Director of Product, Commerce

Carry1st; South Africa; Remote; ZAR 300 000 - 400 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading gaming platform in South Africa is looking for a Director of Product to drive the strategy and execution of their content distribution business. This role involves leading a team, overseeing product vision, and ensuring measurable results across various channels. Ideal candidates should have extensive experience in product management and a passion for gaming and fintech, with an opportunity to work remotely from anywhere in the world.

Benefits

Co-working excursions

Awesome equipment

Remote working allowance

Learning and development

Social events

Birthday leave

Qualifications

• 8+ years of product management experience, including 3+ years leading product teams.
• Proven success scaling B2C and/or B2B digital products.
• Experience building user-facing features such as loyalty and personalization.

Responsibilities

• Lead the strategy and execution of the content distribution business.
• Build and mentor a team of product managers and designers.
• Drive measurable impact across B2C and B2B distribution channels.

Skills

Product management experience

Scaling digital products

User-facing features

Exceptional communication skills

Commercially driven

Collaborative leadership

Curiosity about new markets

Job description

Carry1st is Africa’s leading games publisher and monetization platform, helping top global companies grow their player base and revenue across Africa and the Middle East. We launch, localize, and scale games for global audiences, operate the region’s fastest-growing digital top-up web shop, and offer a payments platform that boosts revenue by up to 10x in markets with low card usage but high demand for digital content. Our partners include Activision, EA, Riot Games, and Netease. Backed by investors like a16z, Bitkraft, Google, Konvoy, Sony, Riot Games, and Nas, we’re solving hard problems at the intersection of gaming, fintech, and digital commerce.

As the Director of Product, Commerce, you will lead the strategy, execution, and growth of our content distribution business. This role oversees the B2C Carry1st Shop (Web, Android, iOS) and B2B Distribution API, while exploring new and exciting distribution opportunities on the horizon with innovations in AI.

You will recruit and mentor a team of product managers and designers, establish a clear product vision, and drive measurable impact across B2C and B2B distribution channels.

You will…

• Set the vision & strategy for the Carry1st Shop and Distribution API, while exploring new channels to expand reach and monetisation.
• Build and lead a team of product managers and designers, fostering accountability, collaboration, and user-centred design.
• Deliver impact by prioritising initiatives and developing features like loyalty and personalisation to drive customer and commercial value.
• Collaborate across teams (Engineering, Growth, BD, Legal, Ops) to ensure execution and measurable outcomes.
• Understand our customers deeply — designing for local realities, behaviours, and constraints across Africa and the Middle East.
• Communicate clearly with executives, stakeholders, and partners to align product priorities and progress.

Requirements

What makes you a great candidate?

• 8+ years of product management experience, including 3+ years leading product teams
• Proven success scaling B2C and/or B2B digital products (experience in e-commerce, fintech, gaming, or digital platforms strongly preferred)
• Experience building user-facing features such as loyalty, personalization, social commerce, or referrals
• Exceptional communication skills — written, verbal, and executive-level
• Commercially driven; able to back up priorities with data and expected outcomes
• Collaborative and empathetic leader with strong convictions and openness to learning
• Deep curiosity about new markets and passion for solving diverse user needs

Benefits

What will it be like to work at Carry1st?

Carry1st is a fast-paced and dynamic place to work. Our team is diverse and global as we operate fully-remotely across 25+ countries. At Carry1st, you will have the opportunity to…

• Shape the future of digital distribution in Africa and the Middle East — one of the world’s fastest-growing consumer markets
• Build awesome, industry-changing products, every day
• Grow with a VC-backed startup at the intersection of gaming and fintech
• Work from anywhere in the world with international teammates
• Own shares in the Company - enabling you to benefit from the value you create

Some additional perks…

• Co-working excursions: Travel to meet your colleagues in cities around the world
• Awesome equipment: Get everything you need to work effectively
• Remote working allowance: Put an additional $600 / year to optimise your WFH experience
• Learning and development: Attend courses, conferences and training events
• Social events: Participate in regular company events to relax and connect with teammates
• Birthday leave: Enjoy a paid day off on your special day

We hire great people from a wide variety of backgrounds, not just because it's the right thing to do, but because it makes our company stronger. Join us!

Learn more about Carry1st…

• Andreessen Horowitz shared why they invested in Carry1st
• VentureBeat announced that Carry1st has raised $27 million to develop and publish mobile games in Africa
• Remerge hosted Cordel on a podcast to discuss Carry1st and the African gaming market