Product Owner

Unifi Africa; Stellenbosch; On-site; ZAR 800 000 - 1 200 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading financial technology company in South Africa is seeking a Product Owner – Client Growth to optimize systems for client acquisition and retention. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in product management and a passion for improving access to financial services in emerging markets. This role combines growth strategy, user experience, and marketing technology to drive results.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of professional experience, including 5+ years in product management.
• Proven success in driving measurable outcomes across the growth funnel.
• Experience in African or emerging markets preferred.

Responsibilities

• Own the product lifecycle for client growth-driven systems.
• Design and optimise client acquisition experiences.
• Collaborate with marketing and development teams for user experience.

Skills

Experience in product management

Digital marketing expertise

Client retention strategies

Understanding of acquisition funnels

Knowledge of agile product development

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Jira

Figma

Miro

Job description

Product Owner – Client Growth

Job Description

About Unifi

Unifi is redefining credit in Africa with simple, fast personal loans delivered through online, mobile and branch channels. We make life easy for thousands of clients across Zambia, Kenya, Uganda and South Africa. Unifi has conviction in the African continent and its people, and our products enable our clients to achieve even more. As one of the fastest-growing lenders in East Africa, we combine exceptional client service with the very best tech and data analytics.

Learn more about Unifi at:

About the Role

Unifi Africa is seeking a commercially savvy and data-driven Product Owner – Client Growth to lead the design and optimisation of software and systems that power client acquisition, onboarding, and retention across our operations in South Africa, Zambia, Uganda, and Kenya.

This pivotal role sits at the intersection of growth strategy, user experience, marketing technology, and product development. You\'ll be responsible for building and iterating the tools, journeys, and channels that help attract, onboard, and retain our customers—across online, mobile, and branch channels. The ideal candidate has a passion for scaling digital products in emerging markets, a solid grasp of client behaviour, and a proven track record of driving measurable outcomes in acquisition, conversion, and retention.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the product lifecycle for client growth-focused systems, from awareness through acquisition to retention — including marketing tools, client onboarding, and client growth and loyalty mechanisms.
• Design and optimise digital and in-branch client acquisition experiences, including SEO, tracking of marketing campaigns and linking with aggregators.
• Lead the development of web and physical client acquisition and onboarding tools, making it seamless for clients to start and complete their loan journey online or in-branch.
• Collaborate with the marketing and development teams to ensure a cohesive and compelling user experience.
• Define and maintain a product roadmap, working closely with local operations and marketing teams to align business needs with scalable solutions.
• Track, report, and communicate product performance and strategic growth metrics to senior stakeholders.

Qualifications, Experience and Requirements

• Bachelor\'s or Master\'s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Technology, or a related discipline.
• 8+ years of professional experience, including 5+ years in product management, digital marketing, or growth roles within financial services, fintech, or e-commerce.
• Deep understanding of acquisition funnels, CRM, onboarding flows, and client retention strategies in digital or hybrid models.
• Proven success in driving measurable outcomes across the growth funnel: acquisition, activation, reactivation, and repeat use.
• Experience working in African or other emerging markets is strongly preferred.
• Knowledge of Agile product development, with hands-on experience using tools like Jira, Figma, and Miro.
• Certification in product management, growth marketing, or agile methodologies is a plus.
• Passion for Africa and commitment to improving access to financial services.
• Willingness to travel across the continent as needed.