Product Manager

Product Manager Job Description

The DFS DEEP Product Manager will contribute to the maintenance and development of the DEEP platform, a centralized open-source solution (https://github.com/the-deep) for the annotation and classification of humanitarian data. They will oversee the development of complex features following a 2-year roadmap defined by DFS, the DEEP Governance board, and the DEEP Technical Advisory Group.

Roles and responsibilities:

The DEEP Product Manager will own the direction and implementation of the DEEP platform and its accompanying NLP features. They will liaise with key stakeholders internally within DFS, and externally among partner organizations and end users. Assisted by a technical project manager, they will help to oversee a remote software development team with a presence in Nepal and globally, a Natural Language Processing team spread across Europe, and a network of consultants (UX/UI, Dashboards, Maps, and others). They will focus on:

Product Management:

• Through developing an in-depth understanding of DEEP and its future plans, Identify, prioritize, and oversee the implementation of features in DEEP. Input for this will come from internal team capacity, user needs, partner needs, and DEEP board expectations/needs
• Take a leadership role in envisioning new features in DEEP
• Provide written technical specifications for the software development team based on the work conducted with the UX/UI and NLP teams
• Implement a long-term roadmap for DEEP and DEEPL
• Maintain or overview process of release cycles and documentation, document user feedback after releases
• Review the scope of feature requests and recommend the feasibility of implementation in alignment with the product roadmap
• Conduct or oversee user research on a continuous basis with the support of a UX/UI team to scope the needs of DEEP users and adjust the roadmap and priorities in alignment with user needs
• Visit partner field locations to better understand secondary data review needs of field organizations and to promote and implement DEEP
• Coordinate the work of the software development, NLP, and UI/UX team with that of the DEEP users to include user feedback in the testing of new features

Remote Coordination & Team Management:

• In coordination with a technical project manager, oversee the remote work of the UX/UI team, the software development team, and the NLP team in order to ensure features are developed on time and on budget on a continuous basis and in alignment with the technical roadmap and product specifications
• Assist in hiring and onboarding internal technical rescues

Stakeholder Management and Communication:

• Provide input in the creation of tutorials and visual materials in order to train DEEP users on the use of new features
• Create presentations and visual material to update the board and other stakeholders on the development progress
• Implement marketing features of DEEPL including a landing page and informational materials

Communicate clearly with contractors and staff when it comes to deliverables and deadlines

• Engage and communicate on a continuous basis with DFS partners and the DEEP board
• Ensure continuously updated documentation (roadmaps, status and progress reports)

Partnerships and Business Development

• Engage with partners and potential partners setting up meetings and sharing materials and resources promoting DEEP
• Identify potential synergies and resources that might be beneficial to DEEP and DFS
• Engage with other relevant actors in the humanitarian and development technology spheres to build partnerships
• Build partnerships with key academic and private institutions to provide and oversee open-source contributions and novel research projects
• Support the DFS finance and compliance department in monitoring monthly expenses and budget lines allocated to your teams
• Support the DFS finance and compliance department in forecasting DEEP-related expenses (project-based feature and module development, hosting and maintenance, other)
• In partnership with other DFS staff, source and write proposals for funding of the DEEP and DEEPL

Language: Fluent in written and spoken English. French or other languages are a perk.

Minimum qualifications:

• 3+ years experience building or guiding technology-powered products – data platforms, analytics products, API frameworks, or similar.
• 2+ years experience as a product manager/product owner
• Hands-on experience with modern product discovery techniques and user research
• Solid technical specifications and writing skills
• Familiarity with relevant cloud software and standards (AWS)
• Proven reporting and communication skills

Preferred qualifications:

• Familiarity with humanitarian or development sector settings and the United Nations/NGO systems is strongly desirable
• Embraces the agile mindset and is proficient in SCRUM but understands there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution to the development lifecycle.
• Proven ability in prioritizing several overlapping and dependent tasks across multiple teams
• Interest in the applications of technology in the humanitarian sector

Reporting line: DFS Executive Director or DFS Director of Technology

Additional information:

• This is a remote job that can be completed from anywhere in the world. Candidates with the availability to travel to Nepal to liaise with the software development team will be seen favorably.
• Applicants will receive a generous salary based on their background and their work rate (fixed monthly rate).
• The start date is ASAP and is open-ended