About the position
Main Purpose
Provide Leadership, Technical solutioning strategy, Solutioning guidance for implementation, Input to Product Development, Complex Solution Delivery and Project Management support for COMPANY customers by overseeing the creation of customer specific services and solutions, building partner ecosystems per sales vertical, and ensuring delivery and integration of complex solutions into our customer networks.
Being a change leader within COMPANY by adopting a managed services and system integrator mindset and setting up structures and processes to ensure managed services are solutioned, delivered and supported throughout the organisation. The focused vertical of this position is to support the Enterprise and Channel or Indirect business portfolio. Interaction with sales executives and the Chief of this business happens on a daily basis.
To plan, develop, execute and the management of solutioning deliverables and solutions for COMPANY. Managing and executing managed services and delivery activities, such as service and solution delivery and creations, GTM deliverables, driving and supporting new customer services/solutions.
Owning the entire lifecycle of the solutions, as per the newly defined gated processes. This involves the collaboration with various functions, such as Engineering, OEM management, underlay design, as well as solutioning, keeping in mind how these services will be delivered by COMPANY and partners. Creating bespoke solutions and leveraging partnerships and/or capabilities within COMPANY to deliver the end-to-end solutions.
These verticals focus in the short to medium term primarily on the COMPANY Network business, with support also for data port specific requirements. In the new COMPANY GTM model, this role will oversee end-to-end solutions that will include, Networks, Co-location (ADC), Cloud services, Cybersecurity solutions, Voice solutions, AI compute and infusion into the business, Fintech and payments, as well as Systems Integration for all these products – this includes the overall ownership and QA of proposals.
One of the focus areas in this job, is the quality assurance of technical compliance to RFP specifications.
The pre-sales teams own the process for “Gate 2” in the customer experience lifecycle process as defined by the business operations function.
Order Intake and sales support
- In conjunction with the COMPANY Enterprise Business Unit (EBU), achieve Enterprise and Indirect order intake and agreed Revenue and MRR targets, through providing pre- sales solution designs and service delivery support functions.
- Influence the pricing strategy for Enterprise and indirect businesses managed services solutions deployed.
- Decides Technology, vendor, and partner recommendation for complex (non-standard) solutions per requirement
- Work with the sales, pre-sales solution architects and product management team/s to translate product strategies/objectives into solutions supported that drive market awareness and revenue growth (MRR & customer centricity).
- Understand the intricacies of COMPANY product portfolio (existing and new) to articulate our differentiated position in the market “The objective is to position COMPANY as a digital service provider / modern technology provider of choice; through all we do, while providing a reliable networking service”
- Develop processes, designs and delivery frameworks that will scale with a growing organization.
- Review Managed services Processes, Policies and always adopt marketing best practices to increase MRR and grow brand awareness.
- Create and manage specific lead revenue generating and customer engagement programs to drive new revenue – by planning, developing, and managing such initiatives with new and existing service offerings.
- Equip, develop, and manage expertise of seasoned professionals to deliver solution focused solutions and strategic revenue programs.
- Lead the development and execution of services and solutions to drive MRR.
- This includes developing bid and proposal service solutions, etc. – to strongly position COMPANY.
- Provide support on major bids to fine tune our client facing value proposition as and where required and respond with appropriate services and solutions.
Sales Enablement
- Develop offers and value proposition messages and launch to internal and external stakeholders to drive interest, understanding and market opportunity to drive MRR.
- Develop and execute sales enablement programs including developing relevant collateral for delivering training and designing blueprint buyer journeys; and map buyer decisions at each stage of the buying cycle.
- Build and manage a team of diverse, highly skilled individuals (solution architects) to develop, grow and maintain the solution portfolio. Build a Solution Architecture team responsible for overall coordination and ownership of crafting of holistic end to end solutions and services.
- Oversee and quality assure the creation a post sales delivery capability for managed services (complex and customised solutions) to ensure seamless delivery, integration, and handover to NOC/SOC for quicker revenue recognition and improved customer satisfaction. Ownership of the entire Gate 2 process for this business vertical.
- Act as a digital evangelist and culture change agent for COMPANY.
- Decides whether the Partner within the Partner ecosystem can provide products and services for specific customer requirements;
- Work closely with sales teams and the rest of the business, to identify and execute on one-on-one/few campaigns, tactics, specific collateral, and develop other sales/business aids to help open new opportunities and close business deals.
