Delivery Manager: Client & Digital (Bellville)

Momentum; Bellville; Hybrid; ZAR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Job summary

Metropolitan is seeking an IT Delivery Manager: Client & Digital to lead end-to-end delivery of digital and client-facing IT systems across two strategic portfolios. You will own the delivery roadmap, drive outcome-based execution, and partner with sales, service, and digital stakeholders in a hybrid work setting.

The role requires hands-on domain experience building client-facing digital platforms, driving digital sales and self-service adoption, and implementing unified client engagement and

Qualifications

• 3-year IT qualification (Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or equivalent)
• Post Graduate Degree in Digital Business or Management Studies advantageous
• Minimum 5 years in a leadership role managing multidisciplinary IT squads
• Proven track record of delivering complex IT programmes across digital or client-facing domains
• Demonstrated experience building and scaling client-facing digital platforms
• Hands-on exposure to digital marketing enablement: SEO, campaign tracking, digital acquisition funnels
• Experience delivering or evolving CRM, client engagement, or single-view-of-client systems
• Familiarity with conversational AI, chatbot platforms, or LLM-enabled product delivery is a strong differentiator
• Experience as a Product Owner, Senior Business Analyst, or Software Engineering Manager or equivalent cross-disciplinary exposure
• Demonstrated success leading teams of 10 or more across concurrent delivery streams
• Financial services or insurance experience is strongly advantageous

Responsibilities

• Own and drive the delivery roadmap across both portfolios, balancing strategic priorities with operational demands
• Apply outcome-based, product-led delivery principles to ensure squads are focused on measurable business impact
• Manage delivery risk, dependencies, and escalations across multiple concurrent workstreams
• Establish and maintain delivery health metrics; report progress clearly to the CIO and business stakeholders
• Lead the delivery of client-facing digital platforms including website, chatbot, and self-service capabilities
• Partner with marketing and business stakeholders to embed digital marketing best practices into platform delivery
• Drive continuous improvement of digital acquisition funnels, self-service journeys, and AI-assisted client interactions
• Own the delivery roadmap for the client engagement system ensuring all client interactions, marketing efforts, and communication touchpoints are tracked, measurable, and actionable
• Collaborate with data and analytics teams to surface client behaviour insights that inform digital channel optimisation and personalisation strategies
• Lead, mentor, and develop a cross-functional delivery organisation of 20+ people including business analysts, product owners, developers, and QA engineers

Skills

Leadership

Agile delivery

Product ownership

Cross-functional teams

Digital channels

CRM

Client engagement

Stakeholder management

Strategic thinking

People leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

3-year IT qualification

Post Graduate Degree in Digital Business or Management Studies advantageous

Tools

CRM platforms

Conversational AI platforms

LLM-enabled product delivery

Job description

Metropolitan is one of the oldest financial services brands in South Africa. With a 125-year legacy of serving the communities in which it operates, Metropolitan represents true empowerment in serving Africa's people through affordable financial solutions that create financial growth and security. Metropolitan operates in South Africa, but the brand is also present in 7 African countries including, Namibia, Botswana, Kenya, Ghana and Lesotho. Metropolitan provides financial wellness solutions that meet the needs of low-income clients, including funeral insurance, health, savings, hospital cash-back cover, retirement solutions and life insurance. www.metropolitan.co.za

Disclaimer As an applicant, please verify the legitimacy of this job advert on our company career page.

Role Purpose

The IT Delivery Manager: Client & Digital is a hands on, leadership role responsible for leading the end-to-end delivery of IT systems and capabilities across two strategic portfolios: digital channels and client engagement systems. The successful candidate will own the delivery roadmap, drive outcome-based execution across multiple cross-functional squads and serve as the primary technology partner to business stakeholders across sales, service, and digital.

This role sits at the intersection of technology leadership, product thinking, and people management - requiring someone who can translate business intent into well-executed, scalable solutions while driving a high-performance and positive team culture.

Critically, the right candidate will bring hands-on domain expertise in building and scaling client-facing digital channels, driving digital sales and self-service adoption, and implementing unified client engagement and relationship management systems. This is not a generic IT delivery role - it requires someone who deeply understands how technology enables client acquisition, retention, and engagement in a financial services context.

Requirements

• 3-year IT qualification (Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or equivalent)
• Post Graduate Degree in Digital Business or Management Studies advantageous
• Minimum 5 years in a leadership role managing multidisciplinary IT squads
• Proven track record of delivering complex IT programmes across digital or client-facing domains
• Demonstrated experience building and scaling client-facing digital platforms -website, mobile, chatbot, or self-service applications preferably in a financial services or insurance context
• Hands-on exposure to digital marketing enablement: SEO, campaign tracking, digital acquisition funnels, conversion optimisation, or marketing analytics integrations
• Experience delivering or evolving CRM, client engagement, or single-view-of-client systems including understanding of client data architecture and master data management concepts
• Familiarity with conversational AI, chatbot platforms, or LLM-enabled product delivery is a strong differentiator
• Experience as a Product Owner, Senior Business Analyst, or Software Engineering Manager or equivalent cross-disciplinary exposure
• Demonstrated success leading teams of 10 or more across concurrent delivery streams
• Financial services or insurance experience is strongly advantageous

