Product Manager, Precision Enzymes

Watchmakergenomics; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

Watchmaker is seeking a Product Manager or Senior Product Manager for its Precision Enzymes & Emerging Technologies portfolio based in Cape Town, SA. You will drive the enzyme product strategy, coordinate with R&D, and lead lifecycle management across standalone and integrated enzyme products.

The role requires a strong molecular biology background, 6+ years in biotech, and experience with OEM/B2B enzyme products. Travel is expected; start date as soon as possible.

Qualifications

• Graduate degree in molecular biology, biochemistry, or related field.
• 6+ years industry experience.
• Biotech/start-up experience preferred.
• OEM/B2B enzyme experience.
• Experience launching products.
• Excellent communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Define and drive product strategy and multi-year roadmap for enzyme portfolio.
• Act as enzyme portfolio expert and liaise with R&D on tech requirements.
• Lead new product development projects with key stakeholders.
• Oversee enzyme technologies in new NGS/MDx tool development.
• Support multi-year strategy, including pricing and commercialization planning.
• Ensure on-market product care and meet customer forecasts.
• Create competitive assessments and monitor market trends.
• Balance internal needs with external market opportunities for value.
• Lead high-touch external engagements with partners and customers.
• Translate market intel into roadmap with Technical Marketing.
• Represent enzyme programs in Portfolio Committee and Product Care.
• Present updates to senior leadership in business reviews.

Skills

Product management

Enzymes

NGS

MDx

Lifecycle management

Market research

Cross-functional leadership

Technical communication

OEM experience

Biology knowledge

Education

MS in Molecular Biology or Biochemistry

PhD preferred

Tools

PCR/qPCR

NGS workflows

Quality systems

Job description

Watchmaker is inviting applications for the full-time position of Product Manager or Senior Product Manager, Precision Enzymes & Emerging Technologies based in Cape Town, South Africa. The successful candidate will thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced working environment and contribute directly to our company culture and success.

The position provides an opportunity to manage our precision enzyme portfolio, reporting to the Associate Director, MDx & Enzymes Product Management. The Product Manager ensures continuous business success through new product development, OEM commercial strategy, and lifecycle management across the enzyme portfolio, with emphasis on differentiated enzymes. The ideal candidate brings a firm grounding in molecular biology and enzyme-based knowledge across NGS and molecular diagnostics.

Responsibilities

• Drive the product strategy and multi-year roadmap for the enzyme portfolio, supporting both standalone enzyme products and enzymes integrated into Watchmaker's NGS and MDx tools solutions.
• Serve as the enzyme portfolio expert and technical product manager within the organization, engaging credibly with R&D on characterization, scale-up, and OEM technical requirements.
• Be a key leader in new product development projects in close partnership with key stakeholders.
• Lead enzyme new product development initiatives and serve as the product management representative for enzyme technologies incorporated into new NGS and MDx tools product development.
• Support execution of the multi-year product strategy and roadmap across standalone enzyme products and internally integrated enzyme technologies, including opportunity assessment, positioning, financial analysis, and commercialization planning.
• Support on-market product care and be a champion for product care initiatives required to meet/exceed customer's forecast and requirements
• Create and maintain competitive assessments, market trends, and product performance
• Balance internal platform requirements with external market opportunities to maximize the value of Watchmaker's enzyme technologies across multiple product lines.
• Lead high-touch external engagements.
• Translate market and competitive intelligence into roadmap and product decisions; partner with Technical Marketing on positioning, launch, and sales enablement.
• Represent enzyme programs in the Portfolio Committee and Product Care, and support on-market product care with quarterly touchpoints.
• Present to senior leadership in regular business reviews and marketing updates.

Please note: The above responsibilities are not exhaustive and other similar duties may be required from time to time.

Skills and Requirements

The candidate should have a graduate degree (MS or PhD) in molecular biology, biochemistry, or a related field, with 6+ years' experience. Experience in biotech and a start-up environment are highly desirable.

The following skills and experience are requirements for the position:

• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• The ability to multitask, be able to work at a high standard, perform consistently under pressure along with pre-determined deadlines and work without supervision.
• Strong interpersonal skills and an ability to work as an effective member of a team.
• Good communication and personal task management skills and a high level of self-motivation and initiative.
• A creative and disciplined approach to problem-solving.
• Time management and prioritization under deadlines
• High level of accuracy in documentation, record-keeping, and reporting.
• Deep molecular biology / enzymology knowledge of DNA- and RNA-modifying enzymes and NGS and/or MDx workflows.
• Demonstrated OEM / B2B product or commercial experience in enzymes, reagents, or life-science tools, including pricing, custom deals, and partnership / supply dynamics.
• Track record of defining and launching products, and of documenting customer / product requirements in a quality management system.
• Experience presenting technical information to audiences with varied scientific backgrounds, and influencing and gaining consensus across cross-functional teams.
• Hands-on familiarity with standard molecular biology techniques such as PCR / qPCR and next-generation sequencing.

This position requires international travel, approximately 3-6 trips annually.

Education and Experience

• MS in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, or related scientific field required; PhD a plus
• Minimum of 6 years industry relevant experience, including R&D
• Product Management experience preferred; customer-facing roles considered a plus
• Experience as part of a new product development core team required; OEM / B2B enzyme or reagent product experience strongly preferred