- Engage with stakeholders across the business, in supporting new managed services, products and solutions, by developing services that differentiates COMPANY in the market. This is including but not limited to value propositions through delivery partnerships and go-to-market partnerships that enable sales and new revenue opportunities.
- Develop offers and value proposition messages and launch to internal and external stakeholders to drive interest, understanding and market opportunity to drive MRR.
Quality of solutions and delivery
- Improve the quality and success rate for customer solutions for RFXs and proposals
- Build capabilities for post sales delivery and support for complex, non-standard and customised solutions.
- Act as a member of an interdepartmental, highly skilled technical team responsible for all aspects of Complex and Customer Specific Solutions designs from concept to
- development, implementation/integration, launch and on- going support and product management.
- Drive the design and development of complex and customer specific solutions utilising existing products and services and or product and services specifically crafted for individual customer whilst incorporating new.
- technologies, frameworks, and new business models.
- Support Sales, Bid Management, Pricing, Engineering, Service delivery for all aspects of solution crafting, business case validation and eventual delivery and integration of the
- overall solution.
- Support in managing OEM (original equipment manufacturer) partnerships e.g., Cisco, Huawei, Jupiter, Fortinet, Palo ALITo, Citrix, etc. by collaborating for business development and pipeline creation, maintaining, and increasing partnership status and extract additional value from these partnerships to create and innovate customised products and services. Include all OEM vendors where required to expand.
- Drive consistent alignment with the OEMs in pre-sales and pipeline management, as well as leverage the pre-sales resources of the OEMs. Drive certification of solution architects in the team.
- Review and final signoff of technical components of design and delivery of all solution proposals.
- Create and implement best practices for product, service and portfolio management as and where required.
- Work with the Managed services and Engineering teams to improve the value proposition as well as delivery of products to market, leveraging the engagement with customers to get feedback on products and solutions and introduce changes to value propositions to product and engineering teams. An example would be lower costs CPE
- devices, pricing IP networking differently than before, etc.
- Regular market comparison insight and reviews
People Management and Collaboration
- Driving on-the-job training for achieving Enterprise Architect expertise for Presales and Complex Solutions team
- Build digital specialisation and OEM certification plan for Presales team
- Cross functional engagements, Training & Support to Sales, SD, Products, Bid Office & engagement with Engineering
- Development of business plans in line with the business unit goals and objectives, closely aligning technical resources requirements to the sales plan and vertical GTM strategy.
- Grow and manage a team of direct reports or partnerships and/or vendors to deliver against strategy.
- Recognises areas for internal improvement and develops plans for implementation.
- Manage the operating model within sphere of control and ensure the continuous improvement thereof to ensure business improvement.
- Ensure that the business unit objectives are met through effective performance management and measurement of staff.
- Driving the growth of Complex and Customer Specific
- Solution activations and monitor their success and opportunities for enhancements.
- Drive the Sales departments strategic objectives across all other departments, while ensuring all complex and customer specific solutions are market leading.
- Ensures that all human resources are appropriately managed in terms of performance and development including performance management and career development initiatives.
- Regular meetings held with staff to discuss progress of individual areas of accountability.
- Assist with staffing and budgeting projections on each business unit.
- Ensures that the spend within the business unit complies with business plan and organisational processes.
- Mentoring (including training thereof) of all direct reports in line with their performance management objectives.
Key Decisions:
- Decides on best technology and service/product to meet business requirements of customers, particularly strategic customers. If no services existing or a customised solution is required, then responsible for defining (internal or with a partner ecosystem), testing, creating, and supporting (internally or with a partner ecosystem) the service/solution.
- Takes overall responsibility for integration of the service/solution into customer network.
- Decides whether the New Products and related services are aligned to Customer needs and achieving the required objectives.
- Go/No-Go decision for complex RFXs/Bids/Tenders.
- Technology, OEM, services, and partner selection for all Sales solutions.
- Technology, OEM, services, and partner direction for development of new/customised digital services.
- Decide to introduce new value propositions to market, based on feedback from the market.
- Together with sales, decide on the technology strategy to be used for the solutions, i.e., high availability, more costly, but robust designs, or a low-cost de
