Senior Manager: Online Channels Design Authority.Technology Information at MTN

Mission/ Core purpose of the Job

Working closely with the MTN Executive Leadership Team and the Opco CEOs, the Executive: Group

Mission/ Core purpose of the Job

The Online Channels Technical Design Authority provides expert knowledge and technology thought leadership, designing and leading the implementation of solution and application architecture across MTN's online digital channels and capabilities.

The Design Authority ensures that the MTN Online architecture evolves to a target architecture that aligns with our vision. The Design Authority focuses on conducting technical analysis and design, considering online business strategy and enabling a holistic solution design of future and reusable capabilities.

The Design Authority acts as a trusted technology advisor and leader owning technical designs and supporting Online technical delivery teams.

Context (Global influences, environmental / industry demands, organisational mission etc.)

Organisational Mission

MTN is evolving from a mobile communications provider to a digital platform operator where innovation, operational and commercial excellence is critical for success. To excel today and sustain future growth, MTN must develop the required capabilities internally to provide the market and customers with EPIC experiences, products and services which fulfil the belief that everyone deserves the benefits of a modern connected life.

To this extent the Online team are responsible for creating and operating digital platforms which bring our products and services to customers in the easiest and most seamless manner in the form of contextualised and personalised experiences available anywhere and anytime.

The Online team are helping to bring about a transformational journey to infuse new capabilities, combining customer experience, data and digital technologies to MTN’s core connectivity business, emerging fintech and rich media offerings in order to digitise processes and innovate customer engagement.

Global Influences / Environmental & Industry Demands

• Highly dynamic and fluctuating Telecommunications industry
• Highly competitive market with new and established competitors
• Fast moving industry
• Legislative changes
• Rapid pace of digitalization
• Prevailing economic pressures affecting staff and customers
• Fluid complexities of customer expectations and demands

Key Performance Areas: Core, essential responsibilities / outputs of the position (KPA's)

Strategy input:

• Advocate and evangelize the adoption of new technologies to enable MTN Online Business
• Recommend a structure for the Design Authority Governance Body
• Define the function and operating framework for Design Authority Governance Body
• Work with the Design Authority Body to define and continuously improve the Standards and Principals for design and development
• Implement processes and tools for the review of designs and development to ensure standards and principals are maintained
• Implement KPIs that monitoring adherence and improvements of designs
• Guide technical architects and software developers across multiple domains
• Ensure solution designs comply with security, privacy, and regulatory needs
• Drive application roadmap in collaboration with application owners, ensuring alignment to business and user needs
• Provide support to release planning across all the MTN online channels
• Understand the needs of all online technical functions (e.g. architects, developers and operations), ensuring that they all are involved in the definition and impact of the solution designs
• Understand MTN online business strategy and align mobile and web application architecture and roadmap accordingly
• Maintain close relationship with architecture and technical delivery teams to ensure that architecture and technical work items are developed according to defined architecture principles and patterns
• Leverage best practice knowledge and experience to define technical solutions that enable online business capabilities, ensuring the reuse of existing components

Operational Excellence

• Design and building of Microservices using domain-driven design (DDD)
• Experience in designing mobile and web portal applications
• Application modernization patterns, such as anti-corruption layer and strangler patterns
• Event-driven architecture, event-sourcing and CQRS
• Distributed transaction processing using saga pattern and API composition
• Secure Coding Practices
• Design and building of large-scale distributed systems
• Cloud Native Application Development and DevSecOps
• Critical Thinking and Systems Thinking
• API standardization, best practices and governance
• Agile Software Development Methodologies

Client Relationships

• Work with portfolio stakeholders, customers and Agile Release Trains to understand needs, and build and prioritize the solution backlog.
• Manage the Service Management Partners ensuring that they are in adherence with and produce the outputs listed in their scope of work and service level agreement KPI objectives.
• Produce SLA reports intended for Technology Senior Management consumptions as directed and required,
• Develop and enhance the relationship with business, actively managing expectations and monitoring service levels.
• Develop the capabilities to enhance the management service requirements relating to Technology enabled support and service standards for all MTN Technology customers and stakeholders and ensure integration through required tools.

