CPE Product Manager

Recruiter:

Recru-it

Job Ref:

PE011606/LM

Date posted:

Friday, May 22, 2026

Location:

Johannesburg, South Africa

Salary:

Market Related Monthly

SUMMARY:
Position purpose:
The CPE Product Manager is responsible for defining and managing the end-to-end Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) portfolio across consumer, enterprise, and private 5G product lines.

The role exists to ensure that CPE strategy supports commercial growth, scalable deployment, service quality, operational efficiency, and long-term access competitiveness. The successful candidate will lead device strategy across multiple market segments and align technical, commercial, and operational requirements into a coherent portfolio and lifecycle plan.

Key responsibilities:

Portfolio strategy and product ownership:

Develop and maintain the CPE portfolio strategy across:
Consumer broadband and fixed wireless access
SME and enterprise connectivity
Private 5G and industry-specific deployments
Define segment-based device requirements by use case, customer profile, price point, performance tier, and install model
Own the end-to-end lifecycle of CPE products from evaluation and business case development through launch, optimization, refresh, and retirement
Ensure CPE roadmap alignment with broader access, enterprise, and private network product strategies

Product definition and feature management:

Define product and technical requirements for CPE devices across all supported segments
Prioritize features such as:
Indoor and outdoor deployment models
Wi-Fi capability and in-home performance
Remote diagnostics and device management
Zero-touch provisioning
Security and policy management
Enterprise networking and branch connectivity support
Ruggedization and environmental suitability where required
Private 5G integration and on-premises deployment support
Ensure device requirements align with customer experience, commercial needs, and operational practicality

Enterprise and private 5G support:

Define CPE requirements that enable enterprise-grade connectivity and managed access services
Support private 5G product teams with device strategy for use cases including campuses, mines, logistics, utilities, factories, healthcare, and branch environments
Ensure that selected devices support repeatable deployment, service assurance, and lifecycle support in enterprise and industrial settings

Vendor and partner management:

Manage relationships with CPE vendors, ODMs, chipset providers, software suppliers, and certification partners
Evaluate vendors based on:
Technical suitability
Security posture
Roadmap maturity
Lifecycle support
Commercial competitiveness
Enterprise and private 5G readiness
Lead vendor selection, product evaluation, and ongoing portfolio performance reviews
Support commercial negotiations and reduce undue vendor dependency where appropriate

Operational alignment and lifecycle support:

Work closely with operations, supply chain, field teams, and customer support to ensure product readiness and scalability
Improve install success, replacement workflows, firmware lifecycle management, and device observability
Support inventory planning, certification, in-life support, and end-of-life transitions
Ensure that portfolio decisions are supportable at scale in real operating conditions

Cross-functional collaboration:

Coordinate with:
Product teams
Engineering and network teams
Enterprise and private 5G teams
Procurement and logistics
Customer operations
Finance
Legal, regulatory, and compliance stakeholders
Translate technical and operational trade-offs into clear commercial recommendations for leadership

Key performance indicators:
Success in this role will typically be measured against:

Portfolio gross margin and cost-to-serve performance
Speed of product launch and refresh execution
Installation success rates
Device return and failure rates
Support ticket reduction and operational efficiency
Customer experience and service quality outcomes
Enterprise and private 5G deployment readiness
Vendor performance and roadmap alignment
Contribution to scalable access and connectivity growth

Qualifications and experience
Minimum requirements

Relevant product management experience in telecommunications, connectivity, networking, broadband, or adjacent technology sectors
Demonstrated experience managing hardware-enabled or connectivity-based product portfolios
Experience building business cases and managing cross-functional delivery

Preferred requirements:

Experience in one or more of the following:
Fixed wireless access
Broadband CPE
Enterprise networking
Managed connectivity
Private LTE / private 5G
Familiarity with device management, provisioning, and lifecycle practices
Experience working with vendors, OEMs, ODMs, or network equipment providers
Exposure to enterprise, industrial, or operational telecom environments

Knowledge and skills:

Strong commercial and financial acumen
Solid understanding of CPE technologies and deployment models
Ability to interpret technical requirements and convert them into product and business decisions
Strong analytical, planning, and prioritization skills
Excellent stakeholder management and cross-functional communication
Experience with vendor evaluation and negotiation
Ability to manage multiple product lines and lifecycle timelines simultaneously

Competencies:

Strategic thinking
Customer and market orientation
Ownership and accountability
Problem solving and decision making
Collaboration and influence
Execution discipline
Commercial judgment
Adaptability in fast-changing technology environments

Working relationships
The role will work closely with:

Consumer product teams
Enterprise product teams
Private 5G product and solution teams
Network engineering and architecture
Procurement and supply chain
Field operations and customer support
Finance and commercial leadership
Device and platform vendors

Role summary
The CPE Product Manager plays a critical role in ensuring that device strategy enables scalable,
commercially viable, and operationally supportable connectivity products across consumer, enterprise, and private 5G segments. This role is a core enabler of access-product competitiveness and long-term service innovation.

