Senior Manager/ Squad Leader - National Government Squad at Safaricom Kenya

JOB DESCRIPTION

Reporting to the Tribe Lead - Enterprise Solutions Tribe, the Squad Leader - National Government Squad will undertake the below.

Role purpose: 

• The Product Owner will be required to have extensive sales experience in Enterprise Solutions sector, in-depth knowledge of customer opportunities and needs to drive tailored solutions for business growth and long-term customer relationships.
• The Product Owner will be responsible for maximizing value by delivering the product vision and defining epics and user stories for the squad's work. 
• The Product Owner will represent the business stakeholders and act as the voice of the customer within the squad, guiding the squad towards achieving a specific business purpose. He/she is responsible for the successful delivery of the squad's mission, both in terms of specified tasks and implied responsibilities.
• The Product Owner will develop strategies to deliver integrated technology solutions to customers and gain sector expertise to provide targeted customer solutions. 
• He/she will drive stakeholder engagement within the squad and provide leadership, ensuring adherence to the Safaricom spirit and promoting a positive working environment.
• He/she will have the responsibility of driving revenue and achieving sales/revenue targets.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Key accountabilities and decision ownership

• Spearhead the implementation of Agile methodologies and foster the vibrant spirit of Safaricom within the organization.
• Active squad member, bringing his/her expertise to the squad and working day-to-day on tasks in the squad backlog adhering to agile ways of working.
• Define squad vision, specified and implied tasks in order to deliver integrated technology solutions to customers.
• Align stakeholders and manage stakeholders’ expectations.
• Reaffirm priorities and clarify customer requirements during squad sprint planning.
• Build squad backlog in terms of user stories, prioritize items to achieve business goals and continuously keep backlog up-dated and on track for customer delivery.
• Ensure understanding of squad requirements.
• Interact with other squads and tribes as part of squad synchronization ceremonies to plan and implement cross-squad and thus tribe tasks/deliverables.
• Define the set of necessary competencies for squad members together with Chapter Leads.
• Act as a role model by creating a psychologically safe atmosphere, which is illustrated by confidence and trust collaboration of squad members.
• Participate in regular meetings of Product Owner, Chapter Lead & Agile Coach (POCLAC) and squad performance review.
• Live the Safaricom values to grow and develop to expand own impact.
• Own customer solutioning and escalations within the required SLAs.
• Conduct monthly /Quarterly customer clinics and forums.
• Drive sales to meet squad targets.
• Conduct monthly/quarterly customer clinics and forums to gather feedback, address concerns, and drive customer loyalty.
• Drive Net Promoter Score (NPS) initiatives to measure customer loyalty and advocacy.

Core competencies, knowledge and experience

• Domain Expertise: A deep knowledge and understanding of the specific industry or domain in which the Enterprise business unit operates is crucial. 
• Agile Methodologies: Proficiency in Agile methodologies, such as Scrum or Kanban, is important for effective product ownership. The Product Owner should be well-versed in iterative and incremental development, sprint planning, backlog management, and user story creation.
• Leadership and Collaboration: The Product Owner needs strong leadership skills to guide the team and stakeholders effectively. They should be able to inspire and motivate the team, foster a collaborative environment, and facilitate communication and decision-making across different departments.
• Strategic Thinking: The ability to think strategically and align the product vision with the overall goals and objectives of the Enterprise business unit is crucial. 
• Communication and Stakeholder Management: Effective communication skills are essential for a Product Owner. They should be able to communicate the product vision and roadmap clearly to stakeholders, gather and incorporate feedback, and manage expectations. 
• Analytical and Problem-Solving Skills: The Product Owner should possess strong analytical and problem-solving skills to identify and address user needs, market trends, and product gaps. They should be able to analyze data, make data-driven decisions, and continuously improve the product based on feedback and metrics.
• Adaptability and Flexibility: Enterprise business units often operate in dynamic environments with evolving priorities and changing market conditions. The Product Owner should be adaptable and flexible, able to respond to changing requirements and adjust the product roadmap accordingly.
• User-Centric Approach: A user-centric mindset is critical for a Product Owner. They should have a deep understanding of user needs, conduct user research, and ensure that the product delivers value and solves customer problems effectively.
• Customer Obsession: The Product Owner should have a deep understanding of customer needs, preferences, and pain points. They should be able to gather customer feedback, conduct user research, and use customer insights to drive product decisions and improvements.
• Results-Oriented: The Product Owner should have a strong focus on achieving measurable results and driving the success of the product. They should set clear goals and key performance indicators (KPIs), track progress, and take proactive steps to ensure the product delivers value and meets customer expectations.
• Solution Selling and Prospecting Capabilities: The Product Owner should have the ability to identify and articulate the value proposition of the product to potential customers. They should be skilled in solution selling, understanding customer needs, and positioning the product as the best solution to address those needs. Additionally, they should be able to identify and pursue new business opportunities and prospects.
• Negotiation Skills: The Product Owner should possess strong negotiation skills to collaborate with stakeholders. They should be able to balance competing priorities, resolve conflicts, and facilitate productive discussions to reach mutually beneficial agreements.
• Solution-Oriented: The Product Owner should be solution-oriented, always seeking opportunities to innovate and improve the product.
• Product Management: A strong understanding of product management principles and practices is essential e.g. ability to define and prioritize product features, create product roadmaps, conduct market research, and gather customer feedback.

Key performance indicators

• Product Delivery: Measure the successful delivery of products or features within agreed-upon timelines. E.g Time to market, Release frequency, Defect rate.
• Product Quality: Assess the quality of the solution being developed and maintained. e.g. Customer satisfaction/NPS, User engagement, Defection resolution time etc.
• Business Revenue: Drive the achievement of revenue targets and fostering sales growth across the squads.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Evaluate your ability to collaborate with stakeholders effectively. eg Stakeholder satisfaction, Communication effectiveness, collaboration with development teams etc.
• Agile Process and Efficiency: Measure the efficiency and adherence to agile principles in product development. Eg Agile velocity, cycle time, Agile Metrics.
• Innovation eg Idea generation, experimentation and idea implementation.
• Purpose: E.g. Alignment with strategic goals Mission-driven mindset.
• Psychological Safety eg Team feedback, Open communication: Track the frequency and quality of open and honest communication within the team.

QUALIFICATIONS

• A Bachelor's or Master's Degree in a relevant field such as Business Administration, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Deep understanding and experience in how National Government institutions do business and procure solutions. Including knowledge and understanding of the public procurement act. 
• Proven experience of 10+ years in a sales role delivering technology solutions to National Government Enterprises.
• Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO): Having a Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) certification demonstrates a solid understanding of Scrum principles and practices, emphasizing the Product Owner's role in Agile development.
• Familiarity with relevant technologies, tools, and software that support product management and development, such as project management tools, agile management software, prototyping tools, or analytics platforms.
• Proficiency in business analysis techniques and methodologies to gather and document requirements, perform gap analysis, and ensure that the product aligns with business objectives.
• A basic understanding of user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design principles to collaborate effectively with UX/UI teams and ensure a user-friendly product.
• Experience with enterprise software products, systems, or platforms commonly used in large-scale organizations, such as customer relationship management (CRM) tools, enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, or business intelligence (BI) solutions.
• Proficiency in project management methodologies, tools, and techniques to effectively plan, execute, and monitor product development initiatives, ensuring timely delivery and alignment with business objectives.