Senior Specialist - Automation Technical Delivery.Information Technology at MTN

JOB DESCRIPTION

• Lead and manage a team of automation specialists, providing technical guidance and mentorship.
• Define technical standards and best practices for automation projects.
• Ensure the team follows industry standards and maintains high-quality code and documentation.
• Allocate tasks, set goals, and monitor team performance.
• Oversee the design, development, testing, and deployment of automation solutions. 
• Instigate and continually encourage a collaborative and innovative team environment.
• Work with stakeholders to gather and analyse requirements, translating them into technical specifications.
• Ensure seamless integration of automation solutions with existing systems and processes
• Develop and maintain detailed documentation for automation systems, including user manuals, system configurations, and maintenance procedures.
• Conduct knowledge Sharing through forum presentations and internal training.
• Participate in sprint meetings and be willing to adopt agile.
• Mentor junior staff to ensure get opportunities to apply the developer skills that they have learnt.
• Project management support for automation projects from inception to completion, ensuring that they are delivered on time, within scope and budget.
• Coordinate with cross-functional teams to ensure smooth integration of automation solutions.

Automation Pipeline Management:

• Collaborate with business stakeholders to create an inventory of MTNSA's business processes that have the potential for automation.
• Define a framework to identify good automation candidates through techniques like selection criteria:
• High volume and repetitive tasks
• Rule-based processes
• Standardized and well-documented processes
• Processes prone to human error
• Processes with stable and mature inputs
• Evaluate each candidate process for automation based on impact (potential cost savings, operational efficiency gains) and feasibility (process complexity and readiness for automation).
•  Conducting roadshows to raise awareness of RPA among MTNSA business units and secure their support. 

Benefits Realization Tracking: 

• Define a framework to monitor, track and report on the benefits brought about the automated process at MTNSA.
• Select Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that will help measure the success of RPA initiatives, such as (Cost reduction, Time savings, Error reduction, Process efficiency, Employee satisfaction)
• Monitor daily trends to ensure the adoption of automation solutions across the business.

Customer:

• Partner with the business and ensure in-depth understanding of processes, existing workflows to analyse existing workflows, identify redundancies, and eliminate them to improve operational efficiency.
• Educate the business on Automation, champion, and drive Automation initiatives
• Arrange regular sessions with customers to inform, educate and facilitate feedback.
• Adopt a proactive approach to prevent problems from arising in the future.
• Build and maintain solid relationships with business unit stakeholders.
• Conduct training sessions and workshops to promote automation best practices and tools.

Quality Management:

• Implement quality assurance processes to ensure the reliability and performance of automation solutions.
• Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of automation initiatives and implement improvements as needed.
• Work consistently according to standard operating procedures
• Understand and communicate the consequences of not maintaining quality of automation solutions. 
• Identify areas where the quality of automation may be improved.
• Analyse situations and take necessary action to ensure quality is maintained.
• Seek feedback from clients/ stakeholders and continuously seek ways of improving on quality.

Tactical Planning and Operations:

• Ensure that capacity planning for special events or increasing traffic volumes happens with documentation.
• Devise, share, and execute annual automation plans.
• Engage with other operations to extract potential benefits and efficiencies achieved at a technical implementation and/or process layer.
• Ensure that vendor and 3rd party developers are developing applications that comply with business specifications and implemented according to approved quality standards.
• Provide consultation for all applications related projects so that decisions can be made as to the most appropriate delivery methodology.
• Provide a quick reaction task force to attend to major automation incidents with a view to improving on systems design and stability.
• Continuously review, improve, and integrate processes, to optimize outputs and overcome fragmentation.
• Monitor the performance of automation systems, conducting regular audits and adjustments to optimize productivity and reduce downtime

Strategic Input:

• Research and integrate new technologies and methodologies in automation to ensure the organization remains at the cutting edge of industry advancements.
• Oversee the execution of proof of concepts and proof of value initiatives to evaluate new technologies and determine their suitability for MTNSA.
• Stay updated on the latest trends and advancements in automation technologies and methodologies.
• Continuously assess risk and implement mechanisms and processes to overcome these risks.
• Drive the development of goals, tactical strategies, and plans needed to achieve the portfolio’s vision and build the capabilities to enable optimal delivery with input from relevant stakeholders.
• Provide input to the technology roadmap defined by Group Technology and help Corporate Systems within IS to define standards.

Financial:

• Provide input to compile and manage CAPEX and OPEX budgets relating to functional activities.
• Provide input into the management of the budget for automation projects, including forecasting costs, tracking expenses, and ensuring projects are completed within financial constraints.
• Support the creation of the business case for initiatives and projects in functional areas.
• Work closely with Infrastructure Architecture to ensure that licensing is optimally consolidated

QUALIFICATIONS
Education (Essential):

• 3+ year Degree / Diploma in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Statistics or related quantitative field

Experience: 

• 5+ years’ experience with automation technologies and project management, with significant exposure to designing, implementing, and optimizing automated systems.
• On-the-job training, complemented by formal training programs in leadership and technology management (desired)
• Demonstrates a blend of experience in overseeing technical teams and driving innovation in automation projects.
• Experience in a telecommunications environment highly preferred
• Project management and business optimisation experience would be advantageous