Products & Services: Executive Head Of Department

The EHOD - Products and Services role is a critical leadership position within Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia PLC's Consumer Business Unit - ET department. You will be responsible for setting the strategic direction and ensuring the successful development, management, and commercialization of our product portfolio. Your insights and marketing strategies will drive product penetration, maximize revenues, and enhance customer retention and loyalty.

Responsibilities

Role purpose:

The purpose of this role is to set direction for the Product Development and Management segment by defining the overall strategy, designing insightful propositions and marketing strategy to drive Data Services, Voice ( local and International), Value Added Services, Apps, Portals, Smartphone and Devices, and Market share.

The role is also charged with managing existing products life cycle and general product commercial aspects to ensure continuous product performance on profitability and brand fit.

The role also capitalizes on advance analytics and strategic base marketing to stimulate product penetration, maximize Revenues and drive retention.

The role is accountable for the overall design, development, deployment and go-to-market of compelling and profitable propositions, which deliver the desired user journey experience, and Brand positioning. The correct development, pricing and marketing of products and services will drive customer loyalty and achieve target revenue in alignment with the strategy.

The product portfolio includes Data, Voice services, SMS, Value Added Services, Digital, Portals, Apps, International Calling services, Roaming services, Devices and smartphones portfolio. Products and Services P&L ownership:

Responsible for Safaricom Products and Services P&L.

• Develop and implement business plans that achieve category and segment business objectives.
• Optimizing P&L
• Maximize smartphone sales and activations driving penetration
• Maximizing penetration and revenue of the category
• Managing devices and smartphone portfolio, ensuring strategic partnerships with OEMs to deliver the agreed targets on smartphone activations.
• Manage products portfolio, profitability, and projection of usage (traffic), subscriber growth and revenue growth.
• Launch new products, marketing campaigns as well as managing partnerships with major local and international players in the digital and data space

Cros functional collaboration:

• Guarantee cross-functional cooperation and communication with other Departmental Managers to achieve time to market effectiveness and organizational efficiency.
• Ensure that all processes are aligned with corporate policies.
• Interfacing with internal and external
• stakeholders to deliver against the roadmap
• and bring offerings to the market.
• Liaise with various stakeholders
• (departments, agencies/suppliers) to ensure
• smooth implementation of planned retention initiatives and ensure that such initiatives are implemented within budget.

Smartphone and Devices penetration:

• Owns and drives Safaricom Smartphone and Devices Strategy.
• Ensure that Safaricom retail Stores have all available smartphones and devices categories
• Ensure that smartphone penetration grows on the Safaricom customer base.
• Responsible for OEM partner relationship management

Market Intelligence & Innovation:

• Stay abreast of local and international products and services trends, competitor activities, and emerging technologies within the telecom and fintech.
• Initiates research programs when required participants at innovation proposal process and Preparation of a product/process improvement briefly.
• Validating consumer product needs from Product/Process brief profile and validating product brief profile for product/process improvements.

Product and Proposition Strategy and Design:

• Conceptualize, Define, launch and manage product and proposition strategy for Safaricom’s consumer business roadmap.
• Using market and customer-based insights to develop compelling offers to acquire target customers [including management of all VAS, Roaming and International Operator agreements]
• Identifying market trends, opportunities, and risks to support Consumer Business pricing, tariffs and promotions that drive Voice revenue and customer acquisition for Non-Voice, Roaming & International customers
• Developing a portfolio/roadmap of customer offerings for testing, implementation and roll-out that is within the marketing budget and aligned to the overall marketing roadmap
• Drive the ideation process to ensure an innovative and fresh stream of products and services in the marketing pipeline, ensuring product launch per quarter.
• Maintain a strong understanding of the current marketplace and evolving opportunities for mobile operators and other industries.
• Improve customer service experience, create engaged customers, and facilitate organic growth
• Know the relevant products, solutions, features and their customer benefits, apply this knowledge to segment-specific customer insights via specific propositions, proposing digital solutions first.

