Manager – Internal Opco Demand at MTN Nigeria
MTN Nigeria is part of the MTN Group, Africa\'s leading cellular telecommunications company. On May 16, 2001, MTN became the first GSM network to make a call following the globally lauded Nigerian GSM auction conducted by the Nigerian Communications Commission earlier in the year. Thereafter the company launched full commercial operations beginning with Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt. MTN paid $285m for one of four GSM licenses in Nigeria in January 2001. To date, in excess of US$1.8 billion has been invested building mobile telecommunications infrastructure in Nigeria. Since launch in August 2001, MTN has steadily deployed its services across Nigeria. It now provides services in 223 cities and towns, more than 10,000 villages and communities and a growing number of highways across the country, spanning the 36 states of the Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Many of these villages and communities are being connected to the world of telecommunications for the first time ever. The company\'s digital microwave transmission backbone, the 3,400 Kilometre Y\'elloBahn was commissioned by President Olusegun Obasanjo in January 2003 and is reputed to be the most extensive digital microwave transmission infrastructure in all of Africa. The Y\'elloBahn has significantly helped to enhance call quality on MTN network.
The Manager – Internal OpCo Demand will focus on supporting OpCos with International Connectivity needs by collating OpCo inputs to forecast capacity demand, pricing international connectivity, lobbying cable consortia on behalf of OpCos and will be the central point of contact for OpCo capacity requests.
Responsibilities
The Manager – Internal OpCo Demand role will be accountable to achieve the following objectives:
Sell international capacity and connectivity to MTN OpCos across different infrastructure types and products, including submarine connectivity, satellite, and terrestrial backhaul outside the MTN footprint
Ensure and manage accurate and up-to-date OpCo capacity demand forecasts by administering inputs from OpCos and sharing these reports with the subsea cable team, sourcing and partner management, and other stakeholders
Liaise with the sourcing and partner manager to ensure that capacity is purchased according to the needs of the MTN OpCos and that demand can be met
Support the OpCos in determining the need for international connectivity based on analysis of usage trends and the need for reliability and redundancy for the OpCo networks
Manage settlement toward OpCos relating to Bayobab capacity delivery and support Finance with the billing process
Provide support in coordinating delivery for OpCo international capacity needs, involving the appropriate Bayobab teams and project managing these requests
Act as the central point of contact for ongoing OpCo support issues relating to submarine cable infrastructure, escalating appropriately within Ba and project managing fault resolution
Identify Bayobab submarine connectivity pricing models by analysing the competitive environment from a global perspective and collating inputs from the OpCos on competitive offers received for international connectivity
Gather OpCo terrestrial connectivity pricing, with focus on wholesale components for backhaul and last mile from cable landing stations
Define overall Bayobab wholesale pricing across the subsea and terrestrial segments in collaboration with the OpCos, based on clear wholesale pricing principles (competitive pricing correlated with a cost-plus pricing approach)
Provide support to OpCos in defining internal wholesale pricing with OpCo Finance and Technology teams based on wholesale pricing principles
Provide support to Product Management teams on product development and pricing as it relates to multi-OpCo infrastructure
Ensure in-depth knowledge, to support OpCo requirements, of different international connectivity systems and architecture elements, including subsea systems, IP-MPLS, GSM, GPRS, and other radio network elements
Manage multiple relationships with vendors and suppliers, together with the rest of the team, in terms of service delivery capabilities, including knowledge of market trends to support OpCo requirements
Ensure solution alignment to comply with required SLAs and/or QoS thresholds and other service metrics (Jitter/RTT/etc.)
Qualifications
Education
Minimum 4-year academic degree (BBA, Engineering / Computer Science)
Postgraduate qualification, MBA/Master’s (Economics, Engineering / Computer Science), preferred
English; French is an advantage
Experience
5+ years relevant commercial experience in the fixed-line international telecommunications industry, preferably in enterprise/carrier business
Competencies
Able to work effectively with multiple stakeholders in a multicultural environment
Strong analytical skills to adequately anticipate demand and make investment decisions
A working knowledge of business practices
Knowledge of risk management (a risk taker who carefully considers risk/reward) and business development
Ability to identify key issues in a situation and to think creatively and strategically when facing internal and external challenges
Strong computer literacy
Understanding of the connectivity infrastructure wholesale landscape with a focus on emerging markets