Product Innovation Manager

HYBRID SOCIAL SOLUTIONS, INC.

Position: Product Innovation Manager

Reports to: Director of Program and Product Innovation

 Company Background

Hybrid Social Solutions, Inc. (HSSi) is an award-winning social enterprise that provides rural, off-grid households and communities in the Philippines with sustainable access to high-quality, affordable solar technologies aimed at spurring basic economic development. Our vision is to end energy poverty by building “hybrid solar value chains” with like minded partners to bring our life-changing products throughout the countryside.

About the Job

The Product Innovation Manager will take the lead role in shaping the company’s product portfolio and introducing these products in the field.

You will be part of a dynamic Program and Product Innovation team (PPI), a group of passionate individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences, all dedicated to improving the way off-grid and rural Filipino families access solar energy. We are a self-motivated, creative group, and we emphasize collaboration, flexibility, and professionalism. Hybrid is a young, rapidly growing company; we encourage all team members to push their own boundaries and drive the company in new directions.

Primary Responsibilities

The Product innovation Manager is involved throughout HSSi’s product lifecycle.  Working with our field staff, you will identify and prioritize use cases for our customer segments.  Working with our technology partners, you will identify solutions for these use cases and finalize product bundles that meet the requirements.  You will then work with the program team and the field staff to introduce the products to the market,

Specific responsibilities include:

• For priority use cases, define potential solutions and technical specifications as well as cost-benefit envelopes;

• Identify potential technology partner suppliers and evaluate their products (for technical design, usability, durability, serviceability, and production quality) to select best options;

• For products that pass initial evaluation, lead in-field testing conducted through our technician network and/or direct sales team with focus on usability and consumer appeal testing;

• Finalize product bundles and establish costs and procurement parameters to finalize pricing.

• Define technical specifications for marketing and technical training materials.

• Develop deep technical and market-based expertise on our core and future products;

• Maintain strong project management capabilities with planning, communicating, documenting and tracking activities related to HSSi’s product introduction lifecycle;

• Monitor and report on product adoption, user feedback, and repair record throughout HSSi’s product lifecycle.

Skills and Experience

• Strong understanding of rural customers' needs and ability to translate these into technical specifications in order to source products to meet those needs.

• Strong interpersonal skills to collaborate with manufacturer/suppliers, operational teams, marketing personnel, and organizational stakeholders;

• Excellent analytical abilities to utilize market trends and customer data during identification of new products to be introduced in HSSi’s product portfolio.

• Passionate about HSSi’s mission and entrepreneurial approaches to global development challenges, with advanced knowledge of solar energy products and last-mile distribution;

• Superior ability to drive results.

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  Location

The Product Innovation Manager will be based in Makati with regular travel around the Philippines to HSSi field operations.

Compensation

Locally competitive, commensurate with experience.

How to apply       

Please submit your application (short cover letter and resume) to contact@hybridsolutions.asia with subject line: Application for Product Innovation Manager.  Applications will be processed on a rolling basis; you are encouraged to send in your submission as soon as possible. Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.