Head, Product Solutions

ROLE OVERVIEW

As the Head of Product Solutions, your role is to lead and oversee the technical implementation of product solutions that will level up our service offering. You will collaborate closely with Service Delivery teams and other stakeholders to understand their needs, identify product requirements, translate them into actionable technical solutions, and implement these solutions. 

As a key leader, you will play a vital role in driving innovation, optimizing processes, and fostering a culture of excellence within the Service Delivery teams to technologically empower them to deliver exceptional customer experiences.

To be successful in this role, you must possess a strong technical background and a deep understanding of product development processes. A keen eye for detail and a strategic mindset are essential in aligning technical solutions with the specific needs of the Service Delivery Teams. Being able to communicate complex technical concepts to users, non-technical stakeholders, and senior management is crucial to drive alignment and support for product initiatives. Additionally, your ability to stay at the top of industry trends and emerging technologies will enable you to identify opportunities for innovation and make our service offering competitive in the market.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Lead implementation of cutting-edge product solutions that will elevate the efficiency, effectiveness, and performance of the Service Delivery teams.

• Work closely with Service Delivery teams to develop a deep understanding of service delivery processes, assess their operational needs, gather feedback, and identify pain points. 
• Prepare comprehensive and well-defined product requirements, ensuring that the proposed solutions effectively address the specific needs and challenges of the Service Delivery teams.
• Review, assess and evaluate existing off-the-shelf solutions with the goal of integrating them into the product solutions utilized by our Service Delivery teams.
• Plan and manage product solutions budget and utilization of resources. Develop business cases and communicate accurate budget impact/forecast of work.
• Build and manage productive relationships with various product solutions partners. 
• Take ownership of creating and maintaining detailed and accurate documentation for all product solutions, incl. technical specifications, manuals, process maps, SOPs, and checklists. 
• Develop and manage product roadmaps in alignment with business goals, ensuring a clear and coherent vision for product development.
• Deliver product solutions in accordance with the developed product roadmaps.

2. Champion the user education initiatives, and foster a culture of adherence to best practices and innovation, ensuring that product solutions are utilized in alignment with their intended design.

• Create comprehensive guides, user manuals, and documentation to enable seamless onboarding, troubleshooting, and knowledge transfer for Service Delivery teams and other stakeholders. 
• Develop and execute comprehensive user education/ training programs to ensure that Service Delivery teams and other stakeholders have a clear understanding of the implemented product solutions. 
• Assess how users utilize the product solutions, diligently monitoring their adoption and adherence to best practices. 
• Enforce full compliance to ensure that the implemented solutions are optimally leveraged in alignment with their intended design.

3. Oversee and maintain existing/developed product solutions, ensuring their continued functionality, relevance, and alignment with evolving business requirements and Service Delivery teams' needs. 

• Drive innovation within the Service Delivery teams, continuously seeking opportunities to improve and optimize processes.
• Establish and maintain a robust process for proactive monitoring of performance metrics, conducting regular assessments, and implementing necessary updates or enhancements for the product solutions.
• Utilize data analytics and insights from product usage, user feedback, and operational metrics to evaluate the performance and effectiveness of existing product solutions. 
• Identify areas for improvement and iterate on solutions to meet evolving customer/user demands.
• Proactively monitor performance metrics, conduct regular assessments, and implement necessary updates to guarantee the long-term effectiveness and success of the product solutions.

4. Serve as the organization's internal technology solutions expert

• Develop deep expertise in the industry's leading technology practices, and be a subject matter expert on all technology-related matters relevant to the outsourcing industry.
• Serve as a trusted advisor and partner on the subject of technology to the executives and various leaders at Hugo, updating them on tech advancements, industry best practices, and emerging trends. 
• Stay informed about industry trends and emerging technologies to identify opportunities for innovation and product improvements.
• Act as the primary point of contact for our clients on questions related to product solutions used by our Service Delivery teams and the technological enablement of our services.

EXAMPLES OF RELEVANT INITIATIVES

• Incorporate a cloud-based project management platform to track and monitor the performance of our Machine Learning service delivery team
• Customize the existing product solution to the needs of our Service Delivery team
• Develop processes that govern the day-to-day use of the platform by the Service Delivery team
• Design, build and implement operational dashboards
• Develop all required product documentation
• Roll out this product solution to a team of 1,000+ users
• Lead the end-to-end process of selecting and integrating a Learning Management System into Hugo’s day-to-day operations.
• Build an intuitive and robust Intranet platform to enhance internal communication, collaboration, and knowledge-sharing across our organization.
• Lead the analysis and piloting implementation of GenAI technologies to enhance our customer support service offering.

ABOUT YOU

• Tech-savvy
• A keen eye for detail
• Self-starter, self-disciplined, and target focused
• Documentation mindset
• Ability to listen to and understand different stakeholders
• Prioritize ruthlessly
• Collaborative

QUALIFICATIONS

• 10+ years in progressively responsible leadership roles, preferably in a fast-paced environment.
• 3+ years of Product Management or Product Development experience.
• 3+ years of Operational Experience is required.
• Strong technical acumen and understanding of software development processes and technologies.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, with the ability to present to various audiences and distill key messages in order to effectively inform and persuade.
• Strong analytical skills and comfort with analyzing large datasets. 
• Superior organizational skills, including the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Experience leading a team of peers. 
• Experience working in both highly structured (investment banking or management consulting) and startup environments is strongly preferred.
• An MBA is strongly preferred.

WHAT WE OFFER

• A competitive compensation package.
• A business model that makes sense for Africa.
• A high-caliber, fun team committed to the continent.
• Large-scale, measurable impact.