Director of Product & Business Development

Nexus3 Capital; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Direct mentorship from the founding CEO

Potential equity

Hands-on role shaping the MVP

Job summary

A forward-thinking investment firm in Chicago is seeking a proactive entrepreneur to join their team as a product manager. This role is centered around leveraging generative AI in the energy sector, where you'll lead customer discovery and develop an MVP. You'll work closely with the founding CEO and the engineering team to drive early customer pilots and shape the product vision. A background in product management, customer development, and experience with AI concepts is essential. Competitive compensation and equity potential are offered.

Qualifications

• 2–4+ years of experience in product management or related roles.
• Ability to synthesize complex ideas into concise insights.
• Working knowledge of generative AI concepts.
• Comfort building demos/prototypes using no-code/low-code tools (Replit, Lovable) and/or simple scripts.
• Comfort in ambiguity and moving fast in a 0-to-1 environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead customer discovery to validate problem and workflow.
• Develop product thesis and prioritize use cases.
• Engage potential customers in pilot tests.
• Develop relationships with industry stakeholders and conduct customer interviews across segments.
• Synthesize feedback into actionable insights and identify disruptive workflows.
• Partner with engineering to define and develop an MVP and refine use cases.
• Develop ROI narratives and engage potential customers in pilot tests.
• Maintain awareness of regulatory data landscape and AI application layer.

Skills

Product management

Customer development

Business development

Strong interpersonal skills

Generative AI concepts

No-code/low-code tools

Tools

Replit

Lovable

Job description

About Nexus3 Capital:

Nexus3 Capital builds and invests in transformative enterprise SaaS companies that are powered by artificial intelligence, focusing on large vertical markets where AI can materially improve decision-making and operational efficiency.

Nexus3 Capital is founded and led by Tim Stojka, a serial entrepreneur with 25+ years of experience building cutting-edge software companies across multiple industries.

Role Overview:

We are seeking a proactive entrepreneur who can sit at the intersection of customer discovery, product management, and technical development. You will work directly with the founding CEO- as well as the engineering and business development teams- to validate product-market fit, shape the MVP, and drive early customer pilots.

This role will be focused on our newest portfolio company, which will leverage generative AI in the energy industry.

Your mission will be to:

• Lead customer discovery to validate the problem, current workflow, and willingness to pay
• Understand the energy landscape and the ways in which a genAI product in that space can be monetized
• Engage with the engineering team and quickly move from hypothesis, to MVP, to product

Key Responsibilities:

Customer Discovery & Market Validation

• Develop relationships with industry stakeholders and conduct customer interviews across key segments to conceptualize and refine product functionality
• Synthesize qualitative feedback into actionable insights
• Identify workflows and processes that can be radically disrupted by generative AI
• Run structured validation loops with concept tests and demo walk-throughs, while documenting learning and identifying next steps

Product Strategy & MVP Definition

• Refine the product thesis and prioritize use cases for different customer segments
• Translate customer needs into product requirements
• Partner with engineering to define and develop an MVP

Early Go-To-Market Support

• Develop ROI narratives tied to customer outcomes and engage potential customers in pilot tests
• Maintain a living view of the regulatory data landscape, as well as the AI application layer at large

Skills/Experience Required:

• 2–4+ years of experience in product management, customer development, strategy/consulting, business development, or a technical role in B2B software
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to synthesize complex ideas into concrete and concise insights
• Working knowledge of generative AI concepts (LLMs, prompt design, retrieval/evaluation) and curiosity about emerging technologies
• Comfort building demos/prototypes using no-code/low-code tools (Replit, Lovable) and/or simple scripts
• Comfort in ambiguity and moving fast in a 0-to-1 environment

We Offer:

• Direct mentorship and partnership with the founding CEO
• A highly leveraged role shaping the initial product thesis, MVP, and early customer pilots
• Competitive compensation and potential equity