Mr D Product Manager - Catalogue

The Takealot Group, specifically their prominent food and convenience delivery brand, Mr D, is seeking a motivated and technically proficient Product Manager to join their Partner Services division in Cape Town. As the business continues to scale its digital infrastructure, this role offers a unique opportunity to shape how the platform handles, displays, and manages the thousands of menu items and retail products that populate the app daily.

About the role

This is a pivotal position for someone who understands that the "catalogue" is the heartbeat of any e-commerce or delivery platform. You will be responsible for the end-to-end product lifecycle of the catalogue management portfolio. This isn't just about data entry; it’s about architecting the systems that allow for seamless partner onboarding, accurate inventory presentation, and an intuitive user experience.

You will sit at the intersection of business strategy and technical execution, working closely with UX designers, software engineers, and broader business units to ensure that the Mr D app remains competitive, efficient, and user-friendly. The successful candidate will translate complex business needs into actionable technical requirements, ensuring that the platform’s catalogue is both scalable and robust.

What you’ll do

As the Product Manager for Catalogue, your daily focus will involve bridging the gap between stakeholder requests and engineering output. You will be the primary owner of the product roadmap for your domain, balancing immediate business pressures with long-term infrastructure health.

Your core responsibilities will include:

• **Roadmap Ownership:** Designing and driving the product roadmap, ensuring it aligns with the overall growth objectives of the Mr D business.
• **Backlog Grooming:** Prioritising the engineering backlog and managing sprint planning to ensure the development team is focused on high-impact features.
• **Stakeholder Management:** Engaging with diverse business teams to gather requirements, communicate progress, and provide transparency on roadmap changes.
• **Metrics & Reporting:** Defining key performance indicators for the catalogue system and tracking success through rigorous data analysis.
• **Technical Collaboration:** Working alongside the engineering team to document non-functional requirements and ensure that system integrations are efficient and stable.

What they’re looking for

The ideal candidate possesses a blend of strategic product thinking and a strong technical background. You should be comfortable navigating high-pressure environments where data-driven decision-making is the standard.

• **Experience:** A minimum of 3 years in a dedicated Product Management role, or 5 years in a software development environment with strong product exposure.
• **Academic Background:** A Bachelor’s degree or an Advanced Diploma in a relevant field such as Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or Business.
• **Technical Skills:** A solid understanding of technical integrations and system architecture is essential. You must be comfortable with data analytics tools and have experience in creating wireframes or proposing design-led solutions.
• **Soft Skills:** Exceptional communication skills are vital, as you will be translating technical constraints to business stakeholders and business requirements to developers.

For an applicant in the South African tech sector, this role sits within a highly competitive bracket. Product Managers at this level of seniority within major South African e-commerce groups typically command a market-related package that reflects the high demand for technical product expertise. Working for the Takealot Group provides a clear growth path into more senior strategic product roles or product leadership. Candidates who excel in this position often progress by taking on larger portfolios or managing cross-functional product departments as the business continues its expansion in the South African delivery market.

• At least 3 years experience as a Product Manager or 5 years in a software development related role.
• Bachelor's degree or Advanced Diploma in related field.
• Strong technical acumen for integration.
• Experience with analysing data and making data driven product decisions.
• Experience with wireframing or design solutions.