---
title: 'Product Manager (Machine Learning) at Takealot Group'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/product-manager-machine-learning-takealot-group-cape-town-jyrp5yq8z0wz'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-11'
---

# Product Manager (Machine Learning) at Takealot Group

- **Company:** Takealot Group
- **Location:** Cape Town, South Africa
- **Posted:** 2026-09-11
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-11
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/takealotgroup/jobs/8184928

## Job description

Takealot.com, South Africa's leading online retailer, is looking for a highly talented Product Manager in Machine Learning to join our team in Cape Town.

We are a young, dynamic, hyper-growth company looking for smart, creative, hard-working people with integrity to join us!

Think you've been challenged before? Think again!

- Scale: Over 4.5 million happy shoppers shop online on takealot.com. Show them what you can do.
- Learn: We work with the best of the best, and then some. Code alongside industry leaders and upskill in record time.
- Grow: Expand your career in the fast-growing Takealot Group: [takealot.com](http://takealot.com), TFS and Mr D. We like to promote from within: Here's your chance.

This position reports to the Product Lead: Data Monetisation & ML

Your responsibilities will include the following:

- Create and facilitate the delivery of the Machine Learning roadmap for one or more of the Takealot Group’s key AI focus areas:
- Merchants (Retail & Marketplace)
- Supply Chain & Logistics
- You will work closely with relevant business units to identify opportunities for driving meaningful business results through ML solutions and then work with stakeholders to prioritize projects for roadmap inclusion.
- Work hand-in-hand with a team of dedicated machine learning engineers, aiming to deliver projects reliably against projected roadmap timelines (set and communicated to stakeholders quarterly by you).
- Gather and use quantitative and qualitative data to help formulate product requirements.
- You will also be responsible for defining and reporting on the success metrics of the projects on your roadmap.
- Effectively move the needle of your vertical’s “North Star” metric through consistent execution of machine learning projects.
- Become an effective evangelist of machine learning within the business vertical you serve; help stakeholders understand the capabilities and potential value of ML as well as its limitations.
- Break large problems into iterative improvements that meaningfully address stakeholder and customer needs.
- Balance longer-term product vision and goals with short-term wins.

Attributes Required:

- Ability to distill technical subjects to their fundamental concepts, to facilitate the effective exchange of ideas between business stakeholders and software development teams.
- Strong commercial acumen for understanding the factors driving business success in a fast-paced e-commerce environment
- Be comfortable with data deep-diving, individually and collaboratively, in order to generate product-level insights.
- Be proactive in exploring your problem space and surroundings, in support of the product vision and roadmap of your team.
- Collaborate with engineering teams to reduce uncertainty and set actionable deliverables.
- Has a drive to actively unlearn and relearn mental models for as long as there is supporting data.

Experience and Qualifications:

- Product experience:
- 7+ years of related and transferable experience or 3+ years of product management experience.
- Experience leading and executing cross-functional projects, preferably in high-traffic environments.
- Familiarity and proficiency with agile methods and tools to support project management in a timeline-sensitive environment.
- High accountability when it comes to meeting deadlines and ship dates.
- Preferably, a proven track record in delivering machine learning and/or data products, including defining AI/ML problems, defining data strategies, building ML MVPs, and subsequent maturing iterations at scale.
- Data experience:
- A solid understanding of AI/ML and engineering fundamentals, allowing you to understand and earn the respect of experienced machine learning engineers and data scientists.
- Experience with Google Sheets and/or Microsoft Excel at an advanced level.
- Experience with MySQL or PostgreSQL, and BigQuery or a similar technology, preferably in a high-load environment.
- Preferable: Experience with either Python or R/RStudio as an aid to product decision-making.
- Qualifications:
- Preferably, a Bachelor’s Degree in Management Science, Statistics, Data Science, or Computer Science.

