Executive Head: Public Affairs

Vodafone Group; Midrand; On-site; ZAR 800,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Job summary

Vodafone Group seeks a Specialist policy Lobby advisor to enhance their advocacy efforts within the public sector. This role involves engaging with internal and external stakeholders, analyzing government policies, and leading initiatives that align with Vodacom's strategic goals. Ideal candidates will possess extensive experience in public policy within the ICT sector.

Qualifications

• 8-10+ years' experience in regulatory and advocacy at executive level.
• Proven executive management leadership in public policy matters.

Responsibilities

• Maintain high level knowledge of business unit issues.
• Drive advocacy efforts with key stakeholders in public sector.
• Research and develop inputs on government policies.

Skills

Relationship building

Strong diplomatic skills

Social fluency

Politically astute

Education

Degree in Law, Political Science, or equivalent

Job description

When it comes to putting people first, we're number 1.

The number 1 Top Employer in South Africa.
Certified by the Top Employer Institute 2025.

Role Purpose/Business Unit:

Solidify and elevate the positioning of the company in the external environment by ensuring the required level of advocacy through social contract and purpose for executives and relevant subject-matter experts. To set standards on engagement with external stakeholders especially public sector which includes the communications regulators. To oversee policy related reputation issues that emanate from both the external and internal environment

Your responsibilities will include:

Specialist policy Lobby advisor

• Maintain high level knowledge of all business units issues through internal partnership building
• Facilitate advocacy between VSA and external environment especially public sector Group for the executives mainly in support of CEO and Directors (Chief Officers)
• Set standards for engagement for company executives and subject-matter experts ensuring the right people are sent to engage externally and minutes and actions are documented and followed up
• To maintain a stakeholder engagement plan to drive advocacy, with key internal and external stakeholders, concise messaging, timelines and actions for follow up
• Collaborate with regulatory team on how to support the team with advocacy for policy asks especially on non-traditional ICASA (communications regulatory) issues
• To facilitate smooth interface with Group counterpart on Group issues in support and under guidance of the Chief/Director as and when required.
• Interface with the VSA CEOs office as main internal stakeholder to understand CEOs priorities
• Interface with Group CEO office as and when required in support of VSA CEO under guidance of and support of Chief / Director advocacy responsibilities

Research, analyse and develop inputs on evolving government policies and monitor implementation

• Work with business units esp VB, technology and CBU to develop messaging for advocacy purposes
• Identify national public sector departments with no owner internally and build relations for social contract and purpose to change perceptions
• Demonstrate and maintain knowledge and expertise of the public policy cycle
• Keep abreast of trends in the policy development space affecting Vodacom South Africa and provide advisory reports, i.e. energy, BEE, competition, SMMEs, health and safety.
• Work with subject matter experts guide development of inputs on draft policies that impact on Vodacom South Africa
• Assist VB and other business such as SCM on amicable resolution of challenges for litigation to be viewed as the last resort on matters of policy, SME partnerships etc.
• Provide support to all business units on external thought leadership activities anchored by partners such as business forums, private and public sector to strengthen partnerships and to change perpetuates through social contract messaging
  Prepare briefs for Vodafone matters in support of the chief as and when required
  Oversee monitoring of geo-political trends and guide subject matter-experts in liaison with relevant Group executive in support of the Chief

Stakeholder universe profiling and mapping with emphasis on political, public sector, business forums relationships which are material to Vodacom’s strategy and create a platform for Vodacom executives to engage at the highest political, public sector and business forum level (e.g. President, DP, Ministers, Opposition party or coalition governments Leaders, Premiers , and Local government leaders, forum presidents /CEOs etc.) and infusing customer centricity in EA through social contract and purpose

• Maintain relationships with political parties in Parliament and to facilitate meetings when needed to build or to maintain relations on an annual basis
• Custodian of stakeholder universe and able to interface with the key policy stakeholders (public sector, regulators, business forums)
• Infuse customer centricity (customer being part of stakeholder universe albeit managed by commercial teams and considering customer spirit survey is lower for EA) into the public affairs and external affairs work, working closely with Connect4change trust, CBU and VB teams to understand customer issues, escalation of stakeholder complaints that come EAs way.
• Working with brand team, Connect4change, Foundation and sustainability to get customers to be attached to the brand’s social contract and purpose as a key stakeholder, enabling the customers to see Vodacom beyond just a transactional relationship by understanding and contributing to our social contract and purpose and integrate this in public sector stakeholder messaging, ie to Parliament and political parties
• Overseeing of state and company protocol and ensuring observance of those protocols in consultation with relevant colleagues when company is attending state event or hosting public sector stakeholders
• Must have access with the departments of communications and digital technologies, trade industry and competition, presidency, treasury, social development, education working with relevant colleagues who own the content
• Must support regional affairs team with management of regional stakeholders by providing guidelines for engagements (engagement templates, follow up on issues discussed in meetings)

