Head of Product

About Kio. Café Kio. Café is a growing B2B technology company specializing in the design, manufacturing, and deployment of autonomous robotic coffee kiosks, cold brew stations, and self-service beverage systems. By combining innovative hardware, intelligent software, automation, and payment technology, Kio. Café delivers fully integrated beverage solutions that help businesses streamline operations, reduce labor requirements, and provide convenient, high-quality beverage experiences.

With operations across Canada, the United States, and China, Kio. Café is focused on advancing automated beverage technology and expanding its global presence. This is an exciting time to join Kio. Café as we enter our next phase of growth. As a growing startup, we offer the opportunity to make a meaningful impact, contribute to innovative products, and help shape the future of automated beverage technology.

Position Summary

Kio. Café is seeking an experienced and strategic Head of Product to lead the vision, strategy, development, and lifecycle management of our global product portfolio. This role will oversee both hardware and software product initiatives, including payment technology, self-service equipment, embedded systems, and cloud-based platforms.

The Head of Product will work closely with Engineering, Sales, Operations, Customer Support, and senior leadership to deliver innovative, scalable, and commercially successful solutions. The ideal candidate is a hands-on product leader with a strong technical background, commercial awareness, and experience bringing integrated hardware and software products to market.

This individual will be responsible for translating business objectives and customer needs into a clear product strategy while ensuring successful execution across teams in Canada, the United States, and China.

Key Responsibilities

Product Strategy & Roadmap Define and execute the overall product vision, strategy, and roadmap aligned with Kio. Café's business objectives. Lead product planning and prioritization across hardware, software, payment solutions, and connected devices. Identify market opportunities, emerging technologies, customer needs, and competitive trends to guide product development.

Establish short-term and long-term product priorities, balancing innovation, customer requirements, technical feasibility, and commercial value. Develop business cases for new products, enhancements, and strategic investments. Present product strategies, roadmaps, performance updates, and recommendations to senior leadership.

Ensure product initiatives support revenue growth, customer satisfaction, operational efficiency, and profitability. Product Development & Lifecycle Management Oversee the end-to-end product lifecycle, from concept and requirements gathering through development, testing, launch, and ongoing improvement. Translate business and customer requirements into clear product specifications and development priorities.

Partner with Engineering teams to ensure product requirements, technical capabilities, and delivery timelines are aligned. Manage product enhancements, feature prioritization, version releases, and product lifecycle decisions. Coordinate product testing, validation, pilot programs, and user acceptance testing before commercial launches.

Establish product quality, reliability, usability, and performance standards. Evaluate existing products and identify opportunities for optimization, modernization, or discontinuation. Ensure product documentation, technical specifications, and release information are accurate and maintained. Hardware, Software & Payment Technology Lead product initiatives involving unattended payment systems, self-service equipment, embedded software, and connected hardware.

Oversee integration requirements between physical equipment, payment processing systems, software platforms, and cloud-based services. Collaborate with technical teams on connectivity, device management, payment integrations, and system interoperability. Evaluate product requirements related to security, reliability, scalability, and regulatory compliance.

Work with Engineering and manufacturing partners to address hardware design, component selection, product functionality, and production readiness. Identify opportunities to improve the customer experience through automation, remote monitoring, reporting, and software enhancements. Stay informed on developments in payment technology, IoT, unattended retail, and self-service solutions.

Cross-Functional & Global Collaboration Partner with Engineering, Sales, Marketing, Operations, Customer Support, and Finance to align product development with business priorities. Coordinate product initiatives across teams in Canada, the United States, and China. Work closely with Sales to understand customer requirements, competitive positioning, and market opportunities.

Collaborate with Customer Support and Operations to identify recurring product issues and opportunities for improvement. Partner with Engineering leadership to establish realistic development timelines, resource requirements, and delivery expectations. Coordinate with manufacturing, supply chain, and external vendors to support product availability and successful launches.

Facilitate communication between technical and non-technical stakeholders to ensure alignment on product priorities and decisions. Product Launch & Commercialization Lead go-to-market planning in collaboration with Sales, Marketing, Operations, and Customer Support. Develop product positioning, value propositions, and launch requirements.

Ensure internal teams receive appropriate product training, documentation, and implementation support. Support product pricing strategies, cost analysis, and profitability assessments in partnership with Finance and Sales. Monitor product adoption, customer feedback, sales performance, and post-launch results. Identify opportunities to expand product capabilities, enter new markets, and strengthen Kio.

Café's competitive position. Product Performance & Continuous Improvement Establish and monitor key product performance indicators, including adoption, reliability, customer satisfaction, revenue contribution, and profitability. Use customer feedback, product analytics, and market research to guide product improvements.

Evaluate product development performance against timelines, budgets, and business objectives. Identify product-related risks and implement appropriate mitigation strategies. Drive continuous improvement in product development processes, documentation, and cross-functional collaboration. Provide regular product performance reports and recommendations to senior leadership.

Leadership & Team Development Provide strategic direction and leadership to the product management function. Lead, mentor, and develop product managers and other product team members, as applicable. Establish clear roles, responsibilities, performance expectations, and accountability within the product function. Promote a collaborative, customer-focused, and results-driven product culture.

Support workforce planning, resource allocation, and organizational development within the product department. Foster strong working relationships with global teams while ensuring alignment with company priorities.

Qualifications

& Experience Required Qualifications Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Business, Product Management, or a related field. 8–10+ years of progressive experience in product management, including significant experience in a senior product leadership role. Demonstrated experience managing both hardware and software products throughout the full product lifecycle.

Strong understanding of payment technology, embedded systems, IoT devices, connected equipment, or similar technology solutions. Proven ability to develop and execute product strategies and roadmaps aligned with business objectives. Experience working closely with Engineering teams on technical requirements, product development, and release management.

Strong commercial acumen, including product pricing, market analysis, revenue growth, and profitability. Experience managing multiple product initiatives and balancing competing priorities. Demonstrated ability to collaborate with cross-functional and geographically distributed teams. Strong leadership, communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills.

Ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear business requirements and recommendations. Experience working with senior leadership and influencing strategic business decisions.

Preferred Qualifications

MBA or advanced degree in Engineering, Technology, or Business Administration. Experience in payment processing, unattended retail, vending technology, coffee equipment, or self-service solutions. Experience managing product development across North America and Asia, particularly China. Familiarity with hardware manufacturing, supply chain management, and international product development.

Knowledge of payment integrations, APIs, cloud platforms, device connectivity, and embedded software. Experience with Agile development methodologies and product management tools such as Jira, Confluence, or similar platforms. Experience launching technology products into international markets. Previous experience building or scaling a product management function within a growing technology company.

Key Competencies Product Strategy & Vision Hardware & Software Product Management Product Roadmap Development Technical Product Leadership Payment Technology & IoT Solutions Commercial Strategy & Business Acumen Cross-Functional Leadership Global Team Collaboration Product Lifecycle Management Customer & Market Research Product Launch & Go-to-Market Strategy Data-Driven Decision Making Innovation & Continuous Improvement Stakeholder Management What Success Looks Like A clearly defined and executable product strategy aligned with Kio.

Café's business goals. Successful delivery of hardware and software products within established timelines and quality standards. Strong collaboration between Product, Engineering, Sales, Operations, and Customer Support across global offices. Improved product reliability, usability, and customer satisfaction. Increased product adoption, revenue contribution, and profitability.

Effective prioritization of product initiatives based on customer needs and business value. Scalable product management processes that support Kio. Café's continued growth and expansion. A high-performing product function with clear accountability, communication, and execution.