Director of Product (New Markets)

Highlights:

• Role: Director of Product

• Location: Remote (core hours 9:00–18:00 CET)

• Languages: Fluent English (C1) and Russian (Native)

• Reports to: VP of Product

• Travel: Regular travel to customers, conferences, and the U.S.

As Director of Product, New Markets, you operate a dual-track portfolio:

• Explore (0→1): rapid discovery, prototypes/MVPs, lighthouse pilots, go/kill decisions.

• Scale (1→N within New Markets): productize validated bets, harden quality, integrate with core systems, and build repeatable go to market system.

This is a player-coach role from day one: you will personally own 1–2 high-leverage bets and lead a small team of PMs (initially 2–4, expanding with the portfolio). You’ll recruit and mentor top talent, set rigorous standards, and orchestrate multi-pod execution to move fast without compromising quality.

What “New Markets” means here

“New Markets” are greenfield opportunities—new verticals, new geographies, and new product bets that can become future pillars of our business. Your mandate: find and scale product-market fit by running disciplined experiments, launching MVPs, and turning validated bets into durable product lines—while leading a team to execute across a broader portfolio than any one person can carry.

Key Responsibilities

Portfolio & Strategy

• Own the New Markets thesis and quarterly bet portfolio across verticals/geos; size opportunities, define crisp hypotheses, and set entry/exit criteria.

• Balance speed vs. leverage: prototype off the mainline when it unblocks learning, then converge into core architecture once validated.

• Make decisive go/kill/scale calls and reallocate people/budget accordingly; document rationale and communicate clearly.

Incubation (0→1) — Explore Track

• Run continuous discovery with target nonprofits and partners; secure pilot commitments tied to explicit success metrics and timelines.

• Ship fast: use the fastest appropriate means (docs, mockups, throwaway builds, no-code/low-code, or small engineered spikes) to validate value.

• Stand up micro-pods on demand (Eng/Design/Analytics, contractors, internal hackathons) and manage them to weekly outcomes.

Scale-Up (1→N) — Build & Launch Track

• For validated bets, lead PMs and pods to productize: reliability, performance, security/compliance, and admin/ops surfaces.

• Plan and run limited-availability/beta → general availability transitions; define SLAs, analytics, rollout/rollback, and migration plans.

• Partner with Sales/CS/Marketing to create repeatable wins: ICPs, pricing/packaging suggestions, enablement, and reference stories.

GTM & Partnerships

• Source and close lighthouse pilots; own the pilot charter (scope, metrics, off-ramps).

• Identify enabling partners (payments, data, identity, comms) and negotiate what’s needed to move faster without technical debt traps.

• Join strategic calls and RFPs to position the product credibly and move pilots to business expansion.

Team Leadership (Player-Coach)

• Start with 2–4 PMs; hire to 4–6 as the portfolio grows. Coach PMs on discovery, PRDs, delivery, stakeholder management, and metrics.

• Establish an Incubation OS: weekly pipeline reviews, kill reviews, demo days, and post-mortems that compound learning.

• Set quality bars and operating rituals: problem/frame reviews, spec reviews, launch checklists, KPI dashboards, and handoff packs to core teams.

Skills And Qualifications

• 10+ years in Product with a proven 0→1 and 1→N track record; 3+ years managing PMs (player-coach or group lead).

• Experience running multiple parallel experiments and owning go/kill/scale decisions tied to business outcomes.

• Fluency across validation tools: discovery, mockups, prototypes, and engineered MVPs; knows when each is appropriate.

• Strong metrics and decision skills: hypothesis trees, MVP KPIs, unit economics, ARR/NRR pathfinding.

• Cross-functional leadership across Eng/Design/Analytics and GTM; comfort in pre-sales/RFP/pilot settings.

• English B2+ (clear, confident, work-ready with customers and cross-functional teams).

Bonus points

• Ex-founder/early-stage operator with a clear ship/scale/kill story and measurable outcomes.

• Experience in payments/fintech/e-commerce or nonprofit domains (compliance, risk, donor experience).

• EU market familiarity (PSD2/SCA basics, data/privacy norms) and additional languages.

What Great Looks Like in 12 Months

• 2–3 bets progressed from idea → MVP → pilot → clear scale path with early ARR and referenceable outcomes.

• 1–2 scaled launches (within New Markets) meeting reliability/SLAs and adopted by lighthouse customers.

• A transparent kill list with rationale, saving months of effort and aligning the org around what matters.

• A functioning team of PMs with clear ownership areas, predictable delivery, and strong stakeholder trust.

Director-Level Behaviors We Expect

• Outcome-driven and agile: prioritizes measurable impact, moves at speed, and delivers continuous learning through rapid iteration.

• Hands-on while scalable: actively removes blockers and drives execution, while building teams, processes, and systems that extend impact beyond individual contribution.

• Exec-credible & customer-centric: secures pilots, drives decisions, and communicates trade-offs with clarity.

• Decisive & principled: kills respectfully when the data says so; protects long-term product leverage.

• Systems thinker: holds multiple contexts, keeps the portfolio healthy, and prevents the “zoo of one-offs.”

Example KPIs/OKRs for This Role

• Speed & Throughput: Median days idea→MVP; # hypotheses tested/quarter; % MVPs shipped within 4–6 weeks.

• Quality of Bets: Pilot→scale conversion rate; time-to-first-value (first transaction/user) in pilots.

• Impact: Early ARR from incubated bets; # lighthouse logos; win-rate in targeted new verticals/geos.

• Team & Org Leverage: PM hiring/onboarding velocity; PM effectiveness (their throughput & outcomes); satisfaction of receiving/core teams; time from validation → clean handoff.

This Role Is Not For You If…

• You need long planning cycles and large teams to move.

• You avoid sales/pilot conversations or hesitate to ask customers for real commitments.

• You prefer maintaining what exists over discovering and scaling what should exist.

• You struggle to coach PMs while also rolling up your sleeves on critical projects.

Why work with us

• A strong, collaborative product team that owns what it builds

• Clear product vision and access to real customer feedback from global nonprofit leaders

• Flat structure: no politics, just great work with great people

• Transparent company culture-we share how we’re growing, where revenue comes from, and what’s next

• Long-term focus: we offer equity options and value sustained, meaningful contribution

Benefits

• 31 days off

• 100% paid telemedicine plan

• Home Office Setup Assistance: the company offers assistance with purchasing furniture (office chair, office desk, monitor) and other items to create a comfortable workspace.

• English learning courses

• Relevant professional education

• Gym or swimming pool

• Co-working

• Remote working.