Álvaro José Guerrero Torres has stepped into a new role at Data Friendly Space (DFS) as Head of Product Solutions. In this post, he discusses what he has learned during his time as a Technical Project Manager and what lessons he is carrying forward.
Over the past few years, our team at DFS has prioritized listening to our partners and hunting for important clues that describe their needs.
When I started at DFS as a technical project manager, that was the core of my work. Not designing solutions that I thought others needed, but being present with our users, understanding what their issues were, where things broke down, and what the technology needed to do to make their work easier. My relationship with our users has shaped everything I do, and it's the foundation I'm carrying into my new role as Head of Product Solutions at DFS.
Our partners often work in challenging environments, facing critical decisions with limited information and frequently unreliable connectivity. Their organizations are stretched beyond capacity and in need of solutions that are reliable, ethical, and trusted when accuracy is essential.
What I've come to understand, working alongside these teams, is how much knowledge they carry. They understand their context, communities, and the nuances of their data, and that knowledge is irreplaceable. DFS sees our role not as coming in with ready-made technology solutions or having all the answers, but rather as listening to partners’ needs and supporting them through co-designed solutions built with them, not for them.
Stepping into the Head of Product Solutions role represents a shift in how I think about our responsibility in building technology within the social impact sector. Yes, I am now the lead technical strategist at AI, but my move is intended to provide DFS with even more deliberation about keeping users at the center of every decision we make. We are moving from user-centric to user-obsessed.
Our former Chief Product Officer, Nayid Orozco, set that standard here at DFS before taking his new role at Mercy Corps. Effective product development isn't about having the best ideas in the room. It's about building a culture where the right questions get asked and where what we hear from users actually changes the build. We have a world-class team in place, and DFS will continue to listen, build, and refine for partners around the world.
AI is changing what’s actually possible for the teams we work with, and I am enthusiastic about its potential. Faster data processing, surfacing hidden patterns, and the accessibility of tools for teams with limited technical resources can meaningfully expand what is possible for our partners. We continue building this technology, making data-driven decisions, grounded in user insights. We have learned that innovation is only as good as the understanding that guides it. As we explore what AI can do for these teams, we are going to do what we have always done: collaborate with them to keep their needs front and center.
I am excited to tackle this with our team, partners, and community.