Let’s talk about life @ Takealot Group

- The power is in your hands: We offer a market-related, Total Remuneration Package that allows full flexibility according to your needs. Go on, be the master of your own destiny.
- No doors: We aren’t fans of stuffy offices or siloed work environments. See someone you like? High five, collab and make something great.
- Remote working: Love water cooler chats and working from home? Takealot.com offers a hybrid working model for the best of both worlds.
- Mentorship programme: We aren’t kidding when we say the people with the best people win. Now’s your chance to be one of the best, by learning from the best.
- Naspers Tech Community & Online Learning: Share ideas and grow with global industry leaders who are all just a Slack message away. Love to learn? Up-skill with free access to courses on MyAcademy, Udacity, Coursera and more.
- Good times: Get to know the other extraordinary minds at takealot.com during regular social events and out-of-office activities (think hikes, think mini-golf, think good times).
- Staff discount. Millions of products across 28 departments. What more could you ask for?
- Birthday leave: Cake Day all the way. Enjoy your day off - you deserve it.
- Right tools, right job: Mac or Windows, two monitors or one. Whatever your preference, you’ll work on the latest tech, off the latest tech.
- Help when you need it most: Confidential counselling, legal support and financial guidance, for free, anytime, anywhere.
- Free parking: No more 5km fun runs to your desk (unless you want to).

Like what you see?

If you meet the above you are an Extraordinary Mind. Apply today!!

Takealot is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applicants from previously disadvantaged groups and people with disabilities will be given preference.

## About Takealot Group

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Takealot Group is South Africa’s largest e-commerce ecosystem, operating online retail (takealot.com), fashion (Superbalist, divested), and on-demand delivery (Mr D).
- **Entity Type**: Private subsidiary of Naspers (publicly-listed multinational)
- **Headquarters**: Cape Town, South Africa
- **Founded**: June 2011
- **Founders**: Kim Reid (CEO); acquired alongside Tiger Global Management from the earlier Take2 business

## Core Business
- **Primary industry/industries**: E-commerce, Online Retail, On-Demand Food Delivery, Logistics
- **Target customers**: B2C (online shoppers, food delivery users) and B2B (through Takealot for Business; third-party sellers on Marketplace; logistics clients like Woolworths, Pick n Pay)
- **Mission or purpose statement**: “To be the largest most customer-centric online shopping destination in Africa” and “Changing lives in South Africa for the better through e-commerce.”

## Products & Services
For each major offering:
- **[takealot.com](https://takealot.com)**: South Africa’s largest online retailer — a full-service e-commerce store with product categories from electronics to groceries, plus a Marketplace of over 11,000 third-party sellers.
- **[Mr D](https://mrd.co.za)**: On-demand food and grocery delivery app (formerly Mr Delivery). Competes with Uber Eats. Partners with Pick n Pay, Nespresso, Frozen 4 You, and Woolworths-owned Absolute Pets.
- **[TakealotMORE](https://www.takealot.com/more)**: Subscription service (two tiers) akin to Amazon Prime, offering free delivery and exclusive deals.
- **[Takealot for Business](https://www.takealot.com/business)**: B2B procurement service launched September 2025.
- **[TakealotNOW](https://www.takealot.com)**: Ultra-fast (minutes/hours) delivery pilot launched December 2025 for ~1,000 items in Cape Town, Pretoria, and Johannesburg.
- **[Takealot Fulfilment Services (TFS)](https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/takealotgroup)**: Logistics and warehousing arm providing distribution services to third-party retailers like Woolworths.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed directly (Takealot Group is a private subsidiary of Naspers; Naspers’ market cap is >$50B but Takealot is one division).
- **Key Metric**: **Revenue** → R16.4 billion (2026 financial year) — 18% year-over-year growth. First-time full-year profitability: R181 million operating profit (vs. R214 million loss prior year).
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Parent company **Naspers** (96% ownership). Former major investor **Tiger Global Management** (early funding). Logistics partners: **Woolworths**, **Pick n Pay**, **Nespresso**, **Inospace** (logistics park).
- **Growth Signals**: 
  - 17% revenue growth at takealot.com (2025), 28% annual growth in a recent period.
  - Mr D revenue grew 8% (2025) and 18% annually in a later period.
  - Achieved group-level profitability for first time in June 2026.
  - Electric vehicle fleet: 232 e-bikes, 41 Mellowvan 3-wheel EVs, ~30 electric trucks (with more on order).
  - Opened new Cape Town e-commerce logistics park at Inospace’s Powder Mill Park (January 2026).
  - ~7,300 employees company-wide (including drivers and contractors).

