Solutions Lead - Sme Innovation

African Management Institute; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 600,000 - 950,000; Full time

Job summary

The African Management Institute seeks a Solutions / Innovation Lead to spearhead the design and implementation of innovative, tech-enabled learning solutions for African SMEs. This pivotal role involves client engagement, project leadership, and the delivery of impactful social programs. Candidates should have extensive experience in social impact programming and agile methodologies, ensuring solutions meet AMI's high standards. Join a dynamic, high-impact team dedicated to making a difference in the African skills development landscape.

Benefits

Monthly team social events

Regular learning and coaching opportunities

Hybrid working model

Qualifications

• 10 years of work experience in a relevant sector.
• Proven track record in designing social impact programs.
• Experience in a consulting or client service role is highly desirable.

Responsibilities

• Scoping and designing innovative solutions for client projects.
• Leading the technical design stage of complex innovation projects.
• Managing and evaluating project success against defined metrics.

Skills

Organizational Management

Presentation Skills

Agile

Data Management

Scrum

Job description

The Solutions / Innovation Lead will play a pivotal role in leading designing scoping and evaluating innovative techenabled learning solutions and products for AMIs client projects. Reporting to the Head of Innovation / Solutions this role will act as a sector product and methodology expert supporting client scoping processes and leading the technical and solution design stage of largescale client projects through research needs analysis design and development phases in an agile squad model. This individual will have strong experience in / understanding of the African SME ecosystem and / or African skills development.

The Solutions Lead will represent AMI to clients as a senior technical expert during scoping design and evaluation stages ensuring solutions align with AMIs methodology and deliver measurable impact. They will also ensure projects are executed using best practices in agile project management data analysis and documentation supporting Senior Programme Managers during the delivery phase and leading the evaluation and product transformation stages. While they will be supported by management and processes of SCRUM they will play a lead role in ensuring a clean welldocumented backlog (supporting detailed scoping across projects) clearly defined sprints that drive successful implementation and client delivery (during key design stages including scoping research / needs analysis design and development stages) and advocating for resources from key crossfunctional units to support a fully functioning squad model.

Key Responsibilities

Scoping and Designing Innovative Solutions

• Act as a sector product and methodology expert to support the Partnerships team in scoping client projects.
• Collaborate with clients to conduct research needs analysis and solution design ensuring alignment with their goals and AMIs learning methodology. Ensuring high quality deliverables aligned to scope and defining / defending core value proposition
• Represent AMI in client meetings as the technical solutions / project lead during the scoping design and development phases.
• Develop core project documentation including diagnostics user personas and initial project roadmaps that support high quality standardised innovations / solutions for key SME segments.

Client Leadership and Representation

• Serve as the senior technical representative to clients during key stages of project design and development.
• Maintain a strong client presence throughout delivery ensuring alignment between client expectations and project .
• Participate in highlevel client meetings presenting progress and adapting strategies as needed.

Leading the technical design stage of largecomplex innovation projects

• Lead the overall scope and technical design of learning and capacitybuilding solutions by leveraging AMIs existing methodologies products and diagnostic approaches to craft overarching solutions. Manage and lead a squad of product and learning experts to deliver detailed scalable solutions.
• Define the overall scope of learning and capacitybuilding solutions by analyzing client needs and leveraging AMIs existing methodologies products and diagnostic tools to create impactful and scalable solutions.
• Craft overarching technical designs for learning and capacitybuilding programs ensuring alignment with AMIs strategic goals learning frameworks and client objectives.
• Adapt and integrate AMIs products and approaches into customized solutions for different client contexts sectors and program objectives maintaining consistency in quality and methodology.
• Lead a crossfunctional squad of product and learning experts in translating the overarching solution design into detailed actionable program components tools and resources.
• Oversee the development and delivery of scalable solutions ensuring they meet client expectations align with AMIs learning impact goals and adhere to timelines and budgets.
• Collaborate with the Solutions Ops / Project Manager to ensure agile project principles are deployed in the design and development phases ensuring core documentation metrics and processes are in place and a collaborative squad model is operationalized to deploy expertise from crossfunctional teams efficiently to deliver new products / innovations
• Track progress and resolve blockers during sprints maintaining clear communication with crossfunctional teams.
• Ensure that all project components align with AMIs quality standards and methodologies..

Managing and Evaluating Success

• Lead project / product evaluations and transformation using data to measure success against defined metrics and outcomes.
• Collaborate with the Impact Intelligence team to gather and analyze impact data making recommendations for improvements or further development.
• Support the Senior Programme Manager in tracking project progress ensuring adherence to timelines and addressing challenges during the delivery phase.
• Take a leading role during the evaluation and closeout phases delivering highquality reports and insights to clients and internal stakeholders.
• Prepare where appropriate product briefs initial market research and business case / product model for innovations to be considered by the Product team.

Requirements

• 10 years of work experience in a relevant sector.
• Proven track record in designing social impact programs / solutions humancentered design or product management in an impactdriven environment.
• Experience in a consulting or client service role is highly desirable.
• Familiarity with data analysis and monitoring & evaluation frameworks. Skills & Attributes
• Expertise in designing and delivering techenabled learning solutions.
• Strong knowledge of SME / MSME ecosystems donorfunded program and skills development.
• Exceptional client relationship and stakeholder management skills.
• Proficiency in agile methodologies and project documentation (or strong design thinking / lean principles competence)
• Datadriven decisionmaking mindset with the ability to analyze and apply insights to improve solutions.
• Excellent communication skills both verbal and written with the ability to represent AMI in highlevel client engagements.
• Collaborative and adaptable work style with a commitment to excellence and impact.

A highimpact diverse and ambitious team with common values :

• Be the best : We work really hard are proud of what we do and love delighting our clients with quality.
• Own it : We step up to the task never pass the buck and hold ourselves accountable for delivering results.
• Push the limits : We ask why embrace failure and try new things. We never settle.
• Do whats right : We act with integrity confront dishonesty treat people fairly and strive to contribute to the greater good
• Always care : We dont have ego its always team before me. We are kind we celebrate each others success and we care enough to give honest feedback.

A dynamic office & team life :

• Monthly team social events and biannual team buildings
• Regular learning and coaching opportunities
• A hybrid working model

Hiring process

• A screening interview with our Talent Team.
• An interview with your Direct manager.
• A case study assessment
• A final interview with the Head of your Department.

Key Skills

Organizational Management,Presentation Skills,Agile,SAFe,AWS,Solution Architecture,Conflict Management,Data Management,Scrum,Team Management,Pre-sales,Management Consulting

Employment Type : Full-Time

Experience : years

Vacancy : 1

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