KickStart International Product Management Fellow Job in Kenya

An Exciting Opportunity at KickStart International

Product Management Fellow, Kenya

KickStart is an award-winning, nonprofit, social enterprise with a mission to lift millions of people in Africa out of poverty. Their unique solution is to design and mass-market simple, money-making tools that poor entrepreneurs buy and use to create highly profitable businesses.

KickStart’s best selling devices are their human-powered, MoneyMaker irrigation pumps. These low-cost pumps are sold in local retail shops and enable famers to move from subsistence to commercial irrigated farming.

The farmers grow high value crops throughout the year, increase their net annual incomes by over $900 and lift their families out of poverty. Over 110,000 farmers across Africa are already using these pumps, and presently over 2,500 more pumps are being sold every month.

The Opportunity

KickStart is seeking a proactive and dynamic Product Management Fellow whose overall purpose will be to help launch, oversee, and drive new product development in Kickstart.

The successful applicant will have an opportunity to work with the Management team of KickStart to apply their knowledge and experience to make a difference in the lives of small-holder farmers across Africa.

Plus, the successful applicant will also have a chance to work with multi-cultural teams and gain hands-on experience with a leading social enterprise.

The ideal candidate will thrive in a fast paced, innovative work environment and experience working in a multi-cultural environment.

This is a 6-9 months position based in KickStart’s Nairobi office in Kenya.

The Job Responsibilities will be:

The Fellow will be managing several different projects.

Specifically, the set of activities for the candidate will include, but not necessarily be limited to:

Planning and coordinating:

The full market launch of a new product within KickStart’s country programs and export sales programA customer market test in Kenya for a new product currently in the final stages of developmentThe implementation of KickStart’s accessories and complementary products (hoses, sprinklers, water catchment) strategyLeading the creation of the training content, marketing collateral, and product packaging for KickStart’s products under developmentBuilding great customer and market research to drive and inform new product decisions to best meet customer needsManaging KickStart’s product pricing model and providing input to KickStart staff on overall pricing strategy across all physical products from pumps to spares and accessoriesContinuing to develop KickStart’s product roadmap, exploring new product opportunities, and creating any applicable business casesPartnering with engineering and supply chain to build product design criteria and testing/QC procedures for new productsSkills, Experiences, and Competencies required:
Product management or product marketing experience. Experience in new product hardware introduction (versus service offering) preferredExcellent interpersonal and communications skills – a complete team playerExceptional planning, organizational, and leadership capabilitiesStrong analytical skills including Microsoft Excel financial modeling skillsResults/Performance Orientation – proven “self-starter”Ability to work in a dynamic and unstructured environmentTechnical background preferred – knowledge of mechanical engineering & manufacturing engineering theories usefulUndergraduate degree required. MBA desirableFluency in English required. Fluency in French or Kiswahili desirableShares KickStart’s values and believes in its MissionThe successful Fellow will be paid a monthly stipend that will cover the basic expenses.

How to apply

If you believe you have what it takes to handle this exciting opportunity, kindly email your one page Application Letter, together with your CV (maximum of 3 pages), with the position in the subject line of your email to HR@kickstart.org by August 20, 2011.

Website: http://www.kickstart.org/

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