Head of Digital Product

About ENGIE BU Africa ENGIE Energy Access (EEA)

ENGIE Energy Access is a leading Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGo) and mini-grids solutions provider in Africa, with a mission to deliver affordable, reliable and sustainable energy solutions and life-changing services with exceptional customer experience. The company is a result of the integration of Fenix International, ENGIE Mobisol and ENGIE PowerCorner; and develops innovative, off-grid solar solutions for homes, public services and businesses, enabling customers and distribution partners access to clean, affordable energy. The PAYGo solar home systems are financed through affordable installments from $0.14 per day and the mini-grids foster economic development by enabling electrical productive use and triggering business opportunities for entrepreneurs in rural communities.

With over 1,700 employees, operations in nine countries across Africa (Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia), over 1 million customers and more than 5 million lives impacted so far, ENGIE Energy Access aims to remain a leading clean energy company, serving millions of customers across Africa by 2025.

www.engie-africa.com

www.linkedin.com/company/engie-africa

Job Purpose/Mission  

The Head of Digital Product leads our Digital Product and internal software support team, setting the strategy for all internal Software and Data products that support the business with a focus on performance, user experience and operational efficiencies.
EEAs digital product consists of an extensive in-house developed cloud based platform and an ecosystem of mobile applications which are optimized for use under the conditions in Sub-Saharan Africa. This solution is used internally for our own on-the ground operations but also externally for our B2B partners on a Software as a Service basis.
A key aspect of the role is managing all key business and executive stakeholders across 9 markets, the external Software as a Service customers input and within the central team, the Head is one of the final points of escalation for any digital strategy decisions across a large number of projects. They are responsible for direct line management of the digital product team and training/support team; they must provide direction, advise and accountability. The leader of this team must have experience in and be able to advocate for innovation, inclusivity and smart investments across the business and the wider technology sector, particularly in East Africa. They should be passionate about building the technology sector in Africa and making informed decisions to optimize for impact.

Responsibilities, Deliverables and Activities 

Top 5 Key Responsibilities 

  1. Mentor and support the Digital Product and Support/Training teams.
  2. Manage business and executive stakeholders across all markets and departments for all digital products and projects.
  3. Take responsibility and bring accountability for Software and Data product strategy, planning, development roadmaps, product management process and external partnership opportunities
  4. Monitor the competitive landscape and strategic developments in the industry from a product point of view. Monitor availabilities and developments of third party off-the shelf solutions to provide the factual  for make or buy decisions.
  5. Foster a culture of innovation, self-organization and prioritise business impact among the Software and Data teams.

Deliverables and Activities 

Leadership

  • Serve as the voice of technology across the business to promote rigorous prioritization of nimble solutions and innovation.
  • Be a visible leader of the Digital Product team, maintaining a connection with their everyday activities in order to provide informed guidance.
  • Directly manage the Digital Product team; provide guidance, aid professional development, define a clear path to success and hold accountable.
  • Directly manage the Support team (or their lead), provide guidance, aid professional development, define a clear path to success and hold accountable.
  • Provide room and opportunities for all members of the Digital team to improve their technical and “soft” skills, maintaining a highly collaborative team of specialists.

Strategy

  • Work cross-functionally with EEA management to contribute to and shape broader, cross-cutting goals that enable EEA to achieve its mission.
  • Serve as the primary budget holder for Digital Product and Support; project a detailed annual budget and monitor BvA throughout the year, identify areas for investment and opportunities for cost savings wherever relevant.
  • Key decision maker on any product related decisions

Digital Product 

  • Work with the Digital Product team to create and execute on strategy for software solutions that help EEA achieve its mission and business goals.
  • Provide exceptional leadership to the Digital
  • Product managers enabling them to:
  • Engage with key business stakeholders to identify key opportunities for software to positively impact our customers and the business
  • Determine core KPIs and develop monitoring frameworks to frame the goals and to monitor the success of new software products.
  • Communicate the product vision and the voice of the customer to your software engineering team, promote engagement and excitement for the product.
  • Be the primary voice of the engineering team for the business stakeholders; communicate any issues and changes to the scope or schedule of your product.
  • Be open and inclusive, involved all relevant parties, fight for the voice of the customer, share your ideas and love feedback!

External partnerships 

  • Lead any relevant new ventures and partnerships until the project has reached a working or maintenance phase
  • Directly contribute to building the EEA brand within the African technology sector through networking, CSR projects, conferences and various online publications.
  • Participate in government or policy driven discussions in all operating markets to advise regarding and promote an innovative and commercially viable technical strategy.

Required Skills & Experience 

  • Passion for technology and its potential for creating positive impact on people’s day to day lives
  • 5+ years of experience developing and launching digital products
  • 8 – 10 years of relevant experience
  • Leadership and project management experience (Agile software development practices strongly preferred)
  • Experience in administration of web applications / strong technical acumen
  • Experience using issue tracking and collaboration software, e.g. JIRA, Confluence
  • Willingness to be flexible and do whatever task is needed to get the right product shipped
  • Ability to maintain big-picture vision while being detail-oriented
  • Outstanding written and verbal communications with the ability to translate between technical and non-technical teams
  • High competency in Microsoft Office products

Desired Skills & Experience 

  • Experience integrating large software systems or companies
  • Experience working with Software as a Service products
  • Work experience in Africa within the technology industry
  • Experience working for inclusive financial technology institutions or the traditional banking sector

Language(s):

English
French is a plus
Technology

  • MySQL database familiarity
  • An understanding of Human Centred Design and working UX / UI experience
  • Experience using issue tracking software, e.g. JIRA
  • Experience administration of web applications / strong technical acumen

ENGIE is an equal opportunity employer, promoting diversity and committed to creating an inclusive environment for all. All applications are screened based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without any regard to origin, age, name, sexual identity, orientation or preference, religion, marital status, health, disability, political opinions, union involvement or citizenship. Our differences are our strengths!