Product Manager

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

Job summary

A leading telecommunications company seeks a Product Manager for Wholesale Fixed Connectivity to drive innovative product solutions and manage cross-functional teams. The successful candidate will demonstrate strong commercial acumen and leadership skills, guiding product strategy to meet market needs while optimizing revenue. This role is pivotal for enhancing the company's telecommunications infrastructure, requiring a solid understanding of the local market.

Benefits

Enticing incentive programs

Retirement funds and medical aid benefits

Cell phone and data benefits

Qualifications

• Minimum 3-5 years in product management or development.
• Proven experience in telecom or ICT industry focused on wholesale connectivity.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and drive product development and go-to-market strategies.
• Analyze market trends and optimize product performance.
• Manage relationships with various stakeholders to ensure product success.

Skills

Commercial acumen

Leadership

Analytical skills

Education

3-year Degree/Diploma in technical/business discipline

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:

• The Product Manager for Wholesale Fixed Connectivity is responsible for the strategic direction, development, and lifecycle management of a portfolio of wholesale connectivity solutions. This role is pivotal in enabling robust digital infrastructure by delivering high-performance, scalable, and commercially viable connectivity services to wholesale clients, including telecommunications carriers, internet service providers, and enterprise resellers.

• The Product Manager will lead cross-functional initiatives to define product vision, drive innovation, and ensure alignment with market needs, regulatory requirements, and emerging technology trends. The role requires a strong understanding of the South African telecommunications landscape and the ability to translate customer and market insights into compelling product offerings.

Your responsibilities will include:

Product Vision and Strategy

• Coordinate and drive all aspects of product development, integration, and go-to-market strategies to ensure Wholesale achieves its business objectives of profitable growth and market share expansion.
• Develop and implement sales and support documentation, costing, and pricing models for specific products and services.
• Define products, analyse market needs, and ensure products are viable and fit for purpose.
• Oversee all new product plans, announcements, launches, and withdrawals, and manage the commercialization process of new or enhanced products in collaboration with marketing.
• Define and execute a compelling product vision and strategy for fixed and connectivity services.
• Develop an annual product roadmap that aligns with market trends, customer needs, and organizational goals.
• Understand, define, and design the customer journey to ensure seamless ordering, provisioning, and activation of the product.

Revenue and Market Growth

• Achieve incremental revenue and margin targets by driving product adoption and usage.
• Identify and capitalize on upsell and cross-sell opportunities within the Wholesale base
• Develop business cases and models to demonstrate financial viability.

Market Analysis and Performance Monitoring

• Analyse market trends, customer data, and competitive dynamics to identify growth opportunities.
• Monitor product performance and key performance indicators (KPIs), making data-driven decisions to optimize revenue and customer satisfaction
• Develop the go-to-market sales plan for the product, encompassing pre-sales and post-sales support processes and documentation.

Stakeholder Management

• Partner with sales, marketing, engineering, and operations to ensure seamless execution of product strategies.
• Manage relationships with technology vendors, ensuring alignment with product objectives
• Engage with Wholesale customers to understand their needs, challenges, and evolving requirements.
• Design tailored solutions and packages that deliver measurable business value

Delivering through People:

• Oversee the activities of the team to ensure effective delivery of business outcomes.
• Supports and enables the team to succeed by encourage frequent knowledge sharing between team members amongst other enablement initiatives.
• Create fit for future organization capability through skills development informed by skill gap analysis in line with business strategy and ensuring that the identified skills gaps, are addressed through training.
• Develop a high performing team by embedding formal performance management process, informal coaching through continuous 1:1 performance discussion
• Embed the Spirit of Vodacom by living the Spirit behaviours and ensuring consistent Spirit engagement initiatives.
• Motivate team members and ensure that their efforts are recognised by using Vodafone Stars platform.

The ideal candidate for this role will have:

• A 3-year Degree/Diploma in a technical and business discipline with a product development and sales focus is essential
• A minimum of 3- 5 years proven track record in product development, product management.
• Proven experience in product management within the telecom or ICT industry, with a focus on Wholesale fixed connectivity services.
• Strong commercial acumen with a track record of achieving revenue and profitability targets.
• Excellent understanding of Wholesale & Carrier connectivity solutions.
• Data-driven approach with strong analytical skills and proficiency in leveraging insights to drive product strategy.
• Exceptional leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience managing cross-functional teams and leading high-impact projects in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
• Experience in vendor management, and contract negotiations

Technical Competencies

• Strategic mind set and out of box thinking
• Experience in solution selling within Wholesale customers
• Deep understanding of the customer’s business, it’s market and industry alongside key decision-makers and influencers in account organisation
• Ability to translate customer’s objectives and strategy into relevant Vodacom Business propositions
• Robust understanding of account P&L
• Experience working in multinational matrix organisation
• Successful track record of managing multi- industry sales teams and demonstrate profitable revenue growth
• Strategic Thinking: Effectively delivers against assigned strategy, exceeding expectations. Translates strategy into clear areas of focus and priorities for

Behavioural Competencies

• Customer Focus: Prioritizing customer needs and delivering excellent service
• Accountability: seeks feedback and identifies opportunities for improvement or innovation
• Collaboration: Actively fosters collaboration, seeks input and effectively partners
• Resilience: Actively seeks opportunities for growth, demonstrates a strong commitment to self-improvement and has a growth mindset
• Flexibility: uses various techniques to influence others (lobbies, approaches decision makers, finds sponsors)
• People Management: Ensure team work together to deliver on their responsibilities creating accountability and ownership
• Organizational Savvy: Demonstrates strong understanding of assigned strategy for the Business/ Function and creates strong team alignment to the strategy.

We make an impact by offering:

• Enticing incentive programs and competitive benefit packages
• Retirement funds, risk benefits, and medical aid benefits
• Cell phone and data benefits, advantages fibre connection discounts, and exclusive staff discounts offered in collaboration with partner companies

Closing date for Applications: 04 July 2025.

The base location for this role is Midrand, Vodacom 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.