General Manager - Brand and Marketing Communications Operations MANCO at MTN

Responsibilities
Context (Global influences, environmental / industry demands, organisational mission etc.)
The General Manager must therefore ensure the successful delivery in context of:

• Rapidly changing ICT environment (technology, economic, regulatory, legal, customer expectations)
• Multi-national, multi-cultural, multi-Geographic footprint (MENA, WECA, SEAGHA regions) 
• Decentralised operating model
• Large diverse customer base (> 200m subscribers)  
• Ambition 2025 (leading digital platforms for Africa’s progress)

Key Performance Areas: Core, essential responsibilities / outputs of the position (KPA's)
Key Responsibilities:

 Brand Strategy Development and Execution:

• Contribute to the development of the overarching MTN Group brand strategy, ensuring it aligns with the company’s long-term business goals.
• Lead the execution and implementation of brand strategies across OpCos, ensuring a consistent and compelling brand image and identity across all touchpoints.

Operational Support and Consultancy:

• Provide expert consultancy to OpCos on their annual and quarterly marketing plans, ensuring they align with MTN’s business strategy and brand priorities.
• Work closely with OpCo CMOs and Brand Leads to refine and optimize local brand strategies that support global brand objectives.

Brand and Cycle Planning:

• Drive the brand and cycle planning processes, ensuring that brand activities are strategically timed and aligned with key business cycles.
• Develop and deploy frameworks that guide OpCos in aligning with key messaging and communication strategies, ensuring consistency and effectiveness.

 Campaign Leadership:

• Lead the development and implementation of campaign effectiveness approaches, ensuring that all marketing initiatives are customer-centric and deliver on both Return on Objectives (ROO) and Return on Investment (ROI).
• Champion pro-customer market positioning, ensuring MTN’s brand remains relevant and competitive in the diverse markets it serves.

Stakeholder Management:

• Report directly to the Executive: Group Marketing, providing strategic insights and updates on brand performance.
• Collaborate with senior management, including OpCo CMOs, Brand Leads, and divisional heads across Consumer, Business, Fintech, and Digital Services, to drive a unified brand vision.
• Interface with Group Management Services stakeholders to ensure brand initiatives are aligned with broader organizational objectives.

Key Performance Areas (KPAs): Core Responsibilities and Outputs

Strategy Development

• Brand Strategy Alignment: Contribute to the formulation and execution of the MTN Group brand strategy, ensuring alignment with overall Group objectives and priorities.
• Implementation Direction: Lead the effective implementation of the brand strategy across operating companies by providing clear direction, structured frameworks, and guidelines for OpCo Chief Marketing Officers.
• Standardization and Targets: Define minimum standards for implementation and recommend KPIs to measure performance across various marketing activities.
• Competitive Advantage: Enhance MTN's brand health measures and ensure strong pro-customer market positioning.
• Internal Alignment: Ensure strategic alignment with internal stakeholders, including HR, Procurement, BRM, and Corporate Affairs.

Staff Leadership and Management

• Team Leadership: Build and manage a high-performing team by providing leadership, clarity on roles, and setting individual goals and performance objectives.
• Talent Management: Oversee talent recruitment, training, and development, ensuring compliance with legislative guidelines and MTN's policies.
• Communication and Change Management: Maintain open communication channels and implement change management interventions as necessary.
• Performance Management: Set KPIs, provide regular feedback, and manage underperformance in accordance with HR policy.
• Knowledge Transfer: Develop and implement a training and knowledge transfer plan to enhance team skills.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Foster strong relationships with other working groups to support Group governance.

Governance

Strategic Meetings

• Meeting Facilitation: Lead strategic meetings, ensuring relevant participation and providing guidance and support in discussions.
• Transformation Initiatives: Drive enterprise-wide transformation initiatives, managing risk and gathering inputs from relevant stakeholders.
• Policy Development: Prepare proposals on change initiatives, SLAs, and procedures.
• Escalations
• Issue Resolution: Manage and resolve escalated issues that could impact time, scope, productivity, costs, or resources.

Tactical Management

• Project Management: Oversee all projects and initiatives, reviewing risks and dependencies, and making decisions on necessary tactical changes.
• Performance Monitoring
• Performance Review: Monitor alignment with MTN brand strategy, reviewing performance against KPIs and SLAs.
• Continuous Improvement: Identify opportunities for improvement and collaborate with OpCos to implement corrective actions.

Reporting

• Regular Reporting: Provide weekly and monthly reports to the Executive, highlighting significant deviations from performance metrics.
• Adhoc Reporting: Provide reports on specific projects as required.
• Budgets
• Budget Management: Develop and manage divisional and project budgets, optimizing 'non-working' costs according to the 'save to invest' approach.

Operational Delivery

Strategic Implementation

• Brand Architecture and Identity: Oversee the MTN Brand architecture, including the development of brand identity guidelines across categories, channels, and services.
• Messaging Frameworks: Lead the development and delivery of key messaging frameworks and pro-customer market positioning guidelines.
• Supplier Management: Define requirements for MTN Group marketing suppliers and contribute to the RFI and RFP processes.
• Integrated Planning: Engage stakeholders in integrated business planning, focusing on brand strategy design, ROI evaluation, and annual marketing plans.
• Trend Analysis: Conduct in-depth analysis of market, category, brand, and competitor trends to optimize brand and marketing plans.
• Intellectual Property Management: Provide guidance on intellectual property protection across operating companies.
• Internal Marketing Support: Support all MANCO internal marketing requirements.

Collaboration and Coordination

• Policy Integration: Collaborate with other Group Management Services divisional heads to develop and implement integrated GMS policies and strategies.
• Quality Assurance: Ensure collaboration with Quality Assurance and Internal Audit teams for periodic quality audits.
• Service Enhancement: Work with Group Management Services and OpCo leaders to refine services and develop standard templates and reports.
• Project Oversight: Provide oversight on enterprise-wide projects and initiatives.

Managerial and Supervisory Responsibilities

• Human Capital Management: Ensure the performance and development of the department’s human capital align with MTN brand values.
• Process Approval: Approve work processes before adoption by the team.
• Coaching and Mentoring: Mentor direct reports, enforcing compliance with standard processes and procedures.
• Succession Planning: Implement effective succession plans, ensuring team motivation and diversity management.
• Authority and Integrity: Maintain the authority, presence, and integrity to command respect from colleagues and external contacts.
• Advisory Role: Provide advisory support on governance and best practices in client experience management.

Qualifications
Job Requirements (Education, Experience and Competencies)

Education:

• Minimum of 4 year tertiary Business/Commercial/Marketing Degree
• MBA or Masters in relevant field of study 
• Chartered Marketer an advantage

Experience:

• Minimum of 5 - 8 years in senior management, with at least 5 years in strategic brand management.
• Experience in a Chief Marketing Officer or equivalent management/commercial role.
• Strong background in global/multinational enterprises, preferably in FMCG or telecommunications industries.
• Proven experience in multinational brand management, with an understanding of leading practices and trends.
• Experience in emerging markets, particularly in Pan Africa and/or Middle East multi-cultural environments, is highly advantageous.