## Competitive Advantages
- **Scale & logistics moat**: Largest e-commerce platform in Africa, with own delivery network (Mr D), distribution centers in Western Cape and Gauteng, and a vast network of Pickup Points across all 9 South African provinces.
- **Ecosystem lock-in**: Subscription (TakealotMORE), marketplace, food delivery, and B2B — all integrated into a single platform.
- **Local infrastructure advantage**: Own electric vehicle fleet, solar-powered warehouses (1,800 kWp combined capacity), and a growing fulfilment-as-a-service (TFS) offering for other retailers.
- **Brand trust**: Dominant South African e-commerce brand with over a decade of customer loyalty.

## Strategic Focus
- **Profitability & expansion**: After achieving group profitability in 2026, focus is on scaling TakealotMORE subscriptions, B2B (Takealot for Business), and ultra-fast delivery (TakealotNOW).
- **Logistics diversification**: TFS offering fulfillment services to third parties (Woolworths, etc.) — replicating Amazon’s FBA model.
- **Electric fleet & sustainability**: Accelerating EV adoption and solar energy at DCs.
- **Competing with Amazon SA**: Amazon launched in South Africa; Takealot is investing heavily in speed, subscription, and B2B to defend market share.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture highlights**: Described by the company as “driven by people, powered by tech”; values include customer obsession, fast results, collaboration, and doing the extraordinary. Diverse, trust-based environment.
- **Remote/hybrid/office**: Likely hybrid/office-based (Cape Town and Johannesburg hubs — engineering and BI roles appear to be based in Cape Town; sales roles in Johannesburg).
- **Notable perks or engineering culture**: Strong tech stack (Scala, Java, Machine Learning, Search, DevOps) with 22 active job openings on Greenhouse (June 2026). Engineering teams include: **Takealot Engineering**, **Mr D Engineering**, **Business Intelligence**, and **Product**. Roles range from Data Engineers, Senior Software Engineers, Data Scientists, to QA Analysts. Company emphasizes autonomy, speed, and continuous learning.
- **Growth trajectory**: Company is on an upward profit path, with a young, evolving tech team. High-impact roles with ownership in a market leader.

## Sources
1. [Takealot Group Official Site](https://takealotgroup.com/)
2. [Takealot Group Career Page (Greenhouse)](http://job-boards.greenhouse.io/takealotgroup)
3. [Takealot Group Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takealot_Group)
4. [Takealot Group LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/takealot-group)

## Other roles at Takealot Group

- [Marketplace Global Partnerships Lead](https://feeny.ai/job/marketplace-global-partnerships-lead-takealot-group-cape-town-wm7pef34zgpt) — Cape Town, South Africa
- [Revenue & Banking Operations Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/revenue-banking-operations-manager-takealot-group-cape-town-55jp2hjxqd55) — Cape Town, South Africa
- [QA Manager - Merchant - FY27](https://feeny.ai/job/qa-manager-merchant-fy27-takealot-group-cape-town-kpzk9w5pevwh) — Cape Town, South Africa
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- [Legal Counsel II](https://feeny.ai/job/legal-counsel-ii-takealot-group-cape-town-w8cxccj8dx4e) — Cape Town, South Africa
- [Software Engineer (Python) - Supply Chain](https://feeny.ai/job/software-engineer-python-supply-chain-takealot-group-south-africa-qvtzmt9cx8am) — South Africa
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- [Junior Payroll Officer](https://feeny.ai/job/junior-payroll-officer-takealot-group-cape-town-ecm7j63cneyr) — Cape Town, South Africa
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