ENVIRONMENT:

Our client, a UK-based leader in photovoltaic distribution with offices in Johannesburg and Cape Town, is seeking a Product Manager to drive the growth of their finance offering, focused on the commercial and agricultural sectors. This hybrid strategy-and-execution role involves developing and scaling tailored financing solutions in collaboration with internal teams, partners, and clients. The ideal candidate will own the product roadmap and execution, ensuring alignment with market needs, financial frameworks, and business objectives—shaping the future of clean energy finance across Africa.

DUTIES:

 Product Manager - Solar Finance Strategy

• Develop the company's Finance product portfolio
• Negotiate products with banks/financiers
• Build commercial partnerships
• Manage product-market fit
• Manager internal processes allowing for efficient handling and processing of the finance products
• Sell directly to installers / EPC's and end-users; whether farmers facing seasonal power outages or commercial businesses seeking solutions to curb utility price increases and/or clean, affordable energy alternatives.

Finance

• Design and develop tailored solar finance products (e.g., loans, leases, PPAs) that meet the needs of commercial and agricultural customers, incorporating relevant incentives and regulatory requirements.
• Build financial models and business cases to assess product viability, pricing strategies, customer affordability, and long-term profitability.
• Collaborate with financial institutions and partners to structure funding solutions, negotiate terms, and ensure the scalability and sustainability of the finance offering.

Stakeholder Relations

• Build and maintain trust relationships with the Product Solar Finance team, key Suppliers and Customers to ensure business needs are met and employees are self-motivated and driven
• Work as part of the Product Solar Finance team to share ideas and improve operation, contribute to new business initiatives and projects and review, and communicate the impact of the Product Solar Finance department activities
• Ensure effective relationships with Customer businesses through maintaining an appropriate interface between Product Solar Finance, Suppliers and Customers
• Facilitate and encourage effective intra and cross departmental interaction

Product Solar Finance Tasks

• Work closely with the Finance and Commercial teams
• Develop and execute a solar finance product portfolio roadmap, focusing initially on both agricultural and commercial sectors, aligned with market timing, energy needs and client risk profiles.
• Negotiate with banks/financiers in the development of their financial product portfolio.
• Identify and pursue sales opportunities with commercial end users, particularly those with high energy loads and cost-saving mandates (e.g. manufacturers, warehouses, logistics providers).
• Build strategic partnerships with complimentary product suppliers (such as irrigation pivot suppliers to the agri market), farming co-ops and agricultural organisations to unlock bundled offerings and warm lead channels.
• Lead business development efforts to promote adoption in the commercial solar sector, working closely with decision makers in retail groups (end users), developers and direct clients.
• Collaborate with compliance and finance teams to structure finance products that meet regulatory and credit risk standards across both Agri and commercial markets.
• Build and maintain financial models to assess the performance and viability of solar finance offerings across both segments.
• Lead go-to-m