Head of Product

Your Mission

Creativity and customer-centered design is core to Proximity Designs’ mission of delivering impactful and innovative products to small farmers in Myanmar. With an ambitious goal of reaching the next 1 million farmers in the next 3 years, we are seeking a visionary Head of Product who will spearhead the expansion of our product portfolio that will improve the economic wellbeing of Myanmar’s smallholder farmers while improving local food security and mitigating agricultural impact on global climate crisis.

This role requires living and working in a region close to Myanmar and preferences will be made for candidates who can live and work in Myanmar. Candidates living outside of the country should be able to travel to Myanmar once a quarter.

Once You’re Here, You Will:

• Product Strategy and Vision:
  • Develop and communicate a compelling product vision that aligns with Proximity's overall strategy and positions us as a leader in innovation for small farmers.
  • Drive the creation and execution of the product roadmap, ensuring it reflects market and customer needs and technological advancements
  • Stay on top of industry trends, competitor activities, and market dynamics to inform product strategy and maintain a competitive edge.
• Design Research and Innovation:
  • Build a deep understanding of the needs of smallholder farmers in Myanmar and identify unmet needs and opportunities for innovation
  • Oversee product development processes, including research, design, and testing, for new products, features, and improvements
  • Prioritize R&D projects and products based on key factors such as usability, feasibility, and the potential for impact on farm profitability, climate mitigation, and food security.
• Product Lifecycle Management:
  • Oversee the entire product lifecycle, from concept to launch and post-launch analysis, ensuring products meet or exceed customer expectations.
  • Implement effective product management processes and methodologies to drive efficiency and quality in product delivery.
• Team Leadership:
  • Build and lead a high-performing product team, consisting of product managers and agronomists, driving a culture of excellence, creativity, and collaboration.
  • Provide mentorship and guidance to team members, fostering professional growth and development.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration:
  • Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including supply chain, marketing, and sales, to ensure seamless product launches and successful go-to-market strategies.
  • Act as a bridge between technical and non-technical stakeholders, translating complex agricultural and scientific concepts into clear and actionable plans.

Must-Haves:

• At least 10 years of experience in product management or a related field, with a proven track record of successfully bringing innovative products to market
• People-building skills, with a record of grooming and inspiring high performing teams and individuals
• Strong strategic thinking and the ability to translate complex ideas into actionable plans.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to collaborate across diverse teams.
• Ability to juggle multiple projects, deadlines and requests at one time and a keen attention to detail.
• A passion for innovation and impact for Myanmar’s local communities.

Added Bonus

• You have previous experience living and working in Myanmar, South Asia or South-East Asia and is able to work out of Yangon, Myanmar

In return…

You’ll earn a competitive salary, with medical benefits, and incredible opportunities to develop your career. You can expect an annual impact bonus, an amazing office with the forward-thinking people and world-class training opportunities through Proximity School.

You’ll get to see more of the world, with the potential for international travel to conferences and events to keep your skills sharp.

And, ultimately, you’ll have the opportunity to change lives in Myanmar for the better, while doing groundbreaking work.

About Proximity

Proximity Designs is tackling globally important issues at the nexus of climate change, deep poverty, food insecurity, inequality and political conflict. We do this by helping hundreds of thousands of rural people care for their soils, grow more food, earn better incomes and build resilience against climate change. We address a critical government and market failure, by designing and delivering products and services needed to make farming families more productive, profitable and environmentally sustainable. We offer our low-income customers a suite of innovative and affordable farm solutions such as micro-irrigation systems, bio-fertilizers and bio-pesticides, soil health testing kits, on-call crop protection services and farm loans.

Over the past 20 years, we’ve generated USD 782 million in additional income for 1.2 million poor farming households across rural Myanmar. With this income increase, farmers can invest in their future: education for their children, more nutritious food, better healthcare and investments in their farms or other village enterprises.

How to Apply

If you are interested in joining us, please click Apply to submit your application.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis without regards to race, sex, color, national origin, sexual orientation, age, or marital status, and therefore interested candidates are encouraged to apply.

Please note that only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Keywords

Product StrategyVisionDesign ResearchInnovationProduct Lifecycle ManagementTeam LeadershipCross-Functional Collaboration