Product Introduction Team Lead and Product Manager

Fairphone is more than just a company - we are a global leader in sustainable, modular electronics, on a mission to change the electronics industry from the inside out. Built on strong social and environmental values, we are a diverse and inclusive team from all walks of life creating market consumer electronics that make a real impact.

At Fairphone, you will find a supportive and safe space where everyone can be themselves, collaborate openly, and have the freedom to learn and grow - because that’s how we innovate and drive change together! 

So… are you a proactive, self-motivated team player who loves taking initiative and bringing positive energy? Do you thrive in a fast-moving start-up or scale-up environment? Are you a great communicator who values collaboration and embraces different perspectives? And most importantly, do you feel a strong connection to Fairphone’s mission and values? If you're nodding along and thinking, “Yes, that’s me!”, then check out our vacancy below! 

Please know that we acknowledge that we are living in a time where the use of AI can bring many efficiencies and support. However, we want to know the real YOU. Please try to limit the use of AI tools to generate answers to the application; we value authenticity and encourage you to use your creativity! 

• Location: Amsterdam (you should have the right to work in the Netherlands) 

• Hours: 40 hours per week

• Deadline to apply: ASAP

• Contract duration: The 1st 12-month employment contract with the possibility of extension to permanent
  
  

The Product Introduction Team Lead reports to the Head of Product and leads the team of product managers responsible for roadmapping and new product introduction. The objective of this team is to turn company strategy into winning products by defining the product portfolio, specifying product requirements, and navigating tradeoffs. This team drives each new product from concept to launch through a clear NPI process that aligns hardware, software, operations, and go-to-market. The team is led by a highly experienced Product Manager with strong leadership skills. 
Furthermore, this position will also be responsible for driving the success of the specific category by developing a strong long-term roadmap, documenting product requirements and ensuring timely product launches. The Product Manager fosters cross-functional collaboration, and timely decision-making, acting as the bridge between the front and the back end of developing products. The Product Manager guards technical excellence throughout the product lifecycle and manages requirements, in the NPI process and after the launch of our devices.

Key Objectives

• Lead the Product Introduction Team, implementing best practices in product management, product roadmapping and new product introduction across categories to deliver excellent product experience and support team members to eliminate roadblocks and harmonize product direction and NPI activities. 
• Drive product success across product categories, establishing the product vision and roadmap and ensuring the successful launch and market (lifecycle) performance of Fairphone products by meeting customer needs, meeting quality and certification standards, and aligning with our impact goals. Create and deliver on strong long-term roadmaps. Support other Product Managers to define the overall direction and goals of the complete product portfolio and bolster alignment across categories. This means understanding customer needs and pain points to develop products that deliver exceptional user experience and drive customer loyalty within our core customer groups: end-users, business IT purchasers (B2B), telecom operators and retailers.
• Foster cross-functional collaboration, building strong relationships and collaborating effectively with internal teams (engineering, design, marketing) and external partners (telecom operators, suppliers) to achieve product goals.
• Innovation and impact, staying ahead of industry trends, identifying emerging technologies, and integrating sustainable practices into product development to maintain Fairphone's leadership in ethical consumer electronics.
• Guard technical excellence, providing technical leadership and expertise throughout the product lifecycle, from concept to launch to end of life, to ensure the delivery of high-quality, reliable, and sustainable consumer electronics.
  
  

Key responsibilities
Product Introduction Team Lead:    

• Line-management and mentoring to people in the Product Introduction Team, including (Technical) Product Managers across all our product categories. 
• Ensure coherence and alignment of the overall product roadmap across all product categories, driving alignment, consistency in NPI processes, and shared product direction.

Product planning & roadmap:    

• Owner of the product category roadmap. Define and maintain a strategic product roadmap for a specific category, ensuring alignment with market trends, technology developments and internal capacity and budget.
• Overviews benchmark studies against other products, maintaining our industry knowledge and our competitive edge.
• Leads the development of strong relationships with selected technology partners.

Requirements accountability, validation and lifecycle improvements: 

• Decide what the optimal balance between UX, business and technical feasibility is, in collaboration with the Technical Product Manager and Product Marketing Manager.
• Support the product lifecycle forum, translating insights from our customers (e.g. AS, CS, CX…) into new requirements that drive user satisfaction, triggering the necessary engineering changes during the market lifecycle.  

Give direction to product development:    

• Lead / shepherd your products development across the NPI framework and bridge between disciplines to accelerate/smoothen decision-making. 
• Support product development by taking on key deliverables which are assigned to the product manager within the overall NPI framework.
• Support the development teams to raise and substantiate product development risks and investigate the best mitigation strategies. 

• 8 to 10+ years of product management experience, including 3+ years of direct people management of Product Managers (hiring, coaching, performance management).
• Own a multi-year and multi-category roadmap and portfolio decisions, including prioritisation methods, capacity and dependency mapping, and roadmap governance.
• Evident experience Leading cross-functional delivery from concept to development (EVT, DVT, PVT) to launch, running decision forums and driving alignment across engineering, design, product, operations, and go-to-market.
• Able to write and own high-quality requirements (PRD). Experience in dealing with telecom requirements is a plus.
• Experience in supplier, ODM, and cost tradeoff management, including supplier engagement, qualification inputs, BOM/NRE cost analysis, and manufacturing readiness constraints.
• A strong and intrinsic connection with Fairphone’s vision, mission and values.
• Experience in market lifecycle governance (after product launch), running a structured loop from field signals to engineering changes and multi-generational planning (including end-of-life planning).

1. The opportunity to create an impact on the electronics industry around the world.

2. A diverse work environment full of international, passionate, warm-hearted team members.

3. 25 paid holidays per year (based on a full-time contract) next to the other public holidays in the Netherlands. You’ll also get a day off on your birthday! Additionally, the longer you stay, the more holidays you get! 

4. Daily, healthy lunch, organic FairChain coffee, and many more tasty things.

5. You will join Fairphone’s collective pension scheme, and we will contribute to building your pension.

6. You will receive a MacBook, Fairbuds,  and a Fairphone as working devices.

7. Hybrid working model - We are remote-friendly, and you can work up to 40% of your time per month from home or any other location you want. We also contribute up to €250 for your home office set-up.

8. Public transport allowance – we fully cover your 2nd class commute from your home to the office

9. Bike allowance – We support you with a bike purchase of up to €300, and you’ll also have a yearly repair budget of up to €100! We also cover 23 cents per km for your biking distance from home to the office (or train station) and back!

10. Grow with us! We encourage you to develop at Fairphone. That’s why we’ll support your career goals with coaching (Inuka), trainings, workshops, or courses that you can join with your development budget. 

11. Kitchen with beautiful views to the IJ waterfront.

12. There’s a gym and recreation and yoga rooms in the building where you can build healthy habits, stay active and have fun with your colleagues, as well as a subscription to our mental & physical well-being services (Inuka & Urban Sports)

#LI-DNI

DEI @Fairphone

At Fairphone, we care about people, planet and you. It’s natural that we see diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) as an essential part of how we work together and do business.
We support and further strengthen our inclusive work environment and culture by more formally implementing various DEI efforts to ensure all Fairphoners feel included, respected, and supported.