About the Role
The PM I for Zeraki Learning is responsible for owning and improving the core learning experience for students and teachers across lessons, practice, assignments, quizzes, and performance feedback.
Zeraki Learning sits at the intersection of product, pedagogy, and real classroom constraints. This role is ideal for a Product Manager with a background in instructional design or learning sciences, who can translate learning theory and curriculum needs into clear, usable, and scalable product solutions.
The PM I operates with moderate autonomy and is expected to run discovery with teachers and students, manage the learning product backlog, and ship iterative improvements with engineering and design. Larger strategic bets and cross-product alignment are supported by a PM II or the Head of Product.
Requirements
Responsibilities
Outcome Orientation
Purpose: Improve learning effectiveness, engagement, and teacher enablement through evidence-driven product decisions.
Responsibilities
Own Zeraki Learning’s core outcomes and KPIs, including:
o student engagement and completion rates
o quiz / practice participation and mastery signals
o teacher adoption of assignments and assessments o reduction in learning-related support tickets
Deeply understand how teachers plan lessons, assign work, and assess progress in real classroom contexts.
Maintain an evidence-driven Opportunity Backlog grounded in learning and classroom outcomes.
Frame problems in terms of learning impact before proposing solutions.
Track feature usage and learning signals; share insights in weekly or bi-weekly product syncs.
Validate learning pain points through teacher interviews, classroom observation, student feedback, and usage data before committing engineering effort.
Execution Ownership & Delivery
Purpose: Deliver clear, reliable, and pedagogically sound learning experiences that work in low-bandwidth, mobile-first environments.
Responsibilities
Write clear PRDs for engineering with:
o learning problem statements
o target personas (student, teacher, parent)
o acceptance criteria tied to learning outcomes
o edge cases (connectivity, device sharing, offline behavior)
o analytics and success metrics
Maintain a healthy, prioritized backlog for Zeraki Learning.
Work closely with engineers to clarify learning flows, constraints, and trade-offs.
Ensure features meet Definition of Ready and Definition of Done before release.
Conduct hands-on UAT from a learner and teacher perspective.
Track bugs and regressions that affect learning continuity or clarity.
Run structured rollouts (release notes, mini-guides, internal demos for CX and BD).
Instructional Design & Learning Quality
Purpose: Ensure Zeraki Learning experiences are instructionally sound, not just usable.
Responsibilities
Apply instructional design principles (e.g. scaffolding, practice, feedback, mastery) when shaping product decisions.
Evaluate learning flows for:
o clarity of objectives
o appropriate sequencing
o quality of feedback and reinforcement
Partner with Design to ensure learning interactions are cognitively appropriate and simple.
Ensure learning tools support teachers’ instructional intent, not replace it.
Balance curriculum alignment with product scalability and usability.
Business & Commercialization
Purpose: Support retention, adoption, and long-term value of Zeraki Learning as part of the broader Zeraki platform.
Responsibilities
Understand how Zeraki Learning contributes to:
o product stickiness and retention
o cross-sell and upsell into other Zeraki products
o parent and student engagement value
Track how learning engagement correlates with renewal and usage signals.
Work with CX to identify learning-related churn risks or confusion points.
Identify small, high-leverage improvements that increase sustained usage.
Communicate learning product performance clearly to product leadership.
Collaboration
Purpose: Partner effectively with Design, Engineering, CX, Content, and other product teams to deliver high-quality learning experiences.
Responsibilities
Build strong working relationships with:
o Product Designers
o Engineers
o CX and Support teams
Hold regular discovery sessions with teachers and students.
Work with designers to create clear, simple learning interfaces.
Communicate roadmap changes and rollout updates clearly in Teams.
Support PM II / Product Leadership in broader learning strategy alignment.
Document learning workflows and decisions for shared understanding.
Escalate blockers early and create clarity when trade-offs arise.
Requirements
Must-Have
1–3 years’ experience in product management, instructional design, education technology, or learning experience design.
Strong understanding of how people learn and how teachers teach.
Ability to translate pedagogical needs into clear product requirements.
Experience running structured discovery with users.
Strong documentation and communication skills.
Comfort working with product data and usage metrics.
Structured, detail-oriented, and reliable in execution.
Nice-to-Have
Prior experience in EdTech or curriculum-aligned products.
Familiarity with CBC or similar competency-based curricula.
Exposure to low-bandwidth or emerging-market product contexts.
Experience working in agile delivery environments.
What we offer
What Makes This Role Unique
● You directly shape how students learn and practice, not just how software works.
● You sit at the intersection of instructional design and product execution.
● You work with real teachers and students in fast feedback loops.
● You influence learning outcomes, teacher effectiveness, and product retention at scale.
Our culture
At Zeraki, our strength is rooted in our vibrant culture, driven by a shared commitment for integrity, learning, and excellence. Our environment demands the highest standards and focuses on delivering results. We hire and develop the best, manage through trust, value empathy, and practice having a backbone in all our dealings. We are a team that thrives on freedom, responsibility, and the pursuit of excellence. Joining us means being part of a community dedicated to growth, innovation, and transformation.
About the Company
Zeraki is a pioneering EdTech startup on a mission to redefine education across Africa. Our innovative technology tools are designed to make learning more accessible, effective, and engaging for parents, teachers, and students alike. At the heart of Zeraki is a deep-rooted passion for harnessing the power of education to unlock the potential of the continent's youth and drive transformative change. Zeraki proudly serves over 2.7 million users in 10 countries, establishing itself as one of Africa's leading EdTech companies.
Our commitment to excellence and innovation has not gone unnoticed. Zeraki was the proud recipient of the African Union Commission Innovating Education in Africa Award in 2022. Zeraki is one of three EdTech companies participating in the 2024 cohort of the EY AI SDG Accelerator and is also part of the 2024 cohort of the Microsoft Entrepreneurship for Positive Impact Program. Through these accolades and partnerships, Zeraki continues to shape the future of learning in Africa, demonstrating the transformative role of technology in education.