Modern Marketing Leadership:

• Adopts the best new modern marketing practices (e.g. trends, debates in digital marketing, development in agile etc.) as well as rethinks and refine classic approaches to drive the customer agenda of the business. Understands and leverages channels and technologies (e.g. AI, Cloud, ML etc.) that change the environment in which marketers operate.
• Lead and develop strategic marketing plans to achieve business objectives for launched propositions, promotions, and services.
• Define and clearly communicate the ‘why,’ ‘what’ and ‘when’ of propositions to the marketplace in collaborations with the Segment Manager through Internal Communications, Customer Relations, Sales and Distribution channels, regional operations, and all relevant ATL and BTL agencies in alignment with Vodafone’s Marketing strategy.

Pricing Design and Analysis:

• Define the price of the products/propositions that will deliver against the developed segment, through an understanding of economic patterns, market practices and competitor behaviors in the marketplace. Apply behavioral economics in the customer's best interest. Measure and evaluate pricing designs and systems. Assess competitor moves/responses, including war gaming. Fully adhere to competition law requirements around Pricing.
• Lead the team to Identify, develop, and maximize right pricing methodology to meet business objectives for all products.
• Ensure profitability of products by reaching the desired satisfaction of consumer
• Identify lead micro-segments and initiate the execution of pilot programs and continue management and execution of the same across the entire segment base
• Identify and implement subscribers and value growth opportunities for Safaricom product portfolio. Leading to the growth of voice, data, Value Added Services, Devices, Digital, Apps, portals, International and Roaming calls.
• Ensure improvement of customer retention rate, frequency of purchase and customer lifetime value.
• Identify lead micro-segments and initiate the execution of pilot programs and continue management and execution of the same across the entire segment base
• Identify and implement subscribers and value growth opportunities for Safaricom product portfolio. Leading to the growth of voice, data, Value Added Services, Devices, Digital, Apps, portals, International and Roaming calls. Ensure improvement of customer retention rate, frequency of purchase and customer lifetime value.

Strategic Partner Management

• Ownership and management of the relationship with Strategic partners

Performance management

• Making sure product performance targets are being tracked, monitored with appropriate reporting of any variations from expected trends.
• Track revenue growth for all propositions.
• Recruit, train, develop, coach, mentor and motivate the team to achieve overall objectives.
• Monitor and manage team performance.

Key performance indicators:

• Bi-annual development and delivery business plans, marketing initiatives and innovations to deliver new revenue and diversify revenue streams for Voice and messaging products and the High Value Segment
• Monthly reports, analysis and interpretation of revenue trends to maximize revenue growth opportunities within the segment
• Drive insightful propositions to influence base penetration and revenue growth leading a healthy Market/Revenue share
• Achieve revenue targets for prepay voice and messaging products.
• Documented and approved product management strategy defining short- and long-term action items in line with strategy delivery targets.
• Positioning and perception of our prepay customer portfolio in the marketplace as reported through market research.
• Documented strategy/ proposition in line with Life cycle management to drive base health and maximize customer lifetime value
• The annual CDI target is met and/or exceeded
• The annual customer churn and acquisition targets are met or exceeded
• Use advanced analytics and base marketing to achieve & exceed product penetration targets
• 100% adherence to set budget while ensuring efficient management of the prepay Voice & messaging budget to meet set objectives.
• Accurate reports on revenue vis a vis budget on a Level of awareness of all of the prepay Voice & messaging products and innovations in the marketplace based on set quarterly targets.
• Achieve at least 98% ease of usability and access of prepay Voice & messaging services with particular focus on customer satisfaction and brand loyalty.
• Quarterly reports on level of demand and availability on an ongoing basis.
• Implement staff development initiatives.
• Documentation on coaching and progress reports of the team members.
• Ensure 100% compliance by all staff to the performance review process

Core competencies, knowledge and experience:

Business Competencies:

Working With Others

• Consciously takes steps to make the most of every conversation/interaction.
• Identifies people’s needs, interests and motives to be able to influence the decisions they make.
• Communicates simply to excite and engage people
• Pro-actively adapts own style and approach to build rapport, and work with others more effectively.
• Builds and maintains strong relationships and networks.

