Group Head of Product – Yas App

Group Head of Product – Yas AppReports to: Group CMOLocation: Dubai, UAE, with regular travel to marketsContract type: Full-time | PermanentRole PurposeThe Group Head of Product is accountable for the Yas App as a single, coherent product across all Operating Companies (OpCos) — owning the roadmap, arbitrating priority between Group and Local needs, and guaranteeing the quality of everything that enters delivery.The role anchors the new Yas App organisation: it sets direction for Project Managers (business and technical and the Growth & Marketing Manager, and is the final arbitration point for requests, priorities and escalations coming from OpCos.The Yas App is already live in Tanzania, Senegal, Comores and Togo, with Madagascar launching shortly — all ahead of this hire joining. The role therefore starts in a steady-state, multi-market context rather than a launch phase, and should be equipped to integrate additional OpCos as the Group's footprint grows.This role requires strong product leadership, the authority and judgement to arbitrate competing priorities across markets, delivery discipline, and the ability to build and manage a multi-market product organisation from the ground up.Key Responsibilities1. Group Roadmap Ownership & Prioritisation ArbitrationOwn the single, unified Yas App roadmap across all OpCos, balancing Core (Group) and Local (market) needsArbitrate priority and use-case requests submitted by the Market Product Owners across all live OpCos; act as the central escalation point for cross-OpCo alignmentRun the submit–defend–gate governance process for local requests, ensuring compliance with agreed prioritisation frameworksProtect the integrity of the Group roadmap while enabling markets to defend their local prioritiesBuild a repeatable onboarding path to integrate a new OpCo into the Yas App roadmap and governance model, anticipating further Group expansion2. Quality Gate & Delivery StandardsOwn the BRS/API quality gate: no specification enters the development queue without central review and sign-offSet and maintain a standard BRS/API template used consistently across all OpCos, including any newly integrated through Group expansionEnsure requirement quality is consistent regardless of which market or PM authored the specification3. QA & Release OversightOwn test plans, UAT sign-off, and release-readiness criteria across the Yas AppOwn the release calendar and staged, market-by-market rollout approachOwn bug triage and release-readiness decisions, supported operationally by PM–Core Telco on day-to-day UAT coordinationEnsure production releases proceed only once validation and sign-off standards are met4. End-to-End Customer Experience OwnershipOwn end-to-end CX for the Yas App, jointly with the delivery standards set out aboveEstablish continuous KPI/OKR tracking (DAU/MAU, task success rate, app availability, app rating) and feed results back into the roadmapInstitute structured incident postmortems and a closed feedback loop from production issues into planning5. Team Leadership & ManagementManage the Technical PM (vendor coordination and technical delivery planning), PM–Core Telco & Reliability, PM–Services & Experience, and the Growth & Marketing ManagerSet clear, non-overlapping scopes across the team and resolve boundary issues between roles as the organisation maturesRun the weekly product synchronisation meeting to resolve cross-vertical dependencies, particularly in shared areas such as UI/UX and analyticsSupport the onboarding of new hires into the Product organisation6. Strategic Product DirectionOwn the definition of the Yas App's evolution from a telco self-care app towards a super-app able to absorb new services and partner ecosystemsLead the strategic roadmap for this transformation, with PM–Services & Experience as the primary Product Management contributorTranslate the Group's ambition — Yas App as the daily digital companion across markets — into a sequenced, resourced roadmap7. Decision Rights and AccountabilityThe Group Head of Product is accountable for:Group roadmap integrity and prioritisation decisionsBRS/API quality gate outcomesRelease readiness and go/no-go decisionsEnd-to-end CX performanceTeam performance and scope clarity across the Product organisationThe Group Head of Product may:Reject or hold specifications that do not meet the BRS/API quality standardArbitrate and resolve conflicting requests between markets, or between Core and Local prioritiesEscalate to the Group CMO on decisions with Group-wide strategic or budget implicationsProduct Managers (Core Telco, Services) remain accountable for:Feature ownership and roadmap execution within their verticalUser stories, acceptance criteria and backlog quality within their scopeMarket Product Owners remain accountable for:Submitting and defending local requests through the governance processAuthoring BRS/API packages with their OpCo once a request is acceptedExperience & QualificationMaster's degree in Business Administration, Information Systems, Digital Media, Computer Science, or a related discipline;15+ years of experience in Product Management, with at least 3 years in a Head of Product / senior product leadership roleProven experience owning a product roadmap and arbitrating competing priorities across multiple business units or marketsExperience setting and enforcing quality standards for technical specifications (BRS/API or equivalent)Experience managing QA/release governance: UAT sign-off, release calendars, staged rolloutExperience managing a multi-person product team, including remote and cross-market reportsExcellent stakeholder management skills, with the seniority to arbitrate and hold the line with executive stakeholdersFluent English communication skillsPreferredExperience in telecom, fintech, digital commerce, or super-app environmentsExperience leading a product organisation through a multi-country or multi-OpCo scale-upExposure to African or emerging-market digital ecosystemsFrench language capability is advantageous