• Must have access to legislature speakers and secretaries to facilitate strategic engagements for executives and attendance to state of national or provincial addresses where relevant
• Custodian of company stakeholder map, profiling, and engagement plan per topical issue for engagement
• Build and maintain active relationships between Vodacom South Africa, the executive, and legislature and “social partners”
• Build and maintain active relationships with civil society, labour movements, regulators, business forums, and other operators within the ambit of competition legislation
• Identify national issues impacting Vodacom South Africa and lobby for positive engagement (with specific messages) to relevant stakeholders starting with internal subject matter experts and working closely with foundation, Sustainability, regulatory team
• Monitor public policy evolution across the political spectrum and in government that have potential impact on Vodacom South Africa or the industry and advise Chief/Director and business accordingly and facilitate inputs
• Manage the relationship on an on-going basis continuously informing public sector players of Vodacom South Africa and its Foundation and sustainability contributions to socio economic and political developments, etc.
• Identify and manage strategic alliances
• Monitor alignment with government and global policies, i.e. NDP, SDG, AU, UN-related
• Facilitate executives’ attendance or participation in relevant Business, Parliamentary, and other Public sector programmes.
• Participate in thought leadership and policy development activities – leading public policy and advocacy in consultation with Chief/Director and guided by company positions
• Lead public policy engagements in absence of Chief/Director
• Maintain own external stakeholder counterparts’ relationships and engage them
  regularly with approved engagement plan and messaging – ie DGs, DDGs of key departments whose policies impact Vodacom directly
• Interface with all regulatory units in the company for stakeholder engagement plans and to facilitate their regulatory advocacy or relationship building initiatives, ie legal team dealing with NCC, privacy, competition, FS team dealing with FS regulatory issues

Reputation management

• In consultation with PR, manage the reputation management process on policy and regulatory issues through comparative surveys, economic impact assessments, monitoring and evaluation and ensure remedying of matters of concern through an annual plan discussed with all Business Units, and ensure alignment with relevant markets
• Align with internal and external communications for reputation management and ethically influence public policy position through external communications
• Co-chair the internal stakeholder engagement forum
• Set the tone for good reputation of Vodacom as a brand with a purpose – good corporate citizen
• Drive purpose, social contract and spirit and related campaigns internally and externally
• Maintain and promote public diplomacy decorum (protocol)
• Work with ESG and Foundation team to gather the accurate messaging on purpose and social contract initiatives

Corporate Governance support

• Interface with Connect4change and Foundation boards to drive customer centricity, purpose and social contract
• Harness the power of other external or public affairs teams within VSA and Group to share responsibilities
• Manage production of EA and Connect4change reports for Chief/Director, Connect4change Trust/board, and to EXCO and all Board and relevant committees’ activities and effective management of the EA Exco
• Oversee record management for monitoring and evaluation, auditing, and archives purposes
• Custodian of good governance, compliance, and ethics
• Ensure seamless interface between EA divisions on public policy matters, reputation management and stakeholder relations
• Assist Chief/Director in the oversight of the public policy functions and activities within EA
• Interface with other EA divisions to ensure alignment

Anchor of public policy and public affairs

• Work with the VSA CEO and Chief Officer/Director: External Affairs as interface between the company and the external environment
• Influence public policy and reputation through advocacy and public diplomacy
• Proven subject matter expert on public policy, the public policy development cycle and advocacy
• This role requires a broad and informed understanding of political, economic, and socio-political issues at a national and global level, coupled with expert knowledge of legislation and regulatory framework development cycle on matters impacting the ICT sector. Good writing, analytical skill and evaluative judgement is required to address public policy challenges to Vodacom Group.

The ideal candidate for this role will have:

• Degree in Law, Political Science, Commerce, International Relations, Public Policy, Economics or equivalent but preferably public policy, law, diplomacy, political science or regulatory or equivalent
• 8-10+ years’ experience in industry regulatory, advocacy and stakeholder management or public policy matters at executive level including executive political level engagement in, or experience of politics/public sector and ICT regulatory environment, and proven executive management leadership and corporate governance

Competency / Performance Drivers Technical / Professional Expertise

• Strong diplomatic skills
• Relationship building / nurturing skills
• Social fluency
• Humility, ethical and trustworthy
• Politically astute

Technical / Professional Expertise

• Knowledge of national politics and political engagement process
• Knowledge of geo-politics
• Broad socio-political and economic knowledge and understanding
• Telecoms/ICT sector and company law knowledge
• Knowledge of telecoms/ICT sector relevant regulations
• Relationship builder

Closing date for Applications: 18 July 2025.

The base location for this role is Vodacom, Midrand Campus.

The company's approved Employment Equity Plan and Targets will be considered as part of the recruitment process. As an Equal Opportunities employer, we actively encourage and welcome people with various disabilities to apply.
Vodacom is committed to an organisational culture that recognises, appreciates, and values diversity & inclusion.