Devices and Innovation Lead at Safaricom Kenya

Responsibilities

Health & Safety

• Uphold the company code of conduct, policies and procedures, ensuring integrity and accountability in every aspect of your work.
• All employees have a responsibility to adhere to safety, health, and wellbeing policies, guidelines and procedures in all actions and decisions.

Devices Strategy & Portfolio Management

• Develop and execute the overall devices strategy aligned with business objectives.
• Identify market trends and customer needs to recommend device propositions that drive growth.
• Monitor device performance, sales, profitability, and customer adoption metrics.
• Drive lifecycle management of devices from launch to retirement.

Innovation Management

• Lead the innovation agenda by identifying emerging technologies, industry trends, and new business opportunities.
• Evaluate and pilot innovative solutions, products, and services to enhance customer value.
• Lead the ideation, development, and commercialization of new products and services.
• Establish innovation frameworks and processes to accelerate experimentation and commercialization.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to develop and test new concepts.
• Build and maintain an innovation pipeline aligned with strategic priorities.

Product Development & Proposition Design

• Develop compelling device propositions and bundled offerings.
• Define business requirements and customer journeys for new products and services.
• Ensure products meet customer expectations and deliver measurable business outcomes.

Commercial Performance

• Own and deliver device, innovation, and partnership-related revenue, profitability, and market share targets.
• Develop business cases, investment proposals, and financial models for new products, services, and innovation initiatives.
• Monitor key commercial KPIs and implement corrective actions to improve performance.
• Track product portfolio performance and recommend actions to maximize return on investment.

Market Intelligence & Insights

• Conduct market analysis, competitive benchmarking, and customer research.
• Identify emerging consumer behaviors and technology trends to identify unmet customers’ need and provide recommendations based on market intelligence and insights.
• Utilize customer insights, analytics, and market research to improve product and service experiences.

Strategic Partnerships & Ecosystem Development

• Develop and execute partnership strategies with device manufacturers, technology providers, digital platforms, fintechs, startups, and ecosystem players.
• Identify, evaluate, and onboard strategic partners that enhance customer value propositions and support business growth objectives.
• Negotiate commercial agreements, joint business plans, and co-marketing initiatives.
• Drive ecosystem-based solutions by integrating devices, connectivity, digital services, and emerging technologies.
• Build and maintain strong stakeholder relationships to accelerate innovation and market leadership.
• Continuously assess partnership performance and identify opportunities for optimization and expansion.

Agile Squad Leadership

• Lead and inspire cross-functional agile squads comprising commercial, technology, digital, marketing, finance, and operations teams.
• Define squad objectives, priorities, and delivery roadmaps aligned with strategic business goals.
• Drive agile ways of working, fostering collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Manage sprint planning, backlog prioritization, and delivery tracking to ensure timely execution of initiatives.
• Remove delivery impediments and facilitate effective decision-making within the squad.
• Coach and mentor squad members to build high-performing teams and cultivate an innovation-driven culture.
• Monitor initiative outcomes and ensure delivery of measurable customer and commercial value.

Customer Experience & Journey Optimization

• Lead the design and continuous improvement of end-to-end customer journeys across devices and digital ecosystems.
• Identify customer pain points and implement solutions that enhance adoption, engagement, and satisfaction.
• Ensure seamless integration of devices, connectivity, digital applications, and support services.
• Drive customer-centric innovation initiatives that improve retention, loyalty, and Net Promoter Score (NPS).
• Collaborate with Customer Experience, Digital, and Technology teams to deliver exceptional customer outcomes.

Qualifications

• 5 years of relevant experience in telecommunications, technology, consumer electronics, digital products, innovation management, or product development.
• Proven experience in managing device portfolios, digital products, or customer propositions.
• Demonstrated success in developing and launching commercially viable products and services. 
• Familiarity with Agile, Scrum, Design Thinking, and innovation frameworks.
• Strong understanding of mobile devices, IoT, connected technologies, and digital ecosystems.
• Knowledge of emerging technologies such as AI, 5G, fintech, cloud services, and smart devices.
• Experience in strategic partnership management and vendor negotiations.
• Experience leading cross-functional and agile teams to deliver business outcomes.
• Strong track record in driving revenue growth, customer acquisition, and customer retention initiatives.
• Experience using data analytics and market insights to drive decision-making.
• Experience in business case development, financial analysis, and commercial performance management.