Senior R&D Manager — Product Innovation & Strategy

The Focus Group; Sandton; On-site; ZAR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Job summary

The Focus Group in Sandton, South Africa, seeks a Senior R&D Manager to conceptualize and drive new R&D projects aligned with growth strategy. You will lead the development of product strategy and oversee cross-functional teams to bring innovative products to market.

The role requires 5–10 years in financial services, with backgrounds in management consulting, actuarial science, or data science. You will build and train a small team, sign off on launches, and present updates to executive forums.

Qualifications

• 5–10 years in financial services, product development, or analytical roles.
• Honors or Master’s degree in an analytical field such as CS, Statistics, Data Science or Actuarial Science.
• Leadership experience would be advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Drive exploratory research and analyses to inform the innovation agenda.
• Develop the product strategy and R&D priorities aligned with company strategy.
• Lead complex R&D projects across multiple client businesses and drive cross-functional collaboration.
• Present updates to executive forums (R&D Steercom, Exco, Product Committee, Board).
• Drive project execution with PMs, systems teams, and related groups.
• Take accountability and signoff on product launches.
• Continuously refine the R&D process for maximum business impact.
• Build, manage, and train a small team to support the above.

Skills

Self-starter

Strategic thinker

Leadership

Problem-solving

Communication

Cross-functional coordination

Education

Honors/Master’s in analytics

Job description

The Focus Group in Sandton, South Africa, seeks a Senior R&D Manager to conceptualize and drive new R&D projects aligned with growth strategy. You will lead the development of product strategy and oversee cross-functional teams to bring innovative products to market.

The role requires 5–10 years in financial services, with backgrounds in management consulting, actuarial science, or data science. You will build and train a small team, sign off on launches, and present updates to executive forums.