Executive Head: Foundations at Vodafone Global Enterprise

Role purpose:

As a member of the Vodacom Group Foundation & Partnerships leadership team to:

• Provide counsel and advice on foundation opportunities and risks facing Vodacom Group operating companies. 
• Pro-actively manage foundation management risks by influencing outcomes through strategic advocacy.
• Establish and maintain strategic relations with key stakeholders across Vodacom’s operating companies and with external donors, multilateral bodies, at regional and sub-regional levels 
• Serve as the interface between the company and the external environment on foundation matters
• Provide leadership, professional oversight and guidance to senior subject matter experts in a matrix organisation. 
• Execute the wider Social Contract company strategy
• The ideal candidate is a public affairs and stakeholder leader, passionate about Vodacom and our purpose to connect for a better future. A deeply strategic thinker with experience in navigating highly regulated industries across the African continent and the ability to grasp complex technical and policy issues.
• This role will under the direction of the Managing Executive: Foundations & Partnerships, partner closely with the global External Affairs leadership team that is dealing with several critical foundation challenges. 
• The ideal candidate has proven to be able to manage a team in a matrix organisation, devise a regional strategy, has deep knowledge of foundation dynamics across Vodacom’s footprint (DRC, Tanzania, Mozambique, Lesotho, South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia and Egypt) and an appreciation of global debates on foundation in the communications and/or financial services industry.

Your responsibilities will include:

Manage all Foundation Connecting for Good programme activities.     

• Execute a foundation strategy and plan consisting of targeted, proactive, better evidenced, coordinated and externally focused campaigns. building on and amplifying the social contract 
• Execute a co-ordinated group / op.co strategy and plan for engagement with respective stakeholders on foundation issues 
• Leverage synergies available within Vodafone and Vodacom groups

Provide world class foundation engagement support to:

• All Vodacom Group companies (Mozambique, D.R.C., Lesotho, Tanzania, Egypt)
• Vodacom business entities
• Safaricom entities (Kenya, Ethiopia)

Execute all governance, risk, and reporting activity for all 27 foundations / charitable trusts and maintain a robust reporting platform.     

• Execute all governance, risk, and reporting activity for all 27 foundations charitable trusts
• Maintain a robust reporting platform consisting of blueprints and dashboards.

Work with Finance to ensure continued strong Ext and Int audit performance.    

• Ensuring strong external and internal audit performance for Group and relevant OpCos
• Achieving alignment and financial targets 

Executing Foundation strategies across all OpCos

• Lead CSI strategies across all OPCOs and support monitoring and evaluation of all programmes
• Contact point for OPCOs for requests of supporting implementation of CSI strategy
• Lead the development of CSI annual plans based on OPCO strategy
• Leading key CSI issues identified in CSI plans, as required, leveraging experts from Vodacom and Vodafone
• Share Vodacom Group and Vodafone Best Practices across all markets
• Have good understanding of the OPCOs socio-economic environment to position OPCOs sustainability programmes and initiatives

The role requires an expert with broad and comprehensive understanding of CSI related matters applicable in the financial and communications sector in different jurisdictions, the sensitivities involved in reconciling business needs and opportunities with risk minimisation.  The ideal candidate would be required to provide thought leadership and manage a team of foundation and partnership professionals.

The ideal candidate for this role will have:

• Advanced Degree Public Affairs, Politics, and/or Economics
• Interest and willingness to travel
• 10-15 years’ experience (including senior management experience) in telecoms, banking or related highly regulated industry i.e. similar socio-economic and security features dealing  with regulation, government / public sector relationship building, etc.

Technical / Professional Expertise

• Experience of senior leadership and management in a matrix organisation working with highly specialised experts.
• Significant experience and track record of managing strategic outreach with a diverse set of stakeholders
• Track record of identifying, monitoring and analysing policy and regulatory issues across African jurisdictions. Good understanding of policy and regulatory issues facing communication and financial service providers required. 
• Excellent communication skills – written and verbal
• Experience executing cross-functional campaigns

Competency / Performance Drivers

• Analysis and Synthesis: Ability to analyse a complex set of information requiring a mixture of technical / professional competencies to comprehend, the ability to synthesise the issue and propose a decision
• Decision making: The ability to communicate, influence and negotiate successfully to conclude agreement on complex and important issues
• Relationship management: Ability to liaise and communicate effectively externally and to project a positive image of the company
• Leadership: Ability to manage, motivate and develop a team of high performance, high skill staff of diverse technical and professions backgrounds.  Ability to provide functional leadership across the business
• Integrity and resilience: Ability to operate / negotiate in high pressure situations, a strong sense of principle and the ability to represent and maintain a principled position in a negative or hostile situation.