POSITION INFO:
Position purpose:
The CPE Product Manager is responsible for defining and managing the end-to-end Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) portfolio across consumer, enterprise, and private 5G product lines.

The role exists to ensure that CPE strategy supports commercial growth, scalable deployment, service quality, operational efficiency, and long-term access competitiveness. The successful candidate will lead device strategy across multiple market segments and align technical, commercial, and operational requirements into a coherent portfolio and lifecycle plan.

Key responsibilities:

Portfolio strategy and product ownership:

Develop and maintain the CPE portfolio strategy across:
Consumer broadband and fixed wireless access
SME and enterprise connectivity
Private 5G and industry-specific deployments
Define segment-based device requirements by use case, customer profile, price point, performance tier, and install model
Own the end-to-end lifecycle of CPE products from evaluation and business case development through launch, optimization, refresh, and retirement
Ensure CPE roadmap alignment with broader access, enterprise, and private network product strategies

Product definition and feature management:

Define product and technical requirements for CPE devices across all supported segments
Prioritize features such as:
Indoor and outdoor deployment models
Wi-Fi capability and in-home performance
Remote diagnostics and device management
Zero-touch provisioning
Security and policy management
Enterprise networking and branch connectivity support
Ruggedization and environmental suitability where required
Private 5G integration and on-premises deployment support
Ensure device requirements align with customer experience, commercial needs, and operational practicality

Enterprise and private 5G support:

Define CPE requirements that enable enterprise-grade connectivity and managed access services
Support private 5G product teams with device strategy for use cases including campuses, mines, logistics, utilities, factories, healthcare, and branch environments
Ensure that selected devices support repeatable deployment, service assurance, and lifecycle support in enterprise and industrial settings

Vendor and partner management:

Manage relationships with CPE vendors, ODMs, chipset providers, software suppliers, and certification partners
Evaluate vendors based on:
Technical suitability
Security posture
Roadmap maturity
Lifecycle support
Commercial competitiveness
Enterprise and private 5G readiness
Lead vendor selection, product evaluation, and ongoing portfolio performance reviews
Support commercial negotiations and reduce undue vendor dependency where appropriate

Operational alignment and lifecycle support:

Work closely with operations, supply chain, field teams, and customer support to ensure product readiness and scalability
Improve install success, replacement workflows, firmware lifecycle management, and device observability
Support inventory planning, certification, in-life support, and end-of-life transitions
Ensure that portfolio decisions are supportable at scale in real operating conditions

Cross-functional collaboration:

Coordinate with:
Product teams
Engineering and network teams
Enterprise and private 5G teams
Procurement and logistics
Customer operations
Finance
Legal, regulatory, and compliance stakeholders
Translate technical and operational trade-offs into clear commercial recommendations for leadership

Key performance indicators:
Success in this role will typically be measured against:

Portfolio gross margin and cost-to-serve performance
Speed of product launch and refresh execution
Installation success rates
Device return and failure rates
Support ticket reduction and operational efficiency
Customer experience and service quality outcomes
Enterprise and private 5G deployment readiness
Vendor performance and roadmap alignment
Contribution to scalable access and connectivity growth

Qualifications and experience
Minimum requirements

Relevant product management experience in telecommunications, connectivity, networking, broadband, or adjacent technology sectors
Demonstrated experience managing hardware-enabled or connectivity-based product portfolios
Experience building business cases and managing cross-functional delivery

Preferred requirements:

Experience in one or more of the following:
Fixed wireless access
Broadband CPE
Enterprise networking
Managed connectivity
Private LTE / private 5G
Familiarity with device management, provisioning, and lifecycle practices
Experience working with vendors, OEMs, ODMs, or network equipment providers
Exposure to enterprise, industrial, or operational telecom environments

Knowledge and skills:

Strong commercial and financial acumen
Solid understanding of CPE technologies and deployment models
Ability to interpret technical requirements and convert them into product and business decisions
Strong analytical, planning, and prioritization skills
Excellent stakeholder management and cross-functional communication
Experience with vendor evaluation and negotiation
Ability to manage multiple product lines and lifecycle timelines simultaneously

Competencies:

Strategic thinking
Customer and market orientation
Ownership and accountability
Problem solving and decision making
Collaboration and influence
Execution discipline
Commercial judgment
Adaptability in fast-changing technology environments

Working relationships
The role will work closely with:

Consumer product teams
Enterprise product teams
Private 5G product and solution teams
Network engineering and architecture
Procurement and supply chain
Field operations and customer support
Finance and commercial leadership
Device and platform vendors

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