Senior Specialist - Technical Product Development IoT ICT Center of Excellence at MTN

Responsibilities

Solution Execution and Strategy Enablement​

• Responsible for translating technical requirements provided by the solution architecture and engineering teams into clear technical specifications and guiding the execution of product development.​
• Implement technical product development strategies by ensuring that solutions are executed efficiently and effectively according to the BL’s requirements.​
• Focuses on delivering Operational Support Systems (OSS) and Business Support Systems (BSS) changes, shifting from a product-centric to a Business Line (BL) focus.​
• Deliver standardised, repeatable architecture solutions, ensuring seamless integration and alignment with business needs.​
• Support the execution of Converged Solution and BL strategies by aligning technical product development efforts with long-term business objectives and technology roadmaps.​

​Operational Delivery​

• Deliver on the effective execution of technical product development, translating specifications into deliverable technical solutions.​
• Oversee the development, testing, and deployment phases to ensure high-quality and on-time delivery of BSS changes and architecture solutions.​
• Implement continuous improvement practices to enhance the efficiency and scalability of technical solutions.​
• Maintain a high level of documentation to ensure transparency and alignment across development teams and stakeholders.​
• Provide regular updates to the Converged solutions and Business Line stakeholders on technical 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.​
• Monitor product performance and user feedback to inform product improvements and new features.​
• Work with Pre-Sales, Solution Sales teams and Converged Architects 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. ​

​Continuous Improvement​

• Drive best practice, continuous improvement and innovation at process and procedure level within area (e.g. technology, processes etc.)​
• Ensure that the relevant analysis of market knowledge, trends and competitive information is gathered and assimilated​
• Ensure competitors benchmarking and gap analysis is performed as appropriate and incorporated into business operations​
• Initiate change to continually improve all aspects of solution delivery and drive continuous improvement as an important element of solution delivery.​

​People & Culture Management​

• 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.​

​Governance, Policies, Procedures ​

• Facilitate collaboration between internal teams and partners to drive joint initiatives and resolve issues.​
• Represent the engineering team in meetings with stakeholders, providing updates on project status, risks, and recommendations.​
• Participate in governance forums and required and ensure solutions developed comply with the Business Line standards defined.​
• Ensure effective implementation of (and compliance towards) legislative requirements and company policies, processes, and procedures.​
• Manage and provide solutions to escalations that have multiple processes/functions impact on critical path of service delivery. ​
• Continuously review key risks, issues and dependencies and set mitigation actions. Proactively flag and escalate issues and manage impacts on resources, cost and productivity.​
• Where required, set up and participate in operational and tactical meetings to review performance, discuss new opportunities, and align on future plans.​

​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.

Qualifications

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

Experience 

• At least 7 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.