Senior Specialist - Product Owner UCC.ICT Center of Excellence at MTN

Responsibilities

Solution Execution and Strategy Enablement​

• Responsible for developing and implementing Business Lines’ product strategy that aligns with the Converged Solutions’ objectives and go-to-market trends.​
• Responsible for managing the end-to-end lifecycle from ideation through development, market launch, and demand generation for the Converged Solutions area within the identified specialised product/ solution domains.​
• Implement demand generation strategies to maximize product adoption and revenue generation.​
• Work closely with the Converged Solution leaders, Solution Sales and, Architects in identifying and assessing new opportunities, enhancing existing solutions, and ensuring the successful implementation of the go-to-market strategy to meet the Business Line's financial and strategic objectives.​
• Conduct market research and competitive analysis to identify product opportunities and recommend enhancements.​
• Adherence to Service Level Agreements (SLAs), and other delivery obligations that impact customer experience and OpCo integration.​

​Operational Delivery​

• Develop detailed product requirements that define the user capabilities, specific functional specifications, data and analytics and additional details that show how the user stories are to be satisfied.​
• Ensure all product/solution offerings within the Converged Solutions domain are successfully brought to market, meeting key milestones in the development process.​
• Provide regular updates to the Converged solutions and Business Line stakeholders on product development progress, potential risks, and outcomes. ​
• Create and manage the product roadmap, outlining the vision, direction, and priorities of the Converged solutions product over time.​
• Enhance existing product offerings by refining features and aligning with customer needs and industry trends.​
• Ensure product innovation aligns with market feedback and competitive positioning.​
• Monitor product performance and user feedback to inform product improvements and new features.​
• Manage the product backlog and prioritise the tasks based on changing requirements.​
• Regularly report on product performance, including profitability, market adoption, and customer satisfaction.​

​Collaboration and Stakeholder Management​

• Work with internal and external stakeholders, including Solution Sales, Architects, and leadership teams, to ensure product strategies meet business goals.​
• Drive alignment across teams to support the successful integration and delivery of solutions to the market.​
• Work closely with Converged Solution leaders, Solution Sales, and Architects to identify new opportunities and assess the viability of expanding the product portfolio.​
• Work with Pre-Sales, Solution Sales teams and Converged Solution Engineers to translate pricing for specific solutions.​
• Participate in effective interlock processes and ways of work regarding solution development and commercialisation within the identified specialised product/ solution domains. 

Governance  ​

• Ensure compliance with SLAs and other delivery obligations that directly impact customer experience and OpCo integration.​
• Regularly monitor SLA performance and address any gaps in delivery that could impact the product or customer experience.​
• Lead strategic meetings with partners to review performance, discuss new opportunities, and align on future plans.​
• Facilitate collaboration between internal teams and partners to drive joint initiatives and resolve issues.​
• Participate in governance forums and required and ensure solutions developed comply with the Business Line standards defined ​

​People & Culture Management​

• Drives ongoing development of self and facilitates development of communities across the Business Line area.​
• Enable and model healthy employee relations and collaborative teamwork. Coach and guide colleagues where required​
• Contribute to building a culture of continuous evaluation and improvement. Drive a culture of high performance, accountability and consequence management.​
• Take ownership of own personal development plans. Maintain self-development and knowledge in all required areas through learning and research​
• Identify own as well as functional training needs.​
• Act as an ambassador for the team by living the Brand 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.​

​Budget Management/ Cost Control​

• Identify cost-saving opportunities and efficiency improvements while ensuring that workforce needs are adequately met.​
• Identify opportunities to generate additional revenue.​
• Manage product development in line with the Business Line’s financial targets and strategic objectives.​​

Qualifications

• Minimum 3-year bachelor’s degree in software development tasks or a related field​
• Microsoft Certified Professional​

Experience

• At least 5 years related experience in product management or product development, preferably within the telecommunications industry. ​
• Demonstrated success in managing product lifecycles from ideation through to delivery and post-launch optimisation.​
• Strong experience working in agile development environments, with proven ability to manage product backlogs and lead sprint planning.​
• Experience with go-to-market strategies and collaborating with sales and marketing teams for product launch and positioning.​
• Ability to deliver multiple solutions.​
• Worked across diverse cultures and geographies advantageous.