Intermediate Product Manager

Job description

Are you the person everyone relies on when the stakes are high?

Do you thrive under pressure, meeting deadlines with precision and grace?

Your adaptability to change is unmatched, your organisational skills are second to none, and multitasking feels like second nature.

You’re not just a team player—you excel at collaborating across teams and balancing diverse priorities with ease.

Driven by passion, dedication, and an unrelenting work ethic, you consistently go above and beyond to achieve excellence.

You embrace challenges, continuously seek opportunities for growth, and innovate at every turn.

Does this sound like you?

As we strive to build the world's leading innovation agency, we need someone who can match this growth with their career.

If you thrive in high-performance teams, excel when working autonomously, and consistently seek greater efficiency and innovation, we want to hear about your ambitions.

Who is Specno?

We are a value-driven company at the forefront of innovation, specialising in designing and developing cutting-edge mobile and web applications.

Our solutions empower businesses to grow, achieve their goals, and unlock their full potential.

We pride ourselves on building exceptional teams and combining global talent across product, design, development, and business operations to deliver excellence in every project.

With a prominent presence in South Africa’s venture and innovation ecosystem, we’ve partnered with over 200 businesses in the past six years, including renowned brands like Pepkor, Takealot, Wellness Warehouse, Planet Fitness, Quicket, Standard Bank, and Capitec.

Your role

As an Intermediate Product Manager, you will bridge the gap between business needs, technical capabilities, and user experiences to drive the success of our products.

In this role, you will collaborate with cross-functional international teams to build high-quality, progressive, and user-friendly web and native applications that drive innovation.

Your expertise will be crucial in defining product strategies, managing development cycles, and ensuring seamless collaboration across teams.

With your passion for innovation and problem-solving, you’ll deliver solutions that create value for our customers and align with company goals.

Your Responsibilities

1. Define and communicate the product vision, strategy, and roadmaps to align with business objectives, while documenting product requirements, including user stories and acceptance criteria.
   
   
2. Facilitate Agile ceremonies like stand-ups, sprint planning, and retrospectives, while managing sprints, prioritising backlogs, and working closely with cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality features on time.
   
   
3. Manage the product lifecycle, from ideation to launch and iteration.
   
   
4. Analyse market trends, customer feedback, and competitive data to inform product decisions.
   
   
5. Communicate progress, updates, and roadmaps to stakeholders at all levels to ensure alignment.
   
   
6. Identify and mitigate risks to ensure the smooth delivery of projects.
   
   
7. Use data, feedback, and research to deeply understand user needs and translate them into actionable product requirements.
   
   
8. Monitor product performance and identify opportunities for enhancement and innovation.
   
   

Your Qualifications

1. Bachelor's degree in information systems, computer science or equivalent experience.
   
   
2. 4+ years of industry experience, preferably in a fast-paced environment.
   
   
3. Good understanding of system architecture (Bonus: System thinking courses, design thinking courses).
   
   
4. Experience as a product manager across multiple products at one time, specifically for technology products.
   
   
5. Experience taking a product in a product line from zero to launch.
   
   
6. The ability to analyse a client’s vision, the problem they’re trying to solve, their end-users, their competitors, their budget, their minimal viable product, and how their system might scale.
   
   
7. A portfolio of product/s you’ve been responsible for OR that you have been heavily involved in.
   
   
8. Project management skills and the ability to lead cross-functional teams.
   
   
9. Experience working in Agile/Scrum environments with a strong familiarity with iterative processes.
   
   
10. Solid understanding of business principles and practices.
    
    

Qualities We Look For In This Role

1. Exemplifies Specno values and standards in every aspect of work.
   
   
2. Exceptional communication and collaboration skills to articulate concepts and decisions clearly while working effectively in cross-functional and diverse teams.
   
   
3. Adaptability to thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced environment and handle changing priorities with ease.
   
   
4. Passion for innovation, creativity, and continuous learning to stay ahead and competitive in the design field.
   
   
5. Receptive to feedback and skilled at providing constructive feedback to improve designs.
   
   
6. Mentorship abilities with a willingness to guide juniors and contribute to team growth.
   
   
7. Ownership and accountability for delivering high-quality design outcomes.
   
   
8. Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail to address complex challenges effectively.
   
   

What You Can Expect Working For Us

1. Growth.
   
   This role allows you to unlock unimaginable opportunities for personal and professional development.
   
   If you aspire to be the best, this is your opportunity to work alongside top-tier talent, learn from each other, and grow together.
   
   
2. Trust and freedom.
   
   While we are very adamant about people following processes that allow our team to be more effective, we allow for a lot of autonomy and give you space to create the environment that maximizes your output.
   
   We value your opinions and insights.
   
   
3. Hybrid setup but an awesome office culture.
   
   The majority of our team chooses to come in every day.
   
   We have a fully stocked breakfast and snack kitchen and cook lunch for the whole team.
   
   You feel the ambition and buzz in the air when you are in the office.
   
   
4. Generous leave policy.
   
   Enjoy ample leave to recharge, including time off for your birthday.
   
   
5. Group experiences.
   
   From cooking classes and rollerblading to sunset cruises and themed office gatherings, we know how to make every event memorable.
   
   It's our way of rewarding hard work while boosting team spirit and morale.
   
   

Availability

The ideal candidate will be ready to start as soon as possible.

Job Type

Permanent position.

Competitive salary with growth far above market.

Next Steps

Submit your CV and application.

A culture interview - Do you have what it takes to fit in here?

A performance interview/technical assessment - let’s see your track record.

You interview our people - you should want to work here and get an honest view of why this is the best place for you.

Come eat lunch with us, and meet our team.

Go from department to department interviewing different people.

A founders interview.

Let’s talk openly - cards on the table.

Reference checks.

Contract and contract review.

Remember, we hold you accountable to your targets, but if you make it through the interview then we believe in you and are choosing to invest in you.

We want to see you succeed.

Given the high volume of applications, please allow 2-4 weeks for us to process your application.

We appreciate your patience and are thrilled about the possibility of having you on our team.

Required Skill Profession

Product Management