Engineer: Signaling Principal at MTN

Mission/ Core purpose of the Job
The Signaling Principal Engineer will form a part of a highly skilled group of technical experts who are responsible of technical management of the MTN Global infrastructure especially the Signaling setup.  He will organize, coordinate, and supervise Signaling peering, service configuration and customer support for Signaling related service like roaming, SMS etc… in line with the overall business objectives of the company. 
Key Performance Areas: Core, essential responsibilities / outputs of the position (KPA's)
Key Tasks:  

• Configuration of Signaling peering (Diameter, SS7) and security (Signaling Firewall) with MTN Opcos and SCCP carriers and interaction with the Roaming Hub.  
• Support the Signaling configuration in relation with International Roaming (Technical Coordination). 
• Support all signaling migration from the OpCos to MTN GlobalConnect  
• Support all GTP migration and IPX GRX of MTN operations. 
• Support  the implementation and support of the centralized PCRF. 
• Ensure service availability by keeping the roaming and Signaling database updated and consistent to avoid service disturbance. 
• Prevent and address any potential revenue leakage identified on Roaming & Interconnect areas. 
• Develop Policies, Processes & Procedures: Analyse the existing procedures and propose new ones to enhance quality and productivity. Develop and maintain effective processes to ensure effective interface with Customer Care, Marketing, Sales and Finance Departments.  
• Produce the periodical reports of the Department on schedule. 
• Ensure departmental and special project implementation with stakeholders in timely manner (e.g. planned expansions, upgrades, migrations, swaps, new services). 
• Ensure Signaling, Roaming performance and Quality monitoring as per MTN Group standard (General service KPIs, Capacity monitoring KPIs, operational KPIs). 
• Ensure customer satisfaction through effective support (requests, complaints, incidents, problems, change management) and resolve all escalated operational issues in a timely manner. 
• Ensure service availability by keeping the roaming and signalling database updated and consistent to avoid service disturbance. 
• Prevent and address any potential revenue leakage identified on Roaming & Interconnect areas. 

 Supervisory / Leadership / Managerial Tasks:  Guide participation in multi-cultural team with seconded or part-time resources from various Opcos 

• Operate across multiple cultures, languages time zones and stages of development within MTN regions. 
• Communicates actively throughout Group Opco and central structures, as well as 3rd party project structures 
• Input in optimising budget and control of both capital and operational expenditure on terrestrial systems 

The Signalling Manager will be accountable to achieve the following objectives:  

Role Deliverables 

• Ensure the service KPI and KQI are on target  
• Ensure the support service level is meeting the SLA contract or target. 
• Support all troubleshooting for all Signaling and roaming service within the define MTTR.  
• Provide the solution design on business request for new service implementation.  
• Signalling network Optimization and security against illegal and fraudulent traffic.  
• Partner peering and roaming coverage expansion 
• Service delivery   

Role Dependencies  

• Support of wholesale mobility strategy  
• Understand the sales service order form and the customer requirements and translate to a technical implementation. 
• Keep updated records of the signalling routing configuration on the Global MTN infrastructure for better troubleshooting. 

Job Requirements (Education, Experience and Competencies)
Education: 

• Minimum 4 Year bachelor’s degree in equivalent specialization MSc, MBA is a plus. 
• English  

Experience: 

• Minimum five 10 years in GSM with Signaling, roaming and IPX GRX experience 

 Competencies: 

• GSM, GPRS/UMTS/CDMA Core Network System architecture 
• SSS Standard Operation and Maintenance Tasks 
• Signalling protocols 
• Networking and TCP/IP protocol stack basics 
• Data Base administration, programming principles 
• Roaming management principles 
• Knowledge in Traffic analysis 
• Project management (be able to use Microsoft Project) 

Other: 

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.  
• Excellent interpersonal and customer service skills. 
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail. 
• Ability to comprehend, interpret, and apply the appropriate sections of applicable laws, guidelines, regulations, ordinances, and policies. 
• Ability to acquire a thorough understanding of the organization’s hierarchy, jobs, qualifications, compensation practices, and the administrative practices related to those factors. 
• Excellent time management skills with a proven ability to meet deadlines. 
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills. 
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite or related software.