Head of Operations

Task title: Head of Operations

PO number: 4500023080

Location: 

• Brussels, Paris
• Remote location possible (this over-rules the stipulation in the Framework contract that “The Freelancer undertakes to provide the Services at the premises of the Customer …”)

Context:

After an initial design and development phase of an innovative order financing platform for SMEs, AREA42 is looking for an experienced product manager to drive the development of the platform, build and manage the team, design and execute the go-to-market strategy in response to customers’ needs.

 Task objectives:

• The manager’s goal is to set and realise the long term vision for the products which is ambitious for AREA42, realistic for the team and supported by customers at the same time.
• The manager builds and executes a strategy to identify and engage with potential clients and distribution partners in order to create financial value for all stakeholders involved.
• The manager also takes responsibility for the actual technological implementation to ensure the best alignment with the solution needs.
• In this combined role, your objective is also to champion the team, partners, and other, relevant stakeholders to ensure alignment around the overall strategy and direction of the product.

Task responsibilities:

The manager for the working capital solutions has a strategic role and is accountable for the whole product lifecycle and the performance of the team.

The manager is responsible for:

• Discovering and confirming what customers/users need by conducting customer/user research and unveiling critical insights. And based on this knowledge: setting the product vision and strategy.
• Aligning the team around a cohesive and prioritised product roadmap to deliver a product with an experience and features that delight customers.
• Updating the vision, strategy and roadmap to remain in line with customer expectations based on their feedback.
• Providing feedback to AREA42 on the progress of discovering customer needs, product development as well as aligning on budget and planning.

The manager is also responsible for:

• Studying the market to identify the most relevant go-to-market strategies.
• Developing and maintaining relationships with prospects, customers and partners.
• Negotiating contract terms with clients, partners and AREA42.
• Consolidating the sales pipeline into clear financial reporting.

After you have established a successful commercial operating model, you can propose to take the lead in gradually building a  sales and client success team.

The manager is finally responsible for:

• a secure, stable and cost-efficient IT infrastructure,
• an effective IT workspace for the whole of AREA42,
• and an agile and efficient development team.

In addition, you are expected to share your experience with other ventures within AREA42, helping them find the right resources, advising them in technical choices, and other relevant opportunities for exchange which might increase the venture’s chances of success.

Task deliverables & milestones: 

• The product manager owns the product roadmap
• Success metrics (product manager and business developer combined)
  • Revenue
  • Conversions
  • Churn
  • NPS

Next to all of the above, the product manager is expected to:.

• Promote the vision and values of AREA42
• Lead by example

Desired experience:

We prefer team culture over individual performance. This being said, here are a few qualities we may be looking for:

• Somebody who gets the job done.
• A passion for innovation and start-ups with a good understanding of the corporate world.
• 10+ years of experience in product development/management, ideally in a mix of start-up and corporate environments.
• Proven ability to formulate a solid strategic vision and being able to turn it into reality with a strong operational drive and capacity.
• Adaptable, with a good sense of priorities (and of humour)
• Proven project management skills.
• Excellent human relations, networker and team-player.
• Fluent in English; multiple European languages spoken is a big plus.
• Can handle success and failure, positive feedback as well as critiques.
• Understanding of B2B trade is essential, experience with trade credit insurance is a plus.

Salary range: 

• 250-900€/day
• Job subject to contract via proUnity (AREA42 procurement platform), with monthly timesheets and invoicing
• Invoices should be CC to invoices@area42.tech

Work hours, travel requirements, etc.:

• Work up to 230 days for this SoW in 2025. As a freelancer, you are free to choose when you wish to work with AREA42 or to take holidays.
• Travels to support the development of the SoW (up to 25% of the time) (travel to be arranged and cost carried by AREA42)
• For administrative simplicity all travel assignments are arranged by AREA42 and also the costs are carried directly by AREA42.

Company description: AREA42

AREA42 vision:

We work in a smooth B2B trade environment empowered by new technologies

At AREA42, we create, innovate, and manage solutions for a fluid, risk-savvy trade environment. We support companies who want to recode trade for the digital era.

Together with disruptors, technologists and visionaries, we build a more fertile trade environment. We co-design ambitious visions. We experiment and launch new solutions. We turn innovations into new growth engines.

We are backed by Credendo, the Export Credit Agency from Belgium and the most trusted leader in trade credit insurance and surety bonds.

​AREA42 Focus:

Our current investment thesis revolves around big untapped opportunities related to:

• Platforms and marketplaces,
• SMEs and freelancers,
• Innovative credit data and machine learning,
• Blockchain and other new trade paradigms.

For us, success can be measured in the upgrades we offer to trade ecosystems. We do not see technology as an objective in itself, but we believe it is key to unlock radical improvements for trade and accompanying risk. We take inspiration from diverse universes. We try to hack things, fail sometimes, learn always, and thrive when we co-innovate with partners who share our passion.

AREA42 Structure:

AREA42 is an ecosystem with 2 highly complementary zones: AREA42 innovation lab and AREA42 accelerator. Each zone contributes to a successful AREA42 innovation ecosystem.

• Our innovation lab aims at growing a high-quality network of trusted partners, open to co-innovation and passionate about upgrading trade; it takes a lean start-up approach to experiment with new ideas and incubate them to become validated product concepts with a market fit. The learnings, successes and failures contribute to the feedback-loop and are shared with our network.
• Our accelerator works like a growth factory. We take validated product concepts and turn them into new lines of business. Our accelerator team works with the same powerful means as the best high-growth start-ups in order to scale the most ambitious ventures in trade.

Our first basecamp is Brussels, but our playground is Europe and the world.

AREA42 Culture:

We are a diverse team based on 3 important values: respect, curiosity, and boldness. We believe in mutual trust, entrepreneurship, collective creativity, technological excellence and solid execution. For us, these values are essential to creating high-impact innovations, which we need to deliver successful long-term growth, which will help spread an innovation culture in trade.

Often, we do not know exactly what we are building. However, we always start with an exciting vision and we iterate as fast as possible to confront it with reality. We have faith in the science of experimentation and in the lean start-up approach. We invite and welcome innovators of all kinds to contribute and to have an impact. We share together the benefits of our successes.