About the position
Senior Manager: Core Planning and Optimisation
POSITION PURPOSE
- Take accountability and responsibility for the efficient Planning, Design and Optimization of a sustainable, future-proof core network in line with the business requirements of the company (required timelines, budget constraints, roll out of roadmap and quality standards).
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
- B Degree or National Technical Diploma with relevant experience.
- Post graduate degree advantageous but not essential.
- Over 5 years in Telecommunications Mobile Core essential with a broad understanding of RAN and IP technologies advantageous.
- Basic financial understanding.
- Leading cross-functional project teams, with at least 2 years at management level.
Training:
- Industry-specific training particularly core network technologies such as CS, PS and IMS Core.
Technology Competencies:
- In depth understanding of the mobile core architecture, signalling protocols, excellent numeric skills, business management, knowledge of mobile industry, understanding regulatory environment, technology trends.
- Knowledge of cloud-based technologies and virtualization architecture.
- Knowledge of a wide range of computer applications is required.
- Driver's license is essential.
- Ability to provide remote support if required.
- Local and international travel is required.
POSITION OUTPUTS
Strategy Development:
- Contribute to Core network strategy and architecture clearly describing the future vision for Core and identifying key decision points to enable this vision to be achieved.
- Research and assess new Core technologies: Identify opportunities and concerns to be addressed from emerging Core technologies and technology trends.
- Deliver a target Product and Services architecture with a 3-year time horizon taking global technology developments into consideration.
- Ensure the Core architecture aligns with business objectives and the strategic plans of other departments.
Planning and Delivery:
- Drive execution of short-term plans.
- Maintain capacity and functionality requirements timeously and ahead of traffic needs for core network elements.
- Develop policies on the deployment of selected hardware and software.
- Oversee and approve detailed Product and Service designs balancing business needs vs capacity.
- Assign and oversee resource requirements to complete design, planning and implementation.
- Oversee and approve equipment configurations to be ordered from supplier(s) including ways to optimize costs.
- Ensure the Core plan and its implementation are co-ordinated with internal stakeholders.
- Request funding and issue request for purchasing (RfP) to vendor, verify bill of material and confirm order of equipment and services.
- Ensure designs for Core network growth and evolution are comprehensive and can be directly implemented.
- Ensure implementation of Core plans is carried out fully with a smooth handover to Network Operations for cutover and integration into the live network.
Network Optimisation and Performance:
- Ensure future proof core network design to guarantee deliverables are met according to internal and external customer requirements.
- Ensure resources and systems are in place for optimising the Core network to meet quality and performance targets.
- Ensure redundancy and disaster recovery policy are documented and tested periodically.
- Provide resources, systems and inter-departmental processes to ensure Core network capacity meets business requirements.
- Provide appropriate Core network technology capability to achieve business needs.
- Ensure effective processes to track and report on performance problems and performance improvements on a division level.
- Ensure investigation of performance issues and identification changes required on division level.
- Ensure the core network is optimized to deliver a superior customer experience in line with strategic objective of being the network in South Africa.
Communication and Co-ordination:
- Ensure co-operation with and support of other network group departments at all levels.
- Manage interfaces with other areas of the business outside of the Core department as required for planning and implementation.
- Build the understanding of existing and emerging Core network technologies across the business to ensure Core developments are fully exploited.
- Ensure provision of detailed design documentation for build and operations.
Financial Management:
- Forecast, plan, develop and review Core network budgets and long-range plans in line with company financial requirements.
- Manage Core network expenditure in line with agreed budgets.
- Ensure Core network budgets are optimised and linked to clear priorities.
- Continuously strive to identify and eliminate non-contributory expenditure.
Supervisory / Leadership / Managerial Complexity:
- Act as Technical representative in contract negotiations with Commercial/Legal departments.
- Control budgetary management for both capital and operational expenditure in line with the Business Units requirements.
- Manage activities between internal company departments and resources.
- Set and manage KPI's for persons in your reporting line.
- Recruits, develops, and retains people with outstanding potential.
- Identifies and nurtures top performers and manage under performers.
- Communicate actively throughout Network Group.
- Develop and manage standards and specifications.
- The performance management of subordinates and actioning of annual performance and IDP's to be actioned timeously.
- Management of training and development for subordinates including their required course identification and recommendations.
- Manage team morale and attitude towards improved service delivery and focused actions.
- Adhere to behave according to the Company values at all times.
- Drive improvements to methods and processes to increase productivity, at the same time maintaining strict quality levels.
Role Complexity:
- Ensures development of own division's budgets / performance contracts based on robust analysis linked to clear priorities.
- Monitors overall performance and helps direct reports overcome gaps.
- Acts as main conduit to direct superior on performance.
Creativities (improvement/innovation inherent):
- Continuously strive to make financial savings by driving improvements to methods and processes to increase productivity, at the same time maintaining strict quality levels.
- Keep abreast of technology trends, new developments, and customer needs in terms of enabling technologies.
- Research new technologies in aid of possible savings regarding network costs.
- Innovating new ideas and procedures in order to improve the planning, availability and quality of the core network.
Desired Skills:
- Optimization
- Design
- Telecommunications
