Product Management Trainee Job Vacancy at KickStart

KickStart International is an award-winning non-profit social enterprise with a mission to help millions of people in developing countries escape from poverty and to “kickstart” sustainable economic growth.

KickStart develops simple money-making tools and markets them to poor, entrepreneurial persons who use them to start profitable new businesses, increase their family wealth and boost local economic growth. (www.KickStart.org).

The organization is recruiting for a top university graduate with 1-3 years of work experience to help us research, design, launch, and monitor several new product launch initiatives. The Product Management Trainee will be based in Nairobi with occasional travel within Kenya.

Responsibilities

The Product Management Trainee will directly report to the Product Manager – Services and support the design and implementation of several new products and services.

Activities for the Trainee will include, but not necessarily be limited to:

Mobile Layaway Service
  • Monitoring and administering the registration of KickStart customers who are paying for their pumps through M-PESA
  • Analyzing participation and generating reports by Product, Dealer, Sales Rep, Territory, etc.
Farmer-to-Farmer Referral Service
  • Helping to design the levels of recognition and rewards, marketing collateral, operations, tracking system, etc.
  • Monitoring and analyzing the successes and challenges of the initial pilot
New Services
  • Conducting field research to assess the market potential for new services, such as “Facebook for Farmers,” dealer incentive programs, brokers/middlemen as mobile dealers, etc.
General Product Management
  • Building a KickStart customer segmentation and customer fact sheet based on analysis of our Hot Prospects database, Voice of the Farmer surveys, and Impact Monitoring data
  • Supporting the product management team and senior management team in ad hoc customer surveys and financial modeling
  • Driving the development and production of instructional videos for dealers and end-customers on how to install 2 of our newest irrigation pumps set to launch this year
Qualifications
  • Bachelor’s degree with a strong academic record required, no lower than a second class honours upper division or equivalent GPA. MBA preferred.
  • 1-3 years of work experience, preferably in business management.
  • Strong computer skills including Microsoft Office, especially in Excel.
  • Strong research, analytical, and financial modeling skills.
  • Ability to think strategically about complex issues and develop thoughtful recommendations and action plans.
  • Results/performance oriented – proven “self-starter”.
  • Excellent interpersonal and communications skills – a complete team player.
  • Exceptional planning, organizational, and leadership capabilities.
  • Ability to work in a dynamic and unstructured environment.
  • Technical background, especially experience with mobile technology, highly preferred.
  • Fluency in English and Kiswahili required.
How to apply

If you believe you have what it takes to handle this 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 May 10, 2011.

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