Methodology & Approach

• Strong command of agile delivery methodologies and the ability to coach teams in their application
• Experience with outcome-based, product-led delivery models
• Ability to operate effectively in a hybrid environment balancing strategic planning with hands-on delivery accountability

Duties & Responsibilities

Portfolio Scope

Digital Channels

• Chatbot platform - design, delivery, and continuous improvement, including conversational AI and LLM-enabled capabilities
• Public-facing website - feature delivery, SEO optimisation, and digital acquisition funnel management
• Call centre technology - systems supporting agent-assisted and self-service client interactions
• Digital marketing enablement - tools and integrations that support campaign execution, lead generation, and conversion tracking

Client & Data Management

• Client/party master - decoupled from product systems; canonical source of client identity across the enterprise
• Client 360 - unified single view of the client across all touchpoints, products, and engagement history
• Client engagement system - tracking and management of all client interactions, marketing touchpoints, and communication history
• Client management tooling used by sales and service teams across the business

Responsibilities

Delivery & Roadmap

• Own and drive the delivery roadmap across both portfolios, balancing strategic priorities with operational demands
• Apply outcome-based, product-led delivery principles to ensure squads are focused on measurable business impact
• Manage delivery risk, dependencies, and escalations across multiple concurrent workstreams
• Establish and maintain delivery health metrics; report progress clearly to the CIO and business stakeholders

Digital Channels & Client Engagement

• Lead the delivery of client-facing digital platforms including website, chatbot, and self-service capabilities - with a focus on driving adoption, engagement, and digital sales conversion
• Partner with marketing and business stakeholders to embed digital marketing best practices into platform delivery, including SEO, campaign integration, and analytics
• Drive continuous improvement of digital acquisition funnels, self-service journeys, and AI-assisted client interactions (chatbot, LLM-enabled features)
• Own the delivery roadmap for the client engagement system ensuring all client interactions, marketing efforts, and communication touchpoints are tracked, measurable, and actionable
• Collaborate with data and analytics teams to surface client behaviour insights that inform digital channel optimisation and personalisation strategies

Single View of Client & CRM

• Drive delivery of a unified client data capability ensuring a single, accurate, and real-time view of the client is available across sales, service, and digital channels
• Oversee the evolution of the client/party master as the enterprise source of truth for client identity, decoupled from product systems
• Lead delivery of client 360 capabilities and client engagement tracking systems that enable relationship management at scale
• Ensure client data integrity, governance, and POPIA compliance are embedded in all client data delivery activities

Stakeholder & Business Engagement

• Act as the primary IT interface for business partners across digital sales, service, marketing, and related functions
• Translate business requirements and strategic intent into prioritised squad backlogs and delivery commitments
• Facilitate alignment between IT delivery and business planning cycles
• Manage expectations proactively, communicating trade-offs, timelines, and risks with clarity

Architecture & Technical Oversight

• Provide delivery-level technical oversight, ensuring solutions are aligned to enterprise architecture principles
• Partner with architects and engineers to evaluate technical options and inform build-vs-buy decisions
• Ensure non-functional requirements (security, scalability, resilience) are embedded in delivery from the outset
• Maintain awareness of technology trends relevant to digital channels, conversational AI, and client data management

Vendor & Third-Party Management

• Manage delivery relationships with external technology vendors and system integrators
• Hold vendors accountable to SLAs, quality standards, and delivery commitments
• Support procurement and contracting processes where required, in partnership with the CIO

People Leadership

• Lead, mentor, and develop a cross-functional delivery organisation of 20+ people including business analysts, product owners, developers, and QA engineers
• Create a high-performance team environment built on psychological safety, trust, and accountability
• Drive a culture of continuous improvement, knowledge sharing, and professional growth
• Own performance management, career development planning, and talent retention for direct reports
• Lead hiring and onboarding of new team members in partnership with HR

Competencies

• Delivery Leadership - Drives accountability and executes with rigour across multi-squad environments. Comfortable holding ambiguity while maintaining clarity for the team.
• Digital Channel Expertise - Has built and scaled client-facing digital platforms. Understands what it takes to drive digital adoption, self-service conversion, and SEO-informed product decisions
• Client Data & CRM - Understands single-view-of-client architecture, client engagement systems, and the data quality disciplines required to make them reliable and actionable.
• Strategic Thinking - Connects delivery decisions to business outcomes particularly digital sales growth and client retention. Can prioritise ruthlessly and articulate trade-offs to senior stakeholders.
• Stakeholder Influence - Builds credibility and trust with non-technical business partners across marketing, sales, and service. Communicates complex technical concepts in accessible language.
• People Development - Invests genuinely in the growth of team members. Creates conditions for high performance without relying on hierarchy.
• Technical Credibility - Sufficient depth to interrogate architectural and engineering decisions, including conversational AI, web platform, and CRM integrations.
• Continuous Improvement - Reflects on delivery outcomes and instils a culture of learning and iteration within squads.