Product Manager
Supply Trace · Remote (Global)
Remote Working Position – 9 Month Contract
Deadline: 6th October 2024
About Supply Trace
Supply Trace is an open access database that identifies potential risks in global supply chains to enable both supply chain due diligence and more effective accountability. The tool combines expert desk-based risk investigations with machine learning / AI-powered mapping of customs records and other supply chain data to map relationships deep into supply chains, beyond tier 1. Supply Trace exists to incentivize and enable businesses, and other stakeholders, to mitigate and provide remedy for adverse human rights and environmental impacts in global supply chains. It does this by highlighting potential risks in specific production locations and supply chains from evidence curated by our research. It presents this information in a granular way so that decision makers can take action.
Launched in March 2024, Supply Trace is currently a research project incubated at Northeastern University. In its pilot phase, it focuses on the apparel sector and links between forced labor in the Uyghur Region of China and shipments to the U.S. In the future, Supply Trace will progressively expand to other industries, affected regions, and categories of risk. Supply Trace is available for anyone to search who has an interest in better understanding supply chain conditions, including companies, government, trade experts, civil society, investors, lawyers, auditors, advocates, journalists, researchers and more.
Supply Trace is at an exciting period in its growth and development and is looking for a Product Manager to help shepherd our product into its next stage. Successful applicants will have the opportunity to contribute to the future growth and vision for Supply Trace and must be prepared to “get their hands dirty” with a wide variety of tasks. We are scaling quickly and will be hiring new team members throughout the remainder of 2024.
About the Product Manager role
Responsible for: Oversight of Northeastern University student programming team
Responsible to: Project Director (interim) before transitioning to the in-coming CTO / Technical Lead
This is a 9 month position with responsibility to stand-up and own the Product Management function at Supply Trace. It has the potential to extend into a longer-term, employee structure (if desired) as elements of the Supply Trace organizational development and funding model are refined.
During this initial timeframe, there will be a specific focus on the expansion of Supply Trace beyond its current pilot phase. This expansion is in the discovery stage and the Product Manager will have an opportunity to shape the evolution of the system, which will greatly extend its reach and impact.
The Product Manager role is responsible for the success of Supply Trace as a software product, including user experience & happiness, product roadmap, and coordination with the software engineering team. In particular, growth and expansion are critical focus areas for this role, across three areas:
- Sectoral expansion
- Geographic expansion
- Risk expansion
The Product Manager will work with the in-coming Stakeholder Engagement Manager, as well as the Supply Trace Leadership team, to ensure users and stakeholders are at the center of its development and existing users are guided through its expansion. Together with the wider team, they will be responsible for gathering and prioritizing product and customer requirements, defining the vision for expansion of the product, and working closely with the Supply Trace development team to:
- Own the technical development and expansion of our new product
- Develop and own a roadmap of active and future projects, including a suite of “Premium Features”
The Product Manager will also be the relationship manager for technical aspects of key data partnerships.
This is a full-time, remote-working consultancy position. The Supply Trace team comprises a remote-working staff base, with a core team of student programmers located on the East Coast of the US.
Responsibilities
- Own the development and expansion of our new product, ensuring that our intended expansion is rolled out in a thoughtful manner and with an eye to its long-term stability
- Develop and own a roadmap of active and future projects, including a suite of “Premium Features” and maintain the backlog of features and priorities
- Work with our programmers to shore up the QA for new releases, and the stable roll-out of additional features and bug fixes
- Write specs and planning documents and establish key milestones and delivery dates to keep internal and external teams on track
- Establish internal processes to develop and launch new features, then debrief and improve
- Understand and know our stakeholders’ usage cases and needs to deliver a product that works for all
- Lead discovery in conjunction with Supply Trace Leadership team and the in-coming Stakeholder Engagement Manager to gather feedback and identify opportunities
- Manage key relationships with data partners
- Identify market opportunities and associated technical development or integrations in collaboration with key stakeholders and strategic partners
- Develop a deep understanding of the supply chain software and innovation space, open data, sustainability and ESG service providers, multi stakeholder initiatives and key civil society initiatives
- Communicate regularly with Supply Trace Leadership team on status, risks and roadmap
The Ideal Candidate
- Have 5+ years of relevant experience, with at least 3 years in a product management role
- Preference for experience scaling a product
- Have experience defining a roadmap and managing successful product launches
- Highly organized, detail-oriented and proven problem solver
- Thrive in a dynamic environment. That means flexibility as well as dealing with ambiguity
- A systems thinker with experience working across organizations with multiple teams. Able to see the big picture to prioritize and manage barriers or issues
- 3+ years’ experience in global supply chain software, open data and/or open source projects, database infrastructure and/or related products and/or services
- Strong communication skills, analytical skills, and focus on making data-driven decisions
- Motivated by the mission of Supply Trace, and its opportunities for growth and potential impact.
- Advocate for the power of open data
- Experience in a social enterprise, BCorp or nonprofit is a plus
Compensation
- Up to 52,500 USD over a fixed initial term of 9 months
- There is flexibility onthe employment structure of this role, dependent on candidate preference e.g. hired as an employee of Northeastern University, or hired as a freelance consultant. The chosen structure will affect final salary and benefits package.
- This role has enormous growth potential alongside the expansion of Supply Trace
- The team is open to flexible working patterns, encouraging team members to work in the most effective way that ensures that work gets done efficiently
Apply
- To apply for this position, please submit your CV/resume and cover letter (maximum 2 pages for each) via this form.
- Deadline: 6th October 2024. We will be reviewing applications and conducting interviews on a rolling basis, so encourage early applications.
For more about Supply Trace
Our Commitment
Supply Trace is committed to creating an inclusive and representative environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.
