Senior Specialist - UCC Engineering.MTN Converged Solutions

About MTN South Africa

Launched in 1994, MTN South Africa is a subsidiary of MTN Group, a leading emerging market operator with a clear vision to lead the delivery of a bold new digital world to our customers. We are inspired by our belief that everyone deserves the benefits of a modern connected life. The MTN Group is listed on the JSE Securities Exchange in South Africa under the share code ‘MTN’. Our strategy is Ambition 2025: Leading digital solutions for Africa’s progress.

Mission/ Core purpose of the Job
Responsible for providing expert technical guidance and oversight in the design, implementation, and optimisation of engineering solutions within the Converged solutions area.
Drive innovation, ensuring reliability, and enhancing the performance of the Converged solutions infrastructure to meet customer demands and support MTNs objectives.
Translate priority sector and client needs into compelling Business Line solutions and assets across solution/ product domains that drive compelling business value.
Execute on engineering strategies that align with MTNs and the business lines overall objectives, driving innovation, and ensuring the highest levels of network performance and reliability.
Manage vendor relationships and ensure compliance with industry standards and regulations.

Key Activities & Responsibilities
Solution Execution and Strategy Enablement
Responsible for providing expert technical guidance and oversight in the design, implementation, and optimisation of engineering solutions within the Converged solutions area.
Drive innovation, ensuring reliability, and enhancing the performance of the Converged solutions infrastructure to meet customer demands and support MTN SA and MTN Innovation objectives.
Translate priority sector and client needs into compelling Business Line solutions and assets across solution/ product domains that drive compelling business value.
Execute engineering strategies that align with MTNs and the solution/ product domain’s overall objectives, driving innovation, and ensuring the highest levels of network performance and reliability.
Manage vendor relationships and ensure compliance with industry standards and regulations.
Collaborate with Pre-Sales, Solution Sales Operations and Architectures to establish commercial constructs for business development solutions.

Operational Delivery
Deliver on the successful design and implementation of high-quality, scalable, and reliable Converged solutions. Work closely with the product engineering and IT teams to develop and implement technical solutions that align with organisational goals.
Provide Advanced Technical Support by offering third-level support to end-users and internal teams, troubleshooting complex issues related to software systems and ensuring timely resolution.
Lead the configuration, deployment, and integration of various software systems, ensuring they are optimised for performance and stability.
Monitor system performance and capacity, identifying areas for improvement and implementing solutions to enhance system availability and efficiency.
Maintain comprehensive technical documentation for deployed systems and processes, ensuring that best practices are followed in system maintenance and updates.
Conduct capacity assessments to forecast future system needs, ensuring that the engineering function can scale as required to meet business demands.
Ensure timely and cost-effective completion of engineering projects, meeting Business Line technical requirements.
Where required, oversee the day-to-day operations of the engineering technical solutions and project execution.
Implement cutting-edge technologies and innovative engineering practices that keep the Business Line area at the forefront of the telecommunications industry.
Cultivate strong partnerships with various internal teams and external partners.
Participate in effective interlock processes and ways of work regarding solution development and commercialisation with solution/ product domains and other core teams.

Governance, Policies, Procedures
Facilitate collaboration between internal teams and partners to drive joint initiatives and resolve issues.
Represent the engineering team in meetings with stakeholders, providing updates on project status, risks, and recommendations.
Participate in governance forums and required and ensure solutions developed comply with the Business Line standards defined.
Identify, propose and implement technology and digital enablers to improve standards and compliance. Work in alignment with Group standards, practices, policies and principles.
Ensure effective implementation of (and compliance towards) legislative requirements and company policies, processes, and procedures.
Manage and provide solutions to escalations that have multiple processes / functions impact on critical path of service delivery.
Continuously review key risks, issues and dependencies and set mitigation actions. Proactively flag and escalate issues and manage impacts on resources, cost and productivity.
Where required, set up and participate in operational and tactical meetings.

People & Culture Management
Enable and model healthy employee relations and collaborative teamwork. Coach and guide colleagues where required
Contribute to building a culture of continuous evaluation and improvement. Drive a culture of high performance, accountability and consequence management.
Take ownership of own personal development plans. Maintain self-development and knowledge in all required areas through learning and research
Identify own as well as functional training needs.
Act as an ambassador for the team by living the Brand values and vital behaviours and changing and influencing employees’ behaviour.
Make the environment the best place to work. Foster professionalism, loyalty and commitment to the organization. Build the Company’s brand to be the employer of first choice.

Budget Management/ Cost Control
Identify cost-saving opportunities and efficiency improvements while ensuring that workforce needs are adequately met.
Identify opportunities to generate additional revenue.

Continuous Improvement
Drive best practice, continuous improvement and innovation at process and procedure level within area (e.g. technology, processes etc.)
Ensure that the relevant analysis of market knowledge, trends and competitive information is gathered and assimilated
Ensure competitors benchmarking and gap analysis is performed as appropriate and incorporated into business operations
Initiate change to continually improve all aspects of solution delivery and drive continuous improvement as an important element of solution delivery.

Education, Skills and Experience
Education
3-year tertiary qualification/ degree in Computer Science, IT or Engineering
Microsoft Certified Professional

Experience
At least 5 years related experience in telecommunications engineering, with a focus on network design, systems implementation, and optimisation.
Proven track record of successfully delivering on large-scale engineering projects within a telecommunications or technology-driven environment.
Knowledge of B2B Technology architecture and technology innovations.
Strong understanding of telecommunications infrastructure, including product line knowledge (cloud/ UCC etc).
Ability to deliver multiple solutions.
Worked across diverse cultures and geographies advantageous.

Skills
Business Acumen
Analytics and Interpretation
Strategic Thinking
Domain specific technical expertise