Executive Head: Digital Services and Fixed Delivery at Vodacom

Role Purpose

• Facilitate the intra Technology Commercial engagement and partner with the Enterprise Business Unit (Vodacom Business) to deliver on Technology and Digital business solutions across the various Lines of Business and channels within Vodacom Business in alignment with the strategy and budget.
• The role includes the management of large systems development practices, suppliers and architecture and transformation as well as leading, managing and nurturing the skills development of a diverse IT team and building a high performance team with benchmarked software delivery practices and frameworks.

Your Responsibilities Will Include

• Foster a strong the Techno-Commercial interface between the Business Unit, Technology and other business enabling channels
• End to end Business Unit portfolio management by leveraging Business Analysis and Solution Architecture skills to ensure an IT delivery of value to business.
• Manage the prioritisation of the Business Unit demand roadmap against company strategy, budget and capacity constraints (balancing demand against supply capacity) and ensuring business and technical counterparts are aligned to deliver.
• Manage the development and ensure sound delivery practices, design principles and solution architectures are implemented in alignment with the underlying architectures of enterprise BSS/OSS systems best practices
• Managed Product Development ensuring re-use of capabilities and product solutions and journeys which deliver on a seamless customer experience.
• Deliver IT for IT and other IT operational demands effectively to ensure ongoing availability and operation resilience
• Ensure systems availability and performance of the CRM system landscape meets divisional SLA’s.
• Manage budgets – Capital & Operational Expenditure budgeting, forecasting. Expenditure optimised and in line with business and IT for IT expectations.
• Manage suppliers and contracts to ensure performance in line with managed services KPIs, working with SCM procurement to ensure contractual obligations are met and relevant
• Develop a high performing team of permanent and contractor staff ensuring aligned with IT strategy and highly skilled to deliver in the functions assigned.
• Lead and own the B2B architecture, ensuring all decisions regarding systems development are align with the targeted vision and ensure guidance and implementation toward this.

Leadership and teamwork

• Mirror Servant Leadership Principals and behaviour
• Provide inspirational leadership and coaching across the Vodacom organisation to deliver business outcomes for VBIT Fixed
• Champion of change, positioning VB IT’s way of working as a model for customer led, brand experience, new company culture and organizational development
• Create a high level of employee engagement to deliver the leading customer experience in Vodacom embracing a culture of diversity in team
• Create an environment responsive to rapid changes in market conditions, intraday, weekly and monthly
• Actively manage relationships and alignment with Technology, specifically across Vodacom Business and International units as well as with key suppliers, partners and local markets
• Develop individuals within the team with real-time coaching, feedback and timely career and succession planning, ensuring that each individual has a documented personal development plan
• Ensure recruitment and retention programmes attract and maximise world class talent to develop a high performance team

Vendor Management

• Work with the all partners to implement architectures and solutions which will deliver IT solutions to the business and our customers
• Ensure that all strategic partners deliver on the requirements of the Company which will ultimately lead to the delivery of our Customers needs.
• Ensure supplier management, defining and communicating vendor strategy in cooperation with Supply Chain Management and working with internal global suppliers across the Region

The Ideal Candidate For This Role Will Have

• Grade 12
• 3 year Engineering/Commerce/IT or Business related Degree is essential

Minimum of 8 to 10yrs relevant experience essential in :

• Systems Development and delivery and Portfolio Management,
• Telecommunications industry
• Stakeholder Management
• A minimum of 5 years’ experience in delivery of CRM BSS/OSS systems is essential, with Fixed Line, Mobile, Fibre and other broadband technologies would be an advantage
• A minimum of 4 years’ experience in Applications Operations of large scale enterprise systems in an ITIL framework context
• A Minimum of 4-5yrs experience in a Leadership/Management role essential

Desired

• Ideally will have experience of both consumer and enterprise customer experience management.
• An honours or masters degree although not essential would be an advantage.

Core Competencies, Knowledge And Experience

• Capable of working in a complex organisation and able to build strong relationships and credibility with multiple levels both internally and externally.
• Natural “servant” leader with excellent written and verbal communications skills to drive alignment with the product vision
• Strong business acumen with in-depth understanding of the contribution of the domain to the wider digital business strategy
• Natural Problem Solver with strong technical systems background and comfortable with/thrive in environments with a high level of complexity
• Good understanding of Fixed Line and complex systems solutions
• Excellent IT, Telecommunications and Product Development knowledge and experience
• Proven track record for excellent achievement in IT Leadership
• Solid IT Operations and Business Operations experience
• Solid experience in SDLC, PDLC and Design Thinking
• Excellent collaboration skills across the business and technical domains
• Proven experience working in an Agile delivery
• Ability to lead and align teams cross-market / function without necessarily having direct management control
• Has a breadth and depth of product management experience in delivery