Senior Product Manager, Discovery Vertical

Remote OK - Anywhere in Japan
Full-time
November 14, 2024

As a Senior Product Manager in the Discovery Vertical at Moneytree, you will drive exploration and rapid experimentation to identify and develop whole solutions that meet emerging customer needs. The Discovery Vertical is akin to an internal startup, tasked with exploring new market opportunities through in-depth research, rapid prototyping, and solution validation. This role involves deep collaboration with cross-functional teams, engagement with external research vendors, and navigating ambiguity to create impactful, user-focused solutions.

You will operate in a fast-paced environment, managing the discovery process from ideation through to market testing, with a focus on stakeholder alignment and outcome-oriented execution.

At Moneytree, our mission is to unleash the power of data by providing the tools & capabilities needed, by reducing or removing barriers, and by delivering meaningful value today. Our technology is used by major banks, accounting software companies and fintech companies in Japan. Key clients include Mizuho, SMBC, and Mitsubishi UFJ Nicos.

In this role you will

Conduct market research to identify high-potential areas where our platform can deliver meaningful impact, utilizing both desk research and external research vendors for quantitative and qualitative analysis.
Manage and execute a structured discovery process, moving projects through three phases: market research, rapid prototyping, and market validation.
Develop insights and hypotheses based on user needs, trends, and competitive landscape, translating these into potential solutions and prototypes.
Lead rapid prototyping initiatives, collaborating with engineering, design, and research teams to develop minimum viable products (MVPs) and test early solutions.
Conduct go-to-market testing, evaluating the impact of prototypes and gathering feedback to inform future iterations or pivot decisions.
Maintain close alignment with senior stakeholders, ensuring transparency around project status, key findings, and strategic alignment with company objectives.
Act as a bridge between the discovery team and other departments, managing expectations and communicating results effectively.
Foster a culture of innovation, agility, and continuous learning within the discovery team, contributing to an environment that resembles a startup.

In the first days your expected deliverables will include

Familiarize yourself with the company’s existing products, strategy, user base, and current initiatives within the discovery vertical.
Conduct a review of potential high-impact opportunity areas, identifying 1-2 initial discovery projects to prioritize.
Establish a process for conducting market research, including identifying and engaging with research vendors where needed.
Develop an initial roadmap for the discovery vertical, outlining phases and anticipated timelines for upcoming projects.
Lead the initiation of at least one discovery project, managing it through the market research and rapid prototyping stages.
Set up a process for stakeholder updates, aligning key stakeholders on discovery goals, timelines, and early insights.
Begin defining success metrics for discovery initiatives, including indicators for market potential, user engagement, and prototype validation.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Product Management, Marketing, or a related field; an MBA or relevant Master’s degree is a plus.
5+ years of experience in product management, with a focus on early-stage product discovery, innovation, or high-growth environments.
Demonstrated experience conducting market research, including managing external research vendors and synthesizing quantitative and qualitative data.
Strong background in prototyping and rapid experimentation, with a proven ability to validate ideas quickly and make data-informed decisions.
Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with a track record of building consensus across functions and levels of seniority.
High tolerance for ambiguity, with the ability to prioritize effectively, pivot quickly, and hustle to drive results.
Experience in a startup environment or with internal startups is highly desirable.
Passion for innovation and a creative approach to problem-solving, with a strong understanding of customer needs and market trends.
Business-level Japanese and English required

Benefits

Working remotely from anywhere in Japan
Flexible working hours
Employee stock option program participation
Referral bonus 250,000 JPY per successful hire
Communication allowance (10,000 JPY/month)
Remote work allowance (3000 JPY/month)
20 annual paid leave
10 annual sick and carer leave
Health and social insurance support
Ability to work from overseas for short periods
Learning support (7500 JPY/quarter)

There are two ways to join Moneytree, apply for the right role, or be the right person and let us find a role for you. We encourage you to get in touch if you are resourceful, have a passion for creation, value integrity and strive to always do your best work.

APPLY NOW ➜Japanese Required ⚠️

Product

About Moneytree

Moneytree is a fin-tech start-up founded by three foreign entrepreneurs in Tokyo. Their Moneytree Link product provides a "utility layer for connecting financial services" that serves banks and other fin-tech companies, but they also have a popular consumer app that helps people manage their finances. They're a truly international company with an English-first environment and a high technical skill level for engineers, so it sounds like a really great place to work!

Salary
Moneytree's salary structure is designed to offer a base salary along with stock options. Stock options are still a relative rarity in Japan, so Moneytree is one of a reasonably small list of Japanese companies offering them.
Japanese Language Policy
Japanese is not required for engineers, but it is desirable.

As a customer-centric company building products for Japanese customers, Japanese fluency is required for product managers and product designers in order to do users research, product discovery etc.
Visa Sponsorship
- With the current pandemic, we are only accepting applicants with valid working visas in Japan.
- We offer support for visa renewal to new hires with valid working visas in Japan.
Paid Leave
Moneytree's paid time off policy is awesome.

They offer 20 paid holidays in addition to 10 sick/care leave days.

The legal minimum number of paid time off days in Japan is 10 for an employee's first year, so this is what you'll get at the majority of companies. The fact that Moneytree doubles this to 20 really makes them stand out from other companies in Tokyo.

And then there's their sick day policy. Since these aren't legally mandated in Japan, most companies don't have them at all. Moneytree really goes above and beyond here with 10.
Benefits
💹 Employee stock option program participation

💻 New tech gear

🏠 Remote work allowance

📕 Book purchases

🏋 Gym benefit

👶 Financial support for childcare costs

👶 Parental Leave

👍 Residential rent tax benefits (i.e. company housing / 'shataku')

🧡 Communication (phone + internet bills) support allowance (10,000 JPY/month)

💛 Referral bounty

🚃 Commuter allowance

🏥 Healthcare insurance

💟 Social security / insurance benefits included
Engineer Interview Process
This may depend somewhat on the position but in general, the steps are as follows:
- CV screening (+ survey to fill out for some positions)
- Casual screening meeting (onsite or remote)
- Pair programming
- Topgrading
- Provisional offer + reference check
Remote Work
Moneytree is a remote-first company, so you can work remotely from anywhere in Japan. Those who wish to work from their Tokyo office are allowed to (as long as there's not a state of emergency in effect), but it's also fine to work 100% remotely. Their hybrid approach ensures that everyone can work in the style that allows them to feel secure and safe.

Even once COVID-19 is no longer a concern, Moneytree intends to continue their full remote policy.

※ You will be required to come to Japan if you are living abroad.
Work style
Work hours: 10:00-19:00, core working hours 10:00-16:00
Diversity
Moneytree has been a globally-minded, diverse company from the start. It was founded by 3 foreigners and over 50% of their total members are from outside of Japan, with over 20 nationalities represented. Women account for around 1/3 of their staff, which is on the higher side for tech start-ups.

They maintain a meritocratic culture and conduct quarterly performance reviews with feedback from managers, plus 360 feedback from 3 key people you work closely with cross-functionally.

This helps them track staff performance in an objective way regardless of ethnicity, disability, gender (including transgender), age, sexual orientation, or beliefs (including lack of religion or beliefs).