently living without reliable energy access.

 

 

 

 

Job Description

The New Products Development team is a part of the Operations department, which is comprised of innovative, solutions-oriented people that work closely with Sun King’s global and regional Research and Procurement, Sales, Finance, and Marketing teams to make sure hundreds of thousands of Sun King products reach last-mile consumers each month.

 

 

 

 

 

About the role:

As a member of the New Product Development Team, you will be a key stakeholder in developing Sun King’s future products and services. Reporting to the Global Product Manager, you will work at the intersection of business, technology, and customer experience teams to ideate, develop, pilot, and launch new life-changing products across Sub-Saharan Africa.

This role is an exciting career opportunity for a value-motivated innovator with a combination of technical and organizational skills who is passionate about working with off-grid consumers and delivering the next generation of Sun King products. The products and services you will build will have a transformative impact for millions of households.

 

 

 

Department: Operations

Employment Type: Permanent – Full Time

Location: Nigeria

Workplace type: Hybrid

Reporting To: Global Product Manager

 

 

 

 

 

 

What you would be expected to do:

New Product Identification

  • Generate, refine and consolidate new product ideas, market research and customer requirements, drawing from relationships across the company, including R&D, sales, marketing, and operations teams.
  • Develop customer survey templates, collect feedback, and present to internal stakeholders
  • Evaluate current offerings from industry peers, seeking opportunities for differentiation.
  • Translate product strategy into detailed requirements for prototype construction.
  • Test prototypes and potential new products to validate its commercial viability. Specify product requirements and feedback for R&D.

New Product Pilots

  • Act as the Project Manager to deploy successful pilots, defining the purpose, major deliverables, KPIs, timelines, risks, and roles of internal stakeholders.
  • Track and document key pilot project deliverables, including customer engagement, usage habits, product availability, and the weekly number of generated prospects.
  • Coordinate with internal and external stakeholders to ensure deliverables (selecting pilot areas, inventory readiness, training, etc.) are met on time.
  • Carry out Engineering Validation Testing (focusing on the features) and Technical Validation Testing (focusing on integration) and generate a Product Requirements Document (PRD)
  • Collect Customer Feedback on the product performance and expectations and present to internal stakeholders.
  • Report the progress and results of the pilot through a comprehensive memo or a presentation.
  • Provide insights on lessons learned, recommendations for a successful GTM approach, product design or process changes, if needed.
  • Oversee a successful transition from the pilot stage to commercial scale.

New Product Introduction

  • Clearly convey the product vision. Translate technical specifications, benefits, differentiation against rivals, and its fit with Sun King to a language customers can appreciate.
  • Work with various departments to design a sales and service process for new products and the route to market.
  • Assist in the Training and Marketing Teams by reviewing training materials, spec sheets, packaging, and highlighting the Customer Value Proposition (CVP)
  • Assist in the development of service requirements for new products, working closely with the After-Sales and Call Center teams to ensure customer service is prepared prior to the product launch.
  • Work with the R&D Team to define and implement product iterations and cascade the changes to respective stakeholders.

 

 

 

 

You might be a strong candidate if you:

  • Have a Bachelors Degree in product design, engineering, energy systems, the physical sciences, or a related field.
  • Experience in Solar Refrigeration will be an advantage.
  • Have minimum 4 years experience as technical Product Manager preferably in the solar industry
  • Have an entrepreneurial spirit and with the ability to work well on your own, ability to figure things out with innovative thinking, problem-solving skills, and presence of mind.
  • Are curious to ideate and expand product offerings in segments complimentary to solar energy, such as clean mobility solutions.
  • Have the ability to collect and synthesize user feedback for actionable items.
  • Have critical thinking skills: Strong ability to structure problems and drive towards solutions even in ambiguous situations
  • Have financial knowledge to quantify economic value propositions and commercial opportunities of new product offerings.
  • Have experience in spearheading the expansion of new product lines or segments
  • Can execute and manage projects effectively.
  • Are Open to travel within the region and possibly to other Sun King markets
  • Display excellent communication skills, energy, and the ability to handle obstacles at a rapidly growing organization. You can communicate product choices through the lens of multiple stakeholders.

 

 

 

 

What we offer:

  • A platform for professional growth in a rapidly expanding, high-impact sector.
  • Immerse in a collaborative culture, energized by Sun King’s employees who are collectively motivated by fostering a transformative, sustainable venture.
  • A genuinely global environment: Engage and learn alongside a diverse group from varied geographies and backgrounds.
  • Tailored learning pathways through the Sun King Academy to elevate your leadership and managerial capabilities.

 

 

 

 

 

How to Apply

Interested and qualified candidates should Click on the link to apply online 

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