Operational Excellence

• Targets effort and resources on high-value, high-impact activity.
• Focuses on achieving maximum performance and driving continuous improvement .
• Thinks about processes and problems cross-functionally and end-to-end
• Uses knowledge of products, technology, process, systems and policy to solve problems.

Creativity and Innovation

• Finds creative ways to exploit opportunities and solve problems.
• Takes risks and pushes what is possible.
• Experiments with unorthodox approaches.

Business Know-how

• Uses data and research to make decisions that are competitively and financially robust.
• Balances current and future needs.
• Thinks and acts like an owner of the business.
• Acts in line with legal, regulatory, professional and ethical standards.

Working With Change

• Responds flexibly to changing situations
• Manages the business and people aspects of change to drive performance.

Project and Programme Management

• Defines scope and deliverables in terms of time, cost, quality and business benefit
• Schedules activity and identifies resource needs, dependencies and synergies
• Evaluates progress, mitigates risks and addresses issues.

Functional Competencies:

Products, Services and Technology Knowledge – Consumer

• Explains the functionality and benefits of our products and services in simple terms that excite and engage the Customer
• Matches our products and services to our Customers’ needs
• Explains the value of The Company's solutions compared to our competitors
• Fixes problems to maintain service

Business Development & Sales Planning

• Forecasts future sales, revenues and risks
• Plans sales activities for stores, accounts or territories to maximise sales and grow revenues
• Identifies and qualifies opportunities to develop new business.

Solution Selling

• Wins and retains Customers by identifying their needs or business challenges, and matching them to the Company's products and services
• Identifies opportunities to win more business by up-selling and cross-selling

Negotiation

• Responds positively and professionally to objections, and addresses the Customer’s needs to successfully close the sale
• Uses a range of techniques and approaches to make agreements that add value for The Company and our Customers
• Understands customers' commercial drivers and leverages them in negotiations
• Applies commercial acumen to maintain a healthy profit margin

Competing to win

• Brings energy and passion to work and always aims to beat the competition
• Knows what the competitors are offering, how our offer compares and uses market data to drive decisions

Service Quality and Planning

• Monitors Customer Satisfaction and NPS
• Plans an activity to improve service quality
• Forecasts future customer contact patterns and volumes across contact channels

Financial Responsibility:

• Plan, propose, manage and account for budget spend for the Product management section

Qualifications

• Degree in Sales and Marketing or a business management discipline.
• 5 years of hands-on brand or product management in a highly competitive commercial environment.
• Innovative and creative.
• Strong communication skills.
• Team player.
• Customer-focused.
• Strong experience in project and business management.
• Confident, intelligent and presentable.
• Highly organized, conscientious and detail-oriented

About Us

At Safaricom Ethiopia, we are a purpose-led technology company dedicated to transforming lives through digital connectivity and inclusive financial services. In under four years, we have grown to serve over 10 million customers, with our network now reaching 55% of Ethiopia’s population – a testament to our bold vision and trusted partnerships. Guided by core values such as customer obsession, innovation, integrity, and get it done together, we are building a workplace that is dynamic, inclusive, and empowering. We believe our greatest strength lies in our people. That’s why, for two consecutive years, we have proudly get earned the Top Employer Award – in recognition for our unwavering commitment to fostering a supportive, innovative, and inclusive environment to people. 

Join Safaricom Ethiopia and be part of a team that is shaping the digital future of Ethiopia. Here, your work has meaning, your voice matters, and your growth is our priority. Together, we are transforming lives for a digital future

Skills Required:

• Sales / Marketing / Business / Management