Senior Manager - Sales and Distributions.Commercial Operations SA

Mission/ Core purpose of the Job:

• To define and lead the Mobile Financial Services Sales strategies, maximizing MTN’s growth, profitability and
  market share in alignment with overall business strategy.
• To set, manage and deliver strategic Mobile Financial Services through agent and customer acquisition and customer service strategy elements across the regions while ensuring seamless, fully integrated service delivery.
• Define and lead business development of both existing and new sales channels
  

Strategic input
• Design, challenge and implement long-term sales and service strategy for Mobile Financial Services, ensuring alignment of all activities undertaken in the unit to the strategy, objectives and requirements of MTN SA, and in alignment with the overall Sales and Distribution Strategy for MFS.
• Provide input into the business plan to ensure delivery to MFS customers and markets, ensuring competitiveness on all elements and coordinated efforts between MTN and its distributors and merchants.
• Provide input into reviewing organisational activities and assist in recommending corrective actions if necessary.
• Contribute towards long-term forecasts and predictions (2-5 years), analysing trends and highlight areas of the business that may be developed further.

Mobile Financial Services Operational Planning
• Set acquisition, retention and profitability objectives and targets for Mobile Financial Services (Mobile Money in particular) and ensure the translation of strategy into action plans.
• Drive execution of MFS Mobile Money implementation plans, in alignment with goals set by EXCO in accordance with overall OpCo strategy and initiate corrective actions where applicable.
• Ensure execution of initiatives and activities at national and at regional level.
• Liaise with the relevant areas of the business to ensure integration cross-functionally, and to ensure delivery of customer experience according to predetermined SLA’s.
• Consider the long term (1-2 years) implications of actions on the viability of the business from a broader perspective including consideration of the impact of solutions on other areas of the business and the interdependency of departments.
• Monitor permanently the marketplace and proactively liaise with Marketing and other Sales and Distribution teams, and adapt plans when relevant
• Drive best practice, continuous improvement and innovation at process and procedure level within Mobile Financial Services.
Market Share Growth
• Pursue, keep abreast of and alert the Sales and Distribution channel leads to opportunities to increase sales in the merchant and agent network as well as sales within the Sales and Distribution channel and sub-channel scope.
• Ensure best merchant selection within the scope of MFS Mobile Money and manage and monitor performance and relationships.
• Participate in negotiations with key trade partners within the Sales and Distribution channel and sub-channel scope, following Mobile Financial Services and Sales and Distribution channel strategic guidelines.
• Conduct research and acquire relevant information to prepare and guide the preparation of all necessary documentation for negotiations with assigned trade partners in line with Mobile Financial Services Mobile Money guidelines, policies and procedures.
• Provide input and guidance on market analysis, trends and the gathering of competitor information.
• Check and confirm appropriate competitor benchmarking and gap analysis.

Sales and Distribution Management
• Manage and maintain account plans for Mobile Financial Services Mobile Money.
• Own and deliver key relationships at trade partners’ senior levels, negotiating, closing and managing the sales and distribution processes as appropriate.
• Ensure completion of sales and distribution cycle to minimise duplication and frustration.
• Liaise with Marketing and regional operations to ensure effective Mobile Money resource availability
• Liaise with Marketing and Learning and Development to ensure internal and external sales teams are trained and skilled to engage with customers and provision of effective sales and distribution augmentation and tools.
• Monitor, manage, resolve or escalate Sales and Distribution channel conflicts.
• Establish and grow Mobile Financial Services Mobile Money ecosystem in local country through strategic partnership.
• Drive operational excellence and performance improvement for the area, including development and implementation of appropriate sales and distribution tools, and liaise with support areas for the implementation.
• Develop and implement innovative promotional plans including marketing and platform promotions to ensure fulfilment of sales and distribution objectives, liaising with regional sales teams for implementation and conducting regional road shows where applicable to promote and gain buy-in of strategy.
• Forecast Mobile Money needs for Sales and Distribution and liaise with relevant areas to ensure availability.
• Review and devise action plans based on the sales and distribution economic analysis.
• Track and optimise Mobile Money performance in terms of cost and revenue contribution, monitoring results and revising strategy while taking corrective action and actioning plan revision when necessary.
• Manage costs to ensure compliance with budget forecasts and KPI’s.
Maintain and improve Mobile Financial Services Mobile Money systems to deliver the strategy and meet organisational goals and ensure MTN SA compliance.
• Alert stakeholders to potential opportunities and risks relating to MTN.

