Senior Manager: Digital Product and Channel at Cell C

Purpose of the Job:


Cell C is a leading telecommunications company in South Africa, committed to providing innovative solutions and exceptional service to our consumers (B2C) and business customers (B2B). Cell C is positioned as a Spirited Disruptor and values integrity, transparency, honesty, and simplicity.
The Senior Manager: Digital Product and Channel takes full and final accountability for the strategy, delivery, and optimisation of Cell C's digital products and channels — building and co-creating user-centric digital channels and products that enable customers to discover, buy, manage, and support Cell C products and services. Working strictly according to Agile methodology, the role transforms the digital interface of Cell C's product set across the customer lifecycle to deliver a disruptive and explosive business impact, driving revenue growth, digital adoption, customer satisfaction, and operational efficiency.


Product Strategy, Roadmap and Backlog Ownership


Own and create the digital product and channel strategy, vision, business and commercial model, and roadmap, aligned to the Cell C Digital Strategy and long-term business objectives
Align product evolution to strategic objectives, market trends, and customer needs
Own, create, maintain and lead the prioritisation of the product backlog according to business value and Return on Investment (ROI), comprising epics, user stories, designs and scenarios
Ensure the product backlog meets business requirements, incorporates new insights and learning, and provides items that are ready for implementation
Assist with the elaboration of epics, themes and features into user stories granular enough to be achieved
Define MVPs, prioritise features, and set release scope
Initiate and solicit ideas and set priorities for prototyping and development


Customer Experience and Channel Design


Design end-to-end digital experiences across the customer lifecycle: discover, buy, manage, support
Map customer journeys and resolve friction points
Improve digital onboarding, account management, and self-service
Improve quotation, ordering, and provisioning experiences
Conduct customer research and usability testing


Agile Product Delivery and Product Ownership


Convey the product vision and goals at the beginning of every release
Define requirements and acceptance criteria and lead cross-functional product teams through the process of clarifying requirements and delivering on expectations with business stakeholders
Coordinate releases, launches, and go-to-market readiness, and maintain product intent and outcomes through implementation
Inspect and evaluate product progress at the end of every release and accept or reject work completed
Maximise the value the digital product creates, according to the Scrum Guide
Assist product teams to deliver products that deliver rapid and regular business value for Cell C
Interface closely with the Agile Architect team and support the achievement of deadlines and objectives.
Manage conflicting ideas and decisions, specifically pertaining to business requirements versus digital product capability
Work closely with other divisions to prioritise the digital products, without sacrificing operational requirements and service stability


Product Performance and Optimisation


Enable digital lead generation, online sales, conversion, and self-service adoption
Support cross-sell and upsell across customer segments and drive digital sales revenue contribution
Monitor product performance, adoption, and usage, analyse customer behaviour, and run experimentation and A/B testing
Report on value, ROI, and KPIs
Oversee the initiation and execution of continuous improvement initiatives across digital platforms, in coordination with all teams
Identify and implement improvements to achieve the quality and service levels expected, and manage the support required within cross-functional teams to implement enhancements and change processes
Interface with the business to ensure the consistency required for a disruptive market per product offering, cost effectiveness, and overall efficiency of the services development process


Internal and External Stakeholder and Vendor Management


Build and manage highly valuable relationships with all internal stakeholders and interfacing vendors across the organisation
Manage vendor performance based on agreed contractual obligations and drive vendor performance to achieve digital product deadlines
Monitor and report on vendor performance at a working and functional level
Provide performance feedback and drive continuous improvement
Provide the initial point of escalation for management of poor vendor performance
Resolve disputes with vendors professionally and timeously


People Leadership and Governance


Provide leadership and mentorship to Product Owners and cross-functional team members
Motivate the team with a clear, elevating goal, and show commitment by being actively engaged with the team
Establish the desired outcome at meetings and set a timebox (two weeks or one month) to establish commitments
Contribute to performance appraisals and advise inter-company Executive and Senior Management where their staff members participate in a cross-functional team
Uphold HR policies and procedures, governance, and product documentation standards
Ensure regulatory, security, and compliance requirements are met, and manage product risks


Qualifications:

Minimum Bachelor's Degree or Diploma (NQF Level 6 - 7) in one of the following:


Engineering, Computer Science, or Information Systems
Commerce, Marketing, or Digital
A related field
A postgraduate qualification (MBA, MA, or BA in Marketing/Digital) is advantageous


Certification (advantageous):


Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO)
Scrum Master (SMC)
SAFe Product Owner / Agile Product Owner


Experience:


8 - 10+ years in Digital Product Management or Product Ownership at a lead level, spanning Agile, cloud computing, digital marketing, and large-scale digital product ownership environments
Experience delivering digital products within Agile / Scrum environments (Scrum Guide framework)
Proven experience leading large cross-functional teams (software engineers, analysts, testers) across all pillars of an organisation, delivering digital transformation
Experience providing digital leadership within a large corporate, preferably telecommunications, ICT, or cloud
At least 2 years managing vendor relationships
Experience in business process design and applications / infrastructure operations.
Proficiency in product analytics, A/B testing, and journey mapping tools


Success Measures:


Growth in digital adoption and self-service utilisation
Digital sales revenue and conversion
Improved customer satisfaction (tNPS) and retention
Reduced time-to-market and improved release success rate
Feature adoption and product ROI
Operational efficiency and incident reduction across digital platforms


Primary competencies:


Product ownership and roadmap prioritisation
Customer centricity and journey design
Commercial acumen and strategic thinking
Analytical and data-driven decision making
Stakeholder management and leadership
Agile delivery discipline