EV Product Manager

About BasiGo

BasiGo is a pioneering e-mobility start-up headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, with operations in Rwanda, driving a transformation in Africa’s public transportation. We’re providing electric buses as a sustainable, cost-effective alternative to diesel options, reshaping mobility for a greener future. At the heart of BasiGo’s innovation is our Pay-As-You-Drive model, making electric bus ownership and operation accessible and affordable for private sector operators across Africa.

About the Role

The Product Manager will work closely across all functions at the company to research the viability of new EV products and market opportunities, evaluate the Pay-As-You-Drive value proposition, pilot test to validate product-market fit, and lead the commercialization process for products that fit with BasiGo’s mission and business objectives. The role requires an independent product leader with skills that span systems engineering, product marketing, finance, and data analysis. Most importantly, it requires an entrepreneurial thinker who can jump seamlessly between strategy and implementation, who understands the dynamic EV and energy storage value chains, and who knows how African transport and energy markets work in order to build product and business models that can succeed.

Responsibilities:

• Research, model, and evaluate opportunities for new commercial electric vehicle products and markets.
• Maintain a deep understanding of trends and dynamics in electric vehicles, energy storage, and energy supply value chains.
• Apply and refine the Pay-As-You-Drive model for new EV products and markets in order to create a clear value proposition for commercial vehicle operators while meeting business objectives.
• Manage EV pilot projects to test product concepts and achieve product-market fit.
  • Manage pilot program schedule and budget.
  • Cross-functional collaboration with engineering, charging infrastructure, marketing, operations, and vehicle asset finance.
  • Develop pilot partnerships with customers and manage their experience through the pilot period.
  • Work with engineering to design methods of quantitative and qualitative feedback from pilot operations to inform the final product, financing model, and service delivery in order to assess if the target value proposition is being met. 
• Integrate cross-functional input into a cohesive product strategy that includes product specifications and positioning, charging and service requirements, pricing strategy, and sales and support strategy.
• Develop Go-to-Market strategies for commercialization of selected products. Earn Buy-In from across the organization around the investment case, growth plan, end user financing, supplier relationships, and charging strategy.
• Monitor economic and technical performance of the product portfolio and product classes.
• Maintain an understanding of the competitive landscape and update the position of BasiGo's offering relative to diesel and electric-powered competition in the market. 
• Facilitate internal buy-in and decision making around product strategy.

Our ideal candidate would have:

• Experience & Qualifications
  • Minimum Master’s Degree in Engineering, Business, or related field
  • 5+ years of experience working in transportation or energy sectors in Africa.
  • Demonstrated experience with complex techno-economic modeling in the energy or transport sectors
  • Demonstrated successful project management experience.
  • Working knowledge of financial modeling and end user financing structures.
  • Understanding of energy and transport markets and regulatory frameworks.
  • Experience with analysis and visualization of technical, operational, and financial data.
  • Experience with end user customer research.
  • Experience with new product development and commercialization.

• Skills & Attitude
  • Strong technical communication and business development skills.
  • Ability to engage across engineering, marketing, operations, and finance.
  • Ability to work in the ambiguity of new product development and continue to make progress prior to perfect information being available.
  • Analytical and data driven in product development approach.
  • ENTREPRENEURIAL - This role is effectively building new business for BasiGo with every new product and market developed.
  • Ability to distill complex information into frameworks for fast and effective decision-making.
  • Willingness to travel internationally.