Our mission at Smartbox is to ensure no one is left without a voice. We create assistive technology for disabled people who experience difficulty with speech, to communicate and live more independent lives. A big part of our culture is our passion, which drives us to continuously improve our products, services and ways of working, so the people who use our technology can achieve their ambitions.
Based in the UK, US, France, Germany and the Netherlands, with partners in over 40 countries, we are a leading supplier in the global augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) community. We don’t take this for granted, and every person in our team is key to ensuring more people who would benefit from assistive technology can access it.
As a Product Manager at Smartbox, you’ll play a pivotal role in the next-generation development of Grid – our flagship AAC software – and related products. Your work will break down barriers to participation and independence, improving life for people with disabilities and the people who support them, while fuelling the growth that lets us help even more users.
Projects range from eye-tracking and language systems to environmental control, data security and so much more. A love of tackling unfamiliar problems and learning fast is essential. Leading from research and discovery through to implementation and market launch, you will steer initiatives and work hands-on with multi-disciplinary teams. You’ll make sure our solutions delight users and stay ahead in the assistive technology market, balancing user needs with business objectives and real-world constraints.
Duties will include:
· Delivering products and product updates that make a difference.
· Supporting prioritisation and development of product strategy in collaboration with other leaders in R&D and senior stakeholders across the group.
· Leading product discovery. Understanding the needs of our customers and business to create a roadmap that will deliver user impact and commercial success. Using data, co-design, collaboration and research techniques effectively.
· Using qual and quant insights to identify high-impact opportunities and measure the success of them.
· Leading product delivery. Creating agile delivery plans, defining product requirements, creating user stories and epics, managing dependencies, iterating and working closely with the team and stakeholders all the way to launch.
· Balancing competing concerns – minimising cost and maximising value, while navigating clinical, technical and regulatory constraints and staying true to our values and purpose.
· Managing scope and complexity to support effective delivery and minimise time to market.
· Collaborating closely with product development leaders and wider teams across the business to ensure a smooth launch with maximum impact.
· Maintaining a deep understanding of Smartbox products and their performance, as well as trends and developments in key markets and the wider industry.
· Maintaining a solid understanding of Smartbox’s commercial priorities and understanding how your work contributes to them.
The successful applicant will also be asked to perform other duties on an ad-hoc basis and will need a proactive attitude to this.
· A passion for changing lives with assistive technology.
· 5 or more years’ prior experience in a product management, business development or similar role
· Track record of leading the development and delivery of successful software products and features, with evidence of effective discovery and delivery processes, and a focus on impact.
· Ability to push through in the face of uncertainty and lead with clarity.
· Evidence of being able to navigate complicated or highly technical problem spaces, to simplify and manage scope to enable fast and efficient delivery and keep the team focused on the core value proposition
· Ability to engage effectively on technical, UX, legal, commercial, marketing problems (and more) – moving between high and low levels of detail and balancing competing concerns.
· Good knowledge of product and UX frameworks and methodologies for effective discovery and delivery.
· Exceptional communication skills, both verbal and written – good at listening and asking, and articulating plans and complex concepts in a clear and engaging manner.
·Great collaboration skills, with the ability to work well in a small, dynamic team and with stakeholders across a larger global organisation.
· Willingness to travel to other Smartbox and customer sites, potentially internationally.
· Broad knowledge of best practices in project management, user-centred design, user research and market research.
· Strong commercial and operational awareness
· Solid understanding of the assistive tech or SEND ed-tech markets (including sales and funding channels, customer needs, and relevant technologies).
· Experience of software product development in a highly regulated industry, e.g. software as a medical device.
In this role, you will have the flexibility to work between your home and our office locations in Malvern and Bristol. For this role, we require the candidate to work in the Bristol office twice a week as a minimum.
Smartbox offers comprehensive benefits including:
· Company Pension.
· Group Life Assurance.
· Income Protection.
· Private Medical Insurance.
· 25 days holiday plus public holidays.
· Flexible working.
· Cycle scheme.
· Office snacks.
· Benefit and Wellbeing app Yulife, with store discounts and wellbeing services available.
· Annual Charity Day.
· Long Service Award.
· Training and development opportunities.
· EV car scheme through salary sacrifice after 2 years’ service.
· Corporate gym membership discount.
· We are passionate about our people and offer many social events including team outings and get-togethers.
We welcome applications from all communities and those from diverse backgrounds and groups. Please outline your experience and ability to excel in this role within your cover letter.
We are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer and one of the sponsors for Purple Tuesday- the #1 brand working to improve the experiences of disabled people as customers 365 days a year. We are fully committed to the employment and career development of disabled people. To ensure everyone has an equal chance, we’re always willing to make reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process. Should you require further assistance or require any reasonable adjustments to be put in place to better support your application process, please do not hesitate to contact us via email: jobs@thinksmartbox.com or call 01684213075.
At our company, we are driven by a passion for making a positive impact on society, minimizing our environmental footprint, and meeting the needs of our stakeholders. We have been actively working towards becoming B-Corp certified, aligning ourselves with a global movement dedicated to eradicating poverty, protecting the planet, and fostering lasting prosperity for all. To learn more about our commitment to sustainability, please visit this link: Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability.