Senior Manager: Mobile Advertising at MTN

Mission/ Core purpose of the Job

• Responsible for leading MTN’s mobile advertising business, ensuring mobile advertising inventory is developed and grown; sales channels are managed; and sales targets are achieved, optimised and sold at the correct price by using relevant insights. The Senior Manager will also collect and analyse all external data regarding the broader digital advertising market and engage with advertisers in order to leverage available business opportunities. The Senior Manager is also responsible for contributing towards MTN’s overall strategic goals, to achieve profitable growth and to continuously improve the operations performance. The Senior Manager: Mobile Advertising reports to the Chief Digital Officer.

Context (Global influences, environmental / industry demands, organizational mission etc.)

• MTN is entering a new phase in its lifecycle where operational and commercial excellence has become critical for success. The urgency for change has become more heightened amidst increased competitive intensity in South Africa. The Senior Manager, Advertising must therefore ensure the successful delivery in context of:
• An expertise-based multicultural organisation
• A dynamic and evolving field of Telecommunications
• Revolutionary workforce practices which are bringing together global labour markets
• Management of executive and local shareholder expectations across MTN SA and Group
• Achievement of top quartile operating efficiency and effectiveness through scale and common policies and processes
• Dynamic legal and regulatory environment
• Convergence in markets and exploration of non-traditional revenue streams requiring complex interpretation and structuring
• Evolving industry sector constantly presenting new challenges and opportunities to the core businesses
• Rapid horizontal and vertical expansion of MTN, in terms of size, products, customers and geographic distribution

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

Key Deliverables

The Senior Manager, Advertising will be accountable to achieve the following objectives:
Strategy Development and Implementation

• Development and execution of the functional strategy in line with the overarching business goals
• Ensure effective implementation of the strategy by means of providing direction, structure, frameworks, models, plans and roadmaps
• Conduct regular review of the functional strategy and roadmap to ensure its alignment with the changing dynamics of the internal and external ecosystem

Governance

Strategic Meetings

• Participate and provide input in strategic meetings
• Perform evaluation baseline of key performance indicators (KPIs)
• Request for relevant budget for internal projects and new initiatives
• Facilitate preparation of proposals on change initiatives, policies and procedures

Escalations

• Escalate issues that will result in severe time, scope, productivity, and cost or resource or reputational impact
• Manage and provide solutions to escalations that have multiple processes / functions impact on critical path of service delivery
• Manage and provide solutions through stakeholder consultation where relevant

Function Tactical

• Review all projects initiated (internal or global)
• Prepare objectives, targets and budgets for Advertisements as applicable
• Review key risks, issues and dependencies and set mitigation actions
• Facilitate in sign-off / making decisions regarding tactical changes

Performance

• Monitor performance and alignment with MTN SA strategy
• Ensure alignment between/across other functions within the SA Digital team and other commercial functions e.g. Consumer Business Unit, Enterprise Business Unit, Fintech

Reporting

• Report on a periodic basis to the Reporting Manager relating to progress made within the function and in accordance with the measurement metrics set by the organisation
• Report on an ad hoc basis on specific projects, as required

Budgets

• Manage functional budgets in line with overall business objectives
• Manage project initiative budgets in line with business objectives
• Ensure that the cost of operations is reduced, in line with a least cost operating strategy stemming from the business drivers

Operational Delivery

• Lead and build the Mobile Advertising business for MTN SA
• Develop and implement the Advertising inventory roadmap ensuring customers receive advertising trough their preferred channel.
• Lead and manage the mobile advertising pricing.
• Appoint and manage Sales partners to drive Sales of Mobile Advertising.
• Develop MTN’s digital advertising strategy, including but not limited to Search, email/sms campaigns, social, and retargeting
• Embed and measure Advertising in MTN SA and ensure that SA’s strategy is aligned to the Group-wide advertising strategy.
• Create an optimal advertising matrix to sell inventory for 3rd parties while also promoting MTN products and services as well as 3rd party products and services.
• Develop relationships with Media Agencies and directly with advertising clients
• Ensure advertising is relevant, targeted and timeous by leveraging off various sources including customer insights.
• Ensure advertisements are actionable and reported via the approved reporting standards e.g. click through options/number to dial etc.
• Optimise advertising space sold at the correct price to maximize the revenue opportunity.
• Create templates for Contracting, User requirement specifications, Code of Conduct, Pricing, Guidelines, Training Material and Go to Market and utilise it to run the business more efficiently and effectively.
• Ensure that all inventory is also sold programmatically.
• Manage Mobile Advertising products and processes with the objective to optimize revenue/ROI, protect customer privacy, and increase the value of Advertising for MTN
• Identify opportunities to enhance the current environment and work with technical teams to modify, enhance, or replace relevant platforms.
• Collaborate with respective Digital Product Managers, their partners and teams in South Africa’s other commercial units
• Drive a digital market segmentation program across MTN South Africa
• Manage and coordinate the digital products and services (both business and consumer) services across South Africa
• Strategically manage all electronic advertising environments including managing relationships with service providers such as content suppliers the areas of Digital Marketing Portal, Digital Web Environment and Digital Content Portal
• Manage the relationships with Mobile Advertising technology suppliers
• Identify future challenges and opportunities, create marketing plan and identify trends to optimise market share, improve marketability and profitability of products and services
• Create digital advertising campaigns for increasing brand and product awareness
• Create digital advertising campaigns to increase the Mobile Advertising opt-in base
• Develop advertising models and frameworks based on Big Data insights
• Monitor, analyze and share products performance trends from financial, competitive and operational perspectives.

Job Requirements (Education, Experience and Competencies)

Education:

• Minimum of 4-year tertiary degree (Bachelor of Science, Commerce, Engineering or related field)
• MBA or Masters (advantageous)

Experience:

• Manager track record of 5 years or more; with at least 3 years’ experience in advertising, telecommunications, digital marketing, digital product management and/or content management
• Experience in Advertising Sales will be advantageous
• Hands on experience in managing and implementing digital products and initiatives
• Deep understanding of the digital advertising ecosystem, players, business models and industry related best practices.
• Understanding emerging markets advantageous
• Worked across diverse cultures and geographies
• Entrepreneurial spirit, self-driven and ability to motivate a fast-paced team
• Attitude of Innovation, inventiveness and thought leadership
• Abreast of global mind-set and best practice
• Willing and flexible to travel
• English speaker. Other African languages a plus.

Competencies:

• Functional Knowledge:
• Advertising Sales
• Value Added Services
• Digital content, media and/or applications
• Advertising Product and Content Management
• Digital marketing

Skills

• Sales Management
• Business Acumen
• Analytics and Interpretation
• Strategic Thinking
• Organizational Agility
• Digital mind-set
• Dealing with ambiguity and complexity
• Decision Making
• Conflict Management
• Negotiation
• Financial and Numerical
• Project Management