Head of Technology at Blue Label Telecoms

JOB PURPOSE

Lead the successful implementation of technologies and services within the distribution business. This crucial role focuses on guiding both technology and business towards future growth while ensuring alignment of technology projects with overarching business goals. Key responsibilities include delivering initiatives on agreed time, within budget, and quality standards. Provides direction to the technology team in developing and implementing cost-effective systems and innovative solutions that meet both internal and external customer needs, all while ensuring efficient operations for current and future decision-making. 

RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Planning and Execution

• Enable business to capitalise on new opportunities and build out new capabilities
• Develop and implement a cost-effective strategy for core systems, platforms, and networks that simplifies processes and accelerates new product launches
• Shape the technical components of the company’s strategy to ensure they align with overall business objectives
• Investigate and address connectivity gaps to strengthen our distribution strategy for future readiness
• Design core systems that facilitate easy integration of new services
• Optimise and unify our platforms across the distribution business
• Identify and adopt innovative technologies that provide a competitive edge
• Support the strategy for technology platforms, partnerships, and external collaborations
• Engage in comprehensive business technology planning, offering insights on current trends and future technology visions, while assessing the impact of emerging technologies on business strategies for the Executive Leadership Team
• Assist the transformation of SA Distributions’ application portfolio to adopt a modern, flexible architecture, enabling seamless integration of new capabilities and enhancing the product development process for volume growth
• Assist in the planning and execution of enterprise IT and digital systems to improve cost efficiency, service quality, and business development
• Analyse complex business requirements and propose effective technical solutions
• Evaluate, select, and implement technology solutions that address both current and future needs
• Take the initiative in thought leadership, innovation and creativity
• Collaborate with the Product Category department and leadership teams to define and launch new products and enhancements
• Accountable for the digital and data roadmaps to accelerate customer acquisition and retention
• Champion technologies that facilitate external business growth
• Enhance the capabilities of the company and its partners through strategic technology utilisation
• Promote the company’s products and services in external engagements
• Lead the alignment of technology with business strategy to drive the company's growth.

Project Leadership

• Oversee end-to-end delivery of technology projects and ensure that the objectives of the projects are met, such as software implementations, and new service launches
• Possess a high-level design understanding ability to shape projects architecturally and technically
• Develop and maintain project plans, timelines, and budgets, ensuring that deliverables meet quality standards

Product Design

• Possess experience in product design, capable of taking a product from concept to launch, which is essential for the role's responsibilities in shaping new technology products

Technological Support

• Evaluate, prioritise, and oversee projects within the portfolio related to the selection, acquisition, development, and deployment of significant information systems
• Manage the implementation and upkeep of company systems, including the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, Business Intelligence (BI) systems, and customer-facing platforms
• Supervise vendor relationships to guarantee that all third-party vendors and service providers deliver dependable, adaptable solutions while maintaining cost efficiency in line with strategic goals and business objectives
• Establish, uphold, and enforce standards and procedures to ensure the consistency and maintainability of existing applications when implementing technical solutions
• Manage application development and support, network communications, infrastructure, data management, information security, and system operations
• Establish and communicate relevant business metrics for each reporting area in alignment with overall business goals
• Suggest and implement process enhancements to drive operational efficiency and excellence

Business and Technology Integration

• Skilled in collaborating with clients to develop technology solutions that meet their business requirements
• Enhance the business's understanding of technology, such as the API marketplace, to ensure fluent communication with the technology team and empower informed decision-making

Stakeholder Engagement and Collaboration

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to gather requirements and define project scopes
• Champion the transition of new ways of work and integration of tech and business delivery and operating model
• Cultivate strong relationships with key stakeholders, providing regular updates on project status and addressing concerns promptly

Team Coordination

• Lead and mentor project teams, fostering a collaborative environment that encourages innovation and accountability
• Coordinate with external providers and partners to ensure alignment on project goals and deliverables
• Build and evolve the architectural capability of Delivery teams across the business

Risk and Governance Management

• Identify potential project risks and develop mitigation strategies to minimise disruptions
• Conduct regular project reviews and retrospectives to assess performance and implement improvements for future initiatives
• Apply the business risk and governance frameworks.

Change Management

• Develop and implement change management plans to facilitate smooth transitions during technology rollouts
• Conduct training sessions for internal teams and customers to ensure proper adoption of new technologies and services
• Apply best practices to implement and /or resolve adoption issues

Business Continuity

• Develop and maintain robust disaster recovery and business continuity plans

Technical Expertise

• Act as a subject matter expert on telecommunications technologies to guide project decisions
• Evaluate and recommend technology solutions that enhance service delivery and operational efficiency

Budget Oversight

• Aware of project budget and resources, support in tracking actual against budget and managing the balance of delivery within time, budget, quality constraints

BEHAVIOURAL COMPETENCIES

• Achieves Results
• Manages Complexity 
• Ensure Accountability 
• Optimises Work Processes
• Plans and Aligns 
• Business Insight
• Communicates Effectively
• Drives Results
• Strategic Mindset
• Customer Focus
• Cultivates Innovation
• Positive Attitude

EDUCATION

• Matric
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business Administration, or a related field
• A postgraduate degree is preferred
• Project Management Certification: Preferred certifications such as PMP (Project Management Professional) or Agile Certifications to ensure robust and effective project delivery

EXPERIENCE

• 8+ years of experience in Technology Delivery, Project Management, or a similar role, preferably in the Telecommunications or Technology sector
• ITIL certification for understanding IT service management
• Experience Managing people and outputs in matrix environment (s/he will have to work multiple different teams to achieve their outcomes)
• Experience in commercialisation of new tech products and services
• Experience in technology product ownership from concept to market implementation
• Background in Business Technology Integration
• Extensive project management experience within an Information Technology and Software Development environment, especially in dealing with multiple and simultaneous projects or programmes of work
• API Marketplace Understanding
• Architecture and Product Design Knowledge
• Proactive Client Management
• Service Delivery Projects