Chief Product Officer - Kaluza Japan

Kaluza; London; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative firm is seeking a Chief Product Officer to lead Kaluza Japan, a joint venture focused on transforming the energy sector. This role involves setting product strategy, overseeing operations, and driving market engagement in Japan. The ideal candidate will possess strong leadership skills, a deep understanding of SaaS products, and a passion for the energy transition. With a commitment to collaboration and inclusivity, this position offers a unique opportunity to shape the future of energy solutions in a dynamic market. Join a forward-thinking team that values diverse perspectives and empowers you to make a meaningful impact from day one.

Benefits

Access to thousands of retail discounts

5% Flex Fund for benefits

26 days holiday

Flexible bank holidays

26 weeks full pay for family leave

Personal learning budget

Home office budget

Flexible working hours

Qualifications

• Strong leadership and experience in driving outcomes.
• Robust experience in SaaS products and enterprise technology.

Responsibilities

• Provide overall direction and leadership for Kaluza Japan.
• Set product direction and strategy for the joint venture.

Skills

Leadership Skills

SaaS Products and Platforms

Energy Industry Knowledge

Negotiation Skills

Emotional Intelligence

Commercial Mindset

Team Collaboration

Education

Experience in Enterprise Technology

Understanding of Energy Transition

Job description

Job title: Chief Product Officer, Kaluza Japan

Location: London - Hybrid

Team: Product

Reporting To: Managing Director, US and Japan

Closing date for applications: Monday 20th January 2025

Kaluza reimagines energy to bring net-zero within everyone’s reach. The Kaluza Platform enables energy utilities to unlock the full value of a radically changing energy system and propel us to a future where renewable energy is sustainable, affordable and accessible for all.

From automating and simplifying core operations including billing to create a lower-cost, higher-engagement experience, to optimising energy usage across smart devices in the home, we turn tough challenges into win-win-win outcomes for customers, suppliers and the energy system.

Kaluza and Mitsubishi Corporation have launched a joint venture (JV) called “Kaluza Japan” to bring our technology solutions (Kaluza Retail and Kaluza Flex) to the Japanese market. Kaluza Japan is a corporate-backed start-up with 50/50 ownership by Kaluza and MC. Kaluza Japan has an office in Tokyo with the product and engineering functions supported by Kaluza through a team dedicated to customising our products to suit the Japanese market and client requirements.

Kaluza Japan is a key plank of the Kaluza global growth strategy, and we are looking for a leader capable of delivering on both execution and vision as we tackle the Japanese market.

The role will be based at a Kaluza office with frequent (>2 weeks/ quarter) travel to Japan.

What will I be doing?

• Together with the CEO of Kaluza Japan, providing overall direction and leadership for the company, making major decisions and overseeing daily operations and administration.
• Providing product direction and strategy for Kaluza Japan, including setting the medium to long-term product direction and strategy for the JV, overseeing the PM and engineering team to make short-term roadmap and trade-off decisions, and digging into the details as needed.
• Acting as the product marketing lead, understanding market and client dynamics to inform product packaging, positioning, and sales materials.
• Serving as the primary interface between Kaluza Japan and the dedicated product/engineering team.
• Acting as pre-sales lead, developing customised pitches and technical sales materials (e.g., demos) for the commercial team, and representing Kaluza Japan in client and partner pitches and meetings.
• Being the primary interface between the JV and a range of cross-functional stakeholders at Kaluza including members of the SteerCo, product, engineering, presales, product marketing and design leadership.

About You

Ideally you’ll have/be:

• Strong leadership skills and experience, demonstrated ability to own and drive outcomes.
• Robust experience in the enterprise technology industry with SaaS products and platforms.
• Understanding of the energy industry and the energy transition and direct experience in selling in the energy sector.
• High degree of initiative and a commercial, entrepreneurial mindset.
• Experience leading pitches/presentations to senior stakeholders at a very high standard and attention to detail.
• Thrives in negotiations and contracting, comfortable with unit economics and legal nuances.
• The ability to see long and short term, thinking tactically and strategically.
• High emotional intelligence and ability to empathize and work through differing opinions.
• Know when and how to measure success. You don’t just use data, you know when to use what sort of data and the questions you need to help you answer.
• Team player, open communicator and collaborator - keeps colleagues up-to-date, shares and learns without prompting, can wrangle competing priorities and interests.
• A start-up mentality and ability to self-organize.

What will set you apart:

• Demonstrated ability to work across teams and cultures, strong interest in and respect for Japanese culture in particular a plus.
• Ability to speak Japanese a major plus.

Kaluza Values

Here at Kaluza we have five core values that guide us as a business:

• We’re on a mission
• We build together
• We’re inclusive
• We get it done
• We communicate with purpose

Perks at Work:

• Access to thousands of retail discounts
• 5% Flex Fund to spend on the benefits you want most
• 26 days holiday
• Flexible bank holidays, giving you an additional 8 days which you can choose to take whenever you like
• Progressive leave policies with no qualifying service periods, including 26 weeks full pay if you have a new addition to your family
• Dedicated personal learning and home office budgets
• Flexible working — we trust you to work in a way that suits your lifestyle
• And more...

Even better? You’ll have access to these benefits from day 1 when you join.

We want the best people

We’re keen to meet people from all walks of life — our view is that the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be. We want to build teams which represent a variety of experiences, perspectives and skills, and we recognise talent on the basis of merit and potential.

We understand some people may not apply for jobs unless they tick every box. But if you're excited about joining us and think you have some of what we're looking for, even if you're not 100% sure, we'd still love to hear from you.