Senior Product Manager
Cape Town, South Africa (Remote)
Cape Town, South Africa (Remote)
Industry: Non-profit Technology / International Development
Job Location: Remote within Africa or Europe time zones required
Start Date: Immediate
Term: Contract through November 2026; renewal subject to funding
Salary: $5,000 - $6,500 USD per month.
*WORK FOR AN AWARD-WINNING NON-PROFIT SOCIAL INNOVATOR
Build Change is the global leader in systems change for resilient housing. Our engineers, builders, coders, policy advocates, and lending partners are providing urgently needed housing solutions in the world’s most disaster-prone countries. Shifting power to families since 2004, Build Change has safeguarded over $4.7 billion in housing infrastructure assets across Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia-Pacific, improving the lives of over 1.17 million people by building new or retrofitting more than 230,000 buildings, at a cost of $51 per safer person.
Learn more at www.buildchange.org or follow us on X and LinkedIn.
The Senior Product Manager will lead the coordination and roadmap execution for BCtap, our flagship SaaS platform supporting the 6-step construction value chain and designed for resilient housing professionals in low-resource environments. Reporting to the Director of Technology, you will ensure that high-level requirements are understood by all audiences—from structural engineers to software developers. You will ensure that high-stakes grant milestones are met while maintaining a product vision that prioritizes mobile-first, offline-capable solutions for users who rely on handheld devices in the field. You will serve as the central operational link ensuring seamless product delivery from Asia to the Americas.
Execute Grant-Funded Milestones: Oversee the development of innovative features, including a new Design Library and the expansion of our AI chatbot infrastructure, ensuring all updates adhere to a mobile-first, low-bandwidth-friendly architecture.
Manage Product Roadmap Documentation: Organize and maintain the BCtap roadmap based on the organization’s vision, ensuring alignment with stakeholder needs and evolving global contexts.
Bridge Technical Domains: Translate civil/structural engineering expertise into clear functional requirements for the software engineering team, with a specific focus on offline data integrity and field usability.
Coordinate Global Initiatives: Lead cross-functional projects across time zones (Asia to the Americas), including digital transformations and country-specific BCtap customizations, ensuring country-specific customizations remain lightweight and performant in varied digital infrastructures.
Stakeholder Management: Act as the primary liaison between internal stakeholders and external requirements to ensure product features solve real-world field challenges.
Proven Experience: Minimum of 6 years of progressively responsible experience in product or project management within the technology sector.
Technical Documentation: Ability to translate civil/structural engineering concepts (the "Domain") into functional software requirements (the "Product").
Low-Resource Tech Expertise: Experience managing products designed for mobile-first use and offline-capable environments, understanding the unique UI/UX and data challenges of low-bandwidth areas.
Milestone Management: Proven track record of delivering high-stakes features within strict timelines using modern tools like Monday.com.
Global Coordination: Experience managing geographically dispersed teams and navigating cross-cultural dynamics.
Operational Bridge: Based in an Africa or Europe time zone to serve as a central link between teams in Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Americas.
Communication Mastery: Fluent in English with the ability to maintain momentum across time zones through effective asynchronous documentation and coordination (Slack/Google Chat).
Interdisciplinary or Sector Knowledge: Experience in fintech, housing policy, or access to finance (micro-finance), and/or familiarity with social impact, housing resilience, construction management, climate adaptation, or related.
AI & Automation Experience: Direct experience managing AI-driven products or projects, specifically involving LLMs, RAG, or agentic workflows.
Multilingual Abilities: Proficiency in one or more languages beyond English (e.g., Spanish, French, or Portuguese) is a plus for working in international settings. See current Build Change working locations here.
Educational Background: Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, International Development, Strategic Management, or a related field.
Then please visit www.buildchange.org/about/careers and select the link for this position. Applications will be accepted until filled and will be reviewed as received. Build Change is a proud Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified women and citizens of Build Change’s program countries are strongly encouraged to apply. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. No calls please.
Build Change is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or genetic information. It is the policy of Build Change that qualified individuals with disabilities are not discriminated against because of their disabilities in regard to job application procedures, hiring, and other terms and conditions of employment. It is further the policy of Build Change to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities in all aspects of the employment process. Build Change is prepared to modify or adjust the job application process or the job or work environment to make reasonable accommodations to the known physical or mental limitations of the applicant or employee to enable the applicant or employee to be considered for the position he or she desires, to perform the essential functions of the position in question, or to enjoy equal benefits and privileges of employment as are enjoyed by other similarly situated employees without disabilities unless the accommodation will impose an undue hardship.
