Job Description

Senior Product Manager - Parts Data - Based in South Africa

Location: South Africa - Remote / Flexible | Reporting Hours: CET (Central European Time)

About Partao

We are building a marketplace for heavy machinery parts, aiming to disrupt the traditional supply chain by creating a comprehensive platform that connects buyers with sellers. With a massive dataset of over 100 million SKUs, our mission is to streamline parts sourcing and create advanced functionality that identifies the perfect fit for each machine.

About the Role

We're looking for a Product Manager with a deep understanding of data architecture, a sharp technical mind, and a passion for leveraging AI to structure, standardize, and surface complex information. This role sits at the heart of our data platform and will shape how the heavy machinery-parts world connects.

This is a fully remote role open to candidates globally. Strong English proficiency is essential, and the role pays approximately

EUR1800 - EUR2400 per month

depending on experience.

What You'll Do:

Define Data Models

Design flexible, scalable data schemas to represent agricultural parts, equipment, and compatibility (fitment) relationships Work closely with data engineers to refine taxonomies and part hierarchies Ensure models support both human usability and AI-readability
Drive Data Normalization Algorithms

Design rule-based and ML-enhanced systems for cleaning and standardizing messy supplier and OEM data Prioritize approaches that improve matching accuracy and part deduplication Define KPIs and test frameworks to measure normalization effectiveness
Leverage AI and Automation

Partner with ML engineers to identify where AI can improve categorization, entity extraction, and compatibility inference Guide AI product strategy--from training dataset definition to UX for AI-powered features Stay current with generative and traditional AI techniques relevant to structured data
Define Interfaces

Specify APIs and internal tooling interfaces to power product search, part selection, and fitment validation workflows Collaborate with frontend and backend teams to ensure seamless integration and performance Champion developer experience and documentation standards
What You Bring:

4+ years in product management, ideally in a data-heavy domain (e.g., eCommerce, B2B marketplaces, catalog platforms, or supply chain tech) Experience working on schema definition, data pipelines, or data platforms Proven ability to partner cross-functionally with engineers, data scientists, and operations teams Familiarity with data normalization, entity resolution, or catalog management problems Understanding of how to evaluate and integrate AI/ML systems into product workflows A builder's mindset: willing to dive deep, write specs, draw schemas, and iterate quickly Excellent written communication and a high bar for clarity and detail University degree, ideally in a science, technical or business domain
Bonus Points:

Experience with agricultural equipment, industrial parts, or automotive catalogs Exposure to LLMs, embeddings, or vector search applied to structured data Prior work in remote-first or distributed teams Proficiency in at least one additional European language (e.g., German, French, Spanish, Italian, Polish)
Why Join Us?

Shape the data backbone of a fast-scaling B2B platform Work with real-world data that matters to customers every day Join a small, sharp, and globally distributed team Own critical decisions and make an impact from Day 1
What We Offer:

Opportunity to be a thought leader with a wide span of control in a fast-growing startup with experienced mentors A challenging and rewarding environment where you can directly impact the future of the company and the industry.
How to Apply:

Submit your application to recruiting@partao.com and include your CV and a short note on why you're excited about this role. We review applications weekly and aim to move quickly.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: R30000,00 - R45000,00 per month

Work Location: Remote