Manager - Business Operations ICT Center of Excellence at MTN

RESPONSIBILITIES

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

Operational Delivery 

• Support the area with the periodic review and tracking of BU targets in line with the wider organisation- wide targets.
• Ensure operational efficiencies are gained through the delivery of effective business reporting tools.
• Interpret the business KPIs in order to support BU and Departmental Heads to achieve their strategic objectives
• Ensure business case tracking and benefit realisation of initiatives for the office of the Executive ICT CoE. 
• Ensure the formalization of processes. 
• Input into the development of BU- specific business plans associated with opportunities identified, and the alignment of those plans with the business strategy
• Preparation and presentation of BU management reports

Business Analysis 

• Design, analyze and document workflow and make appropriate recommendations that will positively impact operational effectiveness.
• Prepare formal business processes
• Track and analyse activities and trends as required. Compare analyses against service standards and best practices and make appropriate recommendations that will positively impact the unit. Presents findings to senior management to identify and implement strategies that will address tactical and strategic goals
• Input into recommending adjustments to address and/or capitalise on trends 
• Identify and maximise opportunities to use information and technology to improve product, service and business processes
• Identify business improvement and optimisation opportunities that will result in improvement of process performance and ultimately in the CoE. 
• Assist with benchmarking activities with other companies and organizations within and outside the industry. Assist management in interpreting and comparing benchmarking data to the CoE. 
• Perform Business Analysis on the projects within the value stream in line with the MTN Business Analysis methodology. 
• Construct business cases for initiations proposed by the business. Research and consider best practice, local conditions, trends, as well as competitor activity
• Assist in identifying innovative ways to use minimum resources to achieve maximum outputs
• Drive best practice, continuous improvement and innovation at process and procedure level 
• Consider local conditions, as well as competitor activity
• Construct, implement / fine-tune methods, processes / systems to enhance effectiveness / meet organisational goals.

Program Management

• In collaboration with the team, direct and manage programme development and execution from beginning to end.
• Drive programme scope, goals and deliverables that support business goals in collaboration with senior management and stakeholders
• Effectively communicate programme expectations to team/ project members and stakeholders in a timely and clear manner.
• Draft and submit budget proposals and recommend subsequent budget changes where necessary.
• Negotiate with other department managers / business for the acquisition of required team members from within the business.
• Effective utilisation of resources and coordinating the efforts of team members and third-party contractors/ consultants where applicable in order to deliver projects according to plan.
• Set and continually manage programme expectations with team members and relevant stakeholders across the business including Heads of departments 
• Proactively manage changes in project scope, identify potential crises, and devise contingency plans.

Research, Analytics and Insights 

• Identify and interpret short and long-term trends in ICT markets.
• Implement best practice and standards in the business in terms of market research and competitor intelligence.
• Track and analyse all competitive information through research.
• Ensure the monitoring of all environmental information that may impact our business.
• To monitor the market research planning in the business and to assist BU’s in selecting the suitable research in order to solve specific issues.
• To identify areas for improvement within departments and to implement analytical solutions in order to resolve issues.
• Stay abreast of current trends and best practices in the telco space 
• Sort, accumulate and analyse information from external sources to assist with problem solving
• Assist in identifying and assessing market trends, taking local conditions into consideration

Reporting and feedback

• Understand and document existing and new business processes and requirements.
• Prepare routine reports. Provide input from the perspective of cross-departmental functions
• Ensure traceability of requirements from business through to development and implementation
• Identify and prepare relevant information and data for reporting purposes
• Develop appropriate analytical models and reports to support informed decision-making
• Include recommendations on how to implement suggested procedural improvements
• Coordinate process measurement requirements to ensure efficient and effective use of information resources.
• Make assessments of and draw solutions from qualitative data. Make logical deductions and draw conclusions that can be motivated
• Document all relevant information from business analysis streams, according to Programme Office guidelines and methodologies
• Report on a monthly basis on issues relating to progress made and in accordance with the measurement metrics set by the organisation.
• Highlight to the management significant deviations from defined performance metrics.
• Report on a regular basis on specific projects, as required.

Customer Satisfaction

• Build and maintain solid relationships with all organizational stakeholders
• Align service delivery to changing market segments
• Understand customer needs and develop and fine-tune systems accordingly
• Ensure customer needs and requirements are satisfied through appropriate systems / processes / procedures
• Put contingency plans in place to prevent delays and enhance the customer experience 
• Adopt a proactive approach to prevent problems from arising in the future
• Initiate change to continually improve all aspects of service delivery
• Identify trends / patterns pertaining to customer requests and needs and filter this information the ICT CoE leadership to continually improve all aspects of service delivery. 

Self - Management

• Enable and model healthy employee relations and collaborative teamwork.
• Act as an ambassador for the ICT CoE by actively demonstrating and “living” the Brand values and vital behaviours. 
• Make the environment the best place to work by fostering professionalism, loyalty and commitment to the organization. 
• Direct reports: n/a
• Key customers: Executive, GM’s, HoD’s, SM’s, Managers
• Key suppliers: External vendors, consultants, contractors
• Relations, etc.: All MTN OpCos - across the markets

QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• Matric / Grade 12; plus
• 3-year degree or national diploma (preferably in Business or finance related studies) 
• Honours/ Post-Graduate Diploma /professional certification (advantageous) 

Experience

• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in area of specialisation
• At least 2-3 years of leadership/management experience in similar positions, in fast-moving environment
• Proven experience in business analysis and business optimisation experience, in process driven environments
• Proven ability to develop, document and maintain operational policies and procedures, including the designing and documenting detailed process flows, and the development of operational performance and quality metric standards and reports
• Intermediate – Advanced Excel skills 
• Proven experience developing and maintaining various analyses and reporting tools
• Demonstrated experience performing complex financial/cost analyses and related valuation methodologies, systems, and quantitative business-based analyses
• Experience working in a medium to large organization 
• Experience of work across diverse cultures and geographies. 
• French language: speaking, reading & writing (advantageous)