People leadership and Organisational Capability Building

 

• Drive a culture of high performance, accountability and consequence managemLead, develop and coach the team
• Act as an ambassador and role model for the Technology by living the brand values and vital behaviours.
• Make environment the best place to work.
• Improve the employee engagement through the GCA/Sentimeter.
• Ensure the attraction, development and retention of Planning and Engineering talent.
• Ensure a culture of continuous evaluation and improvement.ent.
•  
• Governance and Control
• Strictly follow and ensure team compliance of relevant policies and procedures.
• Ensure effective SLA strategies are in place to support the business.
• Implement proper controls and processes to minimise revenue leakage.
• Ensure proper project controls are in place to manage financial and operational risks across the business .
• Appropriate implementation of DoA.
   

Financial Management

• Manage financial modeling of current customer as well as future customers and technologies.
• Forecast, plan, develop and review budgets and long range plans in line with MTN SA financial requirements and guidelines
• Ensure departmental budgets (Capex and Opex) are optimised and aligned with business requirements
• Manage expenditure in line with agreed budget
• Ensure contract governance is in place and administered at all levels

4. Job Requirements (Education, Experience and Competencies)

Education:

• Minimum of 4-year Degree in computer science, computer engineering, information science or related technical discipline.
• Fluent in English and language of country preferable

Experience:

• Manager track record of 5 years or more
• Eight Years of programming experience in Java/ C++/ Golang/ TypeScript/ JavaScript/ Kotlin
• Five years of experience leading software developers and architects, with at least 3 years in relevant sector/ industry
• Three years of experience designing and developing mobile & web applications

Technical Skills:

• Proactive management of risks, issues & dependencies with internal and external stakeholder
• Understand customer needs and validate solutions.
• Understand and support portfolio work.
• Develop and communicate the Value Stream vision and roadmap.
• Manage and prioritize the flow of work.
• Participate in Program Increment Planning.
• Define releases and Program Increments.
• Participate in demos and inspect and adapt.
• Work with suppliers to make sure requirements for supplier-delivered capabilities are understood.
• Cloud Architecture
• Architecture Governance & Standards
• Delivery Management experience working with multiple stakeholders i.e., multiple  partners, cross functional teams
• Node JS
• Angular
• CMS
• Android and IOS App development experience

Competencies

Head - Big Picture Focus (25)

• Strategy Formulators  - Formulates divisional strategies aligned to overarching strategies for execution
• Decisive Problem Solver -  Has the mental agility to understand complex business challenges and provide effective solutions through effective influencing
• Innovative Value Creator - Creates an environment for commercial  and  enterprise innovation to maximize business impact

Heart – Emotionally Intelligent (35)

• Culture and Change Champion  -  Drives ethical business practices by holding others accountable for demonstrating the MTN values and vital behaviours 
• Inspiring People Leader -  Is self aware and leads/coaches others to  develop capabilities for realising individual potential
• Relationship Builder –  Collaborates across teams and builds networks and relationships with internal and external stakeholders

Hands – Results Focused (30)

• Results Achiever -  Produces sustainable enterprise results through ethical practices
• Operationally Astute - Plans, organises and sets controls in place for delivery of strategies

Others:

• Adaptability
• Analytical
• Complex Reasoning
• Cooperativeness
• Creativity
• Customer Centricity
• Intellectual Curiosity
• Open Communication
• Optimism
• Realistic Thinking
• Reflective
• Risk Taking
• Sense of Purpose
• Socioemotional Intelligence
• Team Orientation
• Trust & Transparency

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Authorities

As per MTN DOA

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Collaboration (Formal and Informal Relationships)

Responsibility towards: 

• Build professional networks across teams through collaboration and co-operation