Senior Manager:Finance Operations Vacancy

Mission

•To define and lead the strategy for the Operational Finance unit of Business Operations, maximising MTN’s growth, profitability and market share in alignment with overall business strategy and providing an efficient operational support function to Business Operations and the organisation in terms of, Billing Operations, Revenue Assurance, Finance, Banking, Indirect Collections, POP Stores & Regional Stock Holding, setting and operationalising strategy elements and ensuring seamless and fully integrated service delivery to the business and to customers.

 

KPA duties

Task Complexity:

Strategic input

•Contribute to, challenge and implement the long-term strategy for the Operational Finance function and ensure alignment of all activities undertaken in the unit to the strategy of Business Channels and MTN SA

•Define the Customer Service operational strategy for Billing Operations, Revenue Assurance, Finance and Banking, Indirect Collections, POP Stores within Customer Premises and Regional Stock Holding in alignment with the organisation’s objectives and requirements as well as the Sales and Service Strategy for the channel

•Provide input into the business plan to ensure delivery to customers and markets, and to ensure competitiveness on all elements

•Contribute towards long-term forecasts and predictions (2-5 years), analysing trends and highlight areas of the business that may be developed further

•Provide input into reviewing organisational activities and assist in recommending corrective actions if necessary

 

Operational Planning

•Translate the Operational Finance strategy into action plans and drive the execution thereof

•Set operational targets and objectives and align them to the business strategy, considering the long term (1-2 years) implications of actions on the viability of the business from a more broad perspective

•Consider the impact of solutions on other areas of the business, as well as the interdependency of units

•Drive best practice, continuous improvement and innovation at process and procedure level within the Operational Finance unit of Business Channel

•Construct, implement / fine-tune methods, systems and PPPs to enhance effectiveness and meet organisational goals

•Consider local conditions, as well as competitor activity to create competitive advantage

•Manage resources (people, finances and products), taking local conditions into consideration

 

Operations and service enhancement

•Maintain accountability for the end-to-end financial risk of Customer Relations within MTN SA

•Define, implement and fine-tune methods, systems and PPP’s to enhance effectiveness and meet organisational goals

•Ensure that systems are put in place to monitor and track all performance and key performance area standards of the unit

•Implement and drive quality standard frameworks and ensure that high levels of quality service are maintained and that all areas of Operational Finance operate as close to global best practice as possible

•Define and effectively manage wholesale, retail and staff billing operations, providing systems support

•Define and effectively manage banking operations, ensuring that funds coming into MTNSP are correctly allocated to customers’ accounts, via cash, direct deposits or debit orders

•Ensure that all revenue is accounted for by identifying and preventing revenue leakage

•Participate in and project manage Tenders where appropriate

•Coordinate financial analysis for projects

•Ensure continuous improvement of efficiency and effectiveness of support services

Billing Operations

•Ensure accurate and timeous delivery of bills to the MTNSP Corporate Client through ownership of retail billing systems for Corporate, functional enhancements, integrity and support

•Analyse existing systems against performance data, market conditions, competitor activity and minimise associated risk and reduce operational cost by initiating projects to improve systems, controls and operating procedures relating to the billing process

•Oversee the establishment of SLA’s with external stakeholders

•Ensure billing queries are attended to within the agreed timelines

 

Revenue Assurance and Fraud management

•Coordinate, update and monitor all revenue assurance processes, controls and documentation to ensure that all revenue is accounted for and to prevent and detect revenue leakage and fraud

•Proactively recommend, implement and control systems and processes to identify and limit fraud and revenue leakage across MTNSP

•Ensure that all systems adhere to revenue assurance standards

•Provide fraud awareness to all departments within Customer Relations

•Manage internal risk control

 

Banking, Finance and Indirect collections

•Manage finance in line with budget guidelines and ensure proper and timeous allocation of customer payments

•Oversee the use of sound financial disciplines within Customer Relations to comply with financial regulations

•Maintain relationships with financial institutions to resolve any banking related issues and find new ways of improving customer banking on behalf of Customer Relations

•Maintain Sound Financial Controls, Corporate Governance & where necessary Compliance to CNSA’s in payment and management of;

oCustomer CI, Rebates & Buy Outs Payments

oSalesman’s Commission

oTech Fund Payments & Reconciliations

oDeal Motivations & Buy Out Calculations

•Ensure compliance with all legal requirements

•Oversee Indirect Collections ensuring timeous collection of all outstanding amounts owed to MTNSP

• Ensure all Customer Queries are actioned and resolved within SLA to ensure a smooth collections process

•Apply sound collection strategies to deal with doubtful and bad debt collections

•Adequately provide for doubtful and bad debts

POP Stores within Corporate Customer Premises

•Manage Service Levels within the POP Stores within SLA with the onsite Customer

•Ensure the Safety of the Cash & Stock and maintain controls over the reconciliation of the Cash & Stock on hand

•Monthly Bank Reconciliation of POP Bank Account accounting for all stores

•Ensure that Level 1 Technical repairs & OBF assessment are available onsite within the POP Stores

•Ensure the maintenance of professional corporate customer relationships within the POP Stores

•Ensure the correct levels of handset and accessory stock is held in the POP Stores to adequately service the customers needs and minimise Stock obsolescence.

 

Regional Stock Holding

•Manage the process of Regional Stock Holding & Fulfilment with Monthly Stock Counts and Reconciliation

•Implement and Manage the process of Stock Receipt and issuing of Stock in the regions per normal Business Channels Sales Processes

•Liaise with Business Channels Provisioning and Branded Channel Regional Management to manage and improve the process by which Business Channel Stock is processed through Branded Channel Storage Facilities.

 

Customer Satisfaction

•Build and maintain solid relationships with all stakeholders

•Adopt a proactive approach to prevent problems from arising in the future

•Align service delivery to changing needs and ensure effective customer and stakeholder management

•Drive continuous improvement as an important element of service delivery

•Ensure customer needs and requirements are satisfied through appropriate systems / processes / procedures being in place and ensuring that they deliver on customer specific strategies

•Identify trends / patterns pertaining to customer requests and needs and filter this information through to the business to continually improve all aspects of service delivery

•Initiate change to continually improve all aspects of service delivery

•Manage, monitor and control customer-related system efficiencies, and the measurement thereof

•Oversee the establishment of SLA’s with customers, and manage the output. Report on delivery and sustainability

 

Reporting

•Reports directly to GM Business Operations with regards to all matters relating to Business Channels

•Acts as main conduit to the GM Operational Finance and Risk regarding all Financial matters relating to the performance of the Financial matters of Business Channels

•Report on results for the area to the business and to key stakeholders, including the customer-related system efficiencies, the measurement thereof and the impact of poor service on revenues and customer churn

•Report periodically on activities, budget compliance and other aspects of the business as appropriate

 

Budget Management

•Forecast, plan, develop and review operational budgets for all Business Channels Areas, ensuring that it provides MTN with return on investment, and seek approval thereof

•Manage, communicate, co-