Senior Manager - Pre-Sales SD-WAN and Security.ICT Center of Excellence at MTN

Responsibilities

Strategy Development and Implementation

• Lead, create, and manage complex architectural solutions for deals from pre-sales to proposal and delivery, stitching together appropriate assets and contributing to commercial modelling.
• Act as a key player in driving not just sales, but also broader business transformation and long-term client success through Pre-sales and solution architecture function.
• Define and maintain the architecture and solution standards in line with MTN Group guidelines to guide the design and implementation of Business Line solutions within the identified specialised product/ solution domain.
• Continuously evaluate and refine pre-sales and solution architecture processes to ensure they are aligned with the company’s strategic growth priorities, increasing efficiency, and competitive advantage.
• Pre-sales and Solution Architecture Delivery Leadership

Lead a team to:

• Engage with clients to understand their business strategies and translate them into tailored technical solutions that provide competitive advantages.
• Serve as trusted advisors during the pre-sales process, guiding clients on how solutions can drive innovation and future growth in alignment with their long-term goals.
• Develop complex, customized architectural solutions that address specific client needs from the pre-sales stage through to proposal and delivery.
• Develop detailed, strategically aligned proposals that clearly outline business line solutions, their long-term benefits, associated costs, and competitive advantages.
• Align client technical requirements with both short-term project goals and long-term business strategies, ensuring the proposed solutions support future scalability, innovation, and growth.
• Lead RFP responses that not only meet client expectations but also position the company as a strategic partner in their digital transformation journey.
• Collaborate closely with forecasting and sales operations to drive and manage pre-sales and RFP pipeline.
• Orchestrate service providers and develop back-to back SLAs between vendors and local teams for large / priority and pilot deals aligned to the customer SLA.
• Provide guidance on creating pricing models and provide input on contract negotiations.
• Oversee the implementation phase to ensure solutions are delivered as designed, while also tracking strategic impact and outcomes for the client.

People Leadership /Management

• Lead, mentor, and manage a team of engineers providing coaching, guidance, and performance evaluations.
• Develop and maintain a high-performance team that consistently meets or exceeds targets.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, continuous improvement, and customer-centricity within the team.
• Set integrated goals and objectives for the team in order to achieve a future-focused, future-fit high-performing organisation.
• Provide technical, procedural and policy guidance to staff, colleagues , partners and vendors.
• Attract, develop and retain appropriate talent. Build talent by identifying and developing new leaders for the respective environment
• Develop and maintain a high-performance team that consistently meets or exceeds targets.
• Set KPIs and provide regular performance feedback through a well-defined and implemented performance review program.
• Develop and implement a training plan to build and develop skills within the team.
• Enable and model healthy employee relations and collaborative teamwork.
• Manage diversity, develop, and embed an Employment Equity plan for the business area.
• Contribute to building a culture of continuous evaluation and improvement. Drive a culture of high performance, accountability and consequence management
• Act as an ambassador for the team by living the values and vital behaviours and changing and influencing employees’ behaviour
• Make the environment the best place to work. Foster professionalism, loyalty and commitment to the organization. Build the Company’s brand to be the employer of first choice.

Governance

• Strategic governance and interlock
• Develop and execute the Pre-sales and solution architecture governance framework and associated forums to govern the application of Business Line solution standards within the specialised product/ solution domain.
• Lead regular strategic meetings with key stakeholders to align on pre-sales and solution architecture activities, review solution performance, and identify new opportunities.
• Perform evaluation baseline of key performance indicators (KPIs).
• Request for relevant budget for internal projects and new initiatives. Monitor costs accordingly.
• Facilitate preparation of proposals on change initiatives, policies and procedures.

Escalations

• Identify potential risks in solution delivery and develop mitigation strategies to prevent disruptions and ensure project success.
• 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.

Performance

• Implement processes for regular review and refinement of Business Line solution offerings based on performance data and customer feedback in line with MTN SA Strategy.
• Ensure alignment between and across other functions within MTN SA product/ solutions, including but not limited to market representatives.
• Provide reports as required timeously regarding performance and outcomes of the unit.

Qualifications

Education

• 3 years qualification / 4-year tertiary qualification in Technology Systems (Telecommunication Management / Information Technology) or related MBA / Masters Advantageous

Experience 

• At least 7 years related experience in architecture design and delivery, inclusive of; Leadership position in pre-sales or solutions architecture.
• Extensive experience in designing and implementing complex technical solutions within telecommunications/ TechCo/SI's, including knowledge of network infrastructure, cloud services, and enterprise solutions.
• Proven track record of collaborating with sales teams to develop and deliver solutions that meet customer needs and drive revenue growth.
• Experience in managing complex solution development projects, from initial requirements gathering to final implementation.