Relationship Management
• Manage, monitor and control customer-related system efficiencies, and the measurement thereof.
• Ensure delivery on Mobile Financial Services customer specific strategies.
• Establish sound relationships with all stakeholders (internal and external) and ensure effective delivery for retention and excellent customer experience.
• Oversee the establishment of SLA’s with customers, including Sales and Distribution channel partners and internal support areas, and manage the output. Report on delivery and sustainability.
• Maintain a thorough knowledge of commercial terms of agreements with trade partners and management thereof.
• Align service delivery to changing needs and ensure effective customer management within Sales and Distribution.
• Where required, engage with National Sales and Distribution channel to ensure customer satisfaction and proper customer management.
• Plan and coordinate marketing and customer awareness drives.
• Understand customer needs and segmentation and develop and fine-tune systems accordingly, ensuring that valid and effective systems are in place.
• Adopt a proactive approach to prevent problems from arising in the future.
• Initiate change to continually improve all aspects of service delivery and drive continuous improvement as an important element of service delivery.
• Identify trends and patterns pertaining to customer requests and needs and filter the relevant information through to the department to continually improve all aspects of service delivery.

Reporting

• Report on results for the area, including the compilation of periodical activity, budget compliance and feedback reports. Report to the Mobile Financial Services business and key stakeholders.
• Ensure ongoing communication with critical stakeholders.

Budget Management

Forecast, plan, develop and review the Sales and Distribution budget, ensuring Return on Investment for MTN. Obtain approval from relevant decision-makers.
• Manage, optimise and communicate the budget, expense report, ensuring that all expenditure is in line with the budget and reforecast.
• Monitor costs and determine initiatives to optimize resources. Ensure cost effectiveness by maximising cost/benefit ratios.
• Effectively execute budget management.
• Identify opportunities to generate additional revenue.
• Base annual budgets on the identification of trends and patterns within the current operations and extrapolate these over the next planning cycle, taking any known changes in new products or services into consideration

Supervisory / Leadership / Managerial Tasks:

Define the KPAs and KPIs that will be cascaded within the department, in line with Mobile Financial Services Strategy.
• Manage Sales and Distribution channel to ensure achievement of set sales targets.
• Recruit, develop and retain people with outstanding skills, qualifications and potential.
• Agree on performance metrics and standards.
• Evaluate, assess and track performance to ensure that targets are achieved.
• Understand the need to train and develop staff to be able to use resources optimally and redeploy resources to get the work done.
• Build and enforce a customer centric approach.
• Build employee relations and collaborative teamwork.
• Manage Employment Equity and diversity.
• Coach and guide subordinates.
• Build professionalism and loyalty within and commitment to the organization.
• Communicate actively to effectively resolve any potential conflicts that may arise.
• Display insight into leadership style and how it impacts on performance positively and negatively.
• Display self-reflection and flexibility to adapt to different situations.
• Live the MTN Brand – change and influence employees’ behaviour
• Ensure collaboration and alignment amongst others, with Channel Development, Marketing and Operations.

Minimum Requirements

Education:
• 4-year tertiary qualification in Commerce (Marketing / Communication) or related MBA / Masters Advantageous.

Experience:
• Sales and Distribution Management track record of 5 years or more; with at least 3 years in relevant sector/ industry
• Worked across diverse cultures and geographies advantageous

Training:
• High level user of relevant computer-based systems.
• Business risk assessment.
• Products and Services.
• Sales and customer service training.
• Management development courses.
• ISO and related safety / compliance training.
• Basic HR training including performance management.