Group Product Manager at West Indian Ocean Cable Company (WIOCC)

To develop, implement and manage compelling portfolio of connectivity, data centre and cloud-centric client solutions based on a comprehensive understanding of the African ICT marketplace, client requirements and strategy, infrastructure and technical capabilities, competitor activities, etc. To be an
evangelist for connectivity, data centre and cloud solutions, working closely with Sales, Marketing and Commercial teams in taking propositions to market including pre-sales support activities.

 Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Lead the design and development of solutions/products to meet the rapidly changing needs of clients operating in the African connectivity, data centre and cloud environment
• Undertake product portfolio lifecycle management, including business case development, management of product and product portfolio plans, product performance reviews, product roadmaps, etc
• Together with Sales, undertake customer business value identification and analysis to understand how our capabilities can be developed to add value to clients’ existing architecture and business environment
• Identify players critical to the development of our cloud ecosystem, then work hand-in-hand with Sales and Commercial teams to maximise their presence within OADC facilities
• Act as a trusted advisor to clients on connectivity, data centre and cloud products and solutions
• Define requirements for and assist in development of technical content such as white papers, technical notes, presentations, market analyses and any other materials to support Marketing, Sales and Service functions
• Lead technical workshops, seminars, and engagements with clients interested in an in-depth understanding of our solutions
• Keep up to date with competitors, and be able to project our solutions as best-in-class
• Support preparation of the technical responses to RFPs and other documents as required
•  Build, execute and refine business processes related to Product/Solution Development and Lifecycle Management
• Define KPIs for key aspects of the role; report and monitor to improve Product/Solutions Management

Minimum Qualifications:

•  Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering or similar
•  12+ years’ experience in technical pre-sales, product or solutions roles for multi-solutions environment including connectivity, data centre, cloud, storage and enterprise solutions
• Experience in a B2B function where customer interaction is a significant element of the role
• Passionate about addressing clients’ connectivity, storage and application performance challenges
• IT proficient – MS Office and ERP systems

Experience & Skills

• Well-developed client engagement skills and experience spanning pre-sales, technical support and product lifecycle management
• Excellent understanding of the connectivity and data centre/storage/cloud environment
• The ability to engage with internal and client teams to implement and continuously improve our wholesale connectivity services and a cutting-edge portfolio of data centre/cloud products
• Proven product development/management experience within an ICT focused environment
•  Results oriented with excellent interpersonal, communication and social skills.
• A forward planner with clear focus, well-organised, detail-oriented and able to multi-task
• Have a high sense of accuracy, attention for detail and with strong analytical ability
• Understanding of commercial financial details – thinks in terms of profit/loss/value-add
• Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain excellent relationships with a wide variety of stakeholders
•  Good market research skills and conversant with the market trends within the industry
• Able to manage multiple work streams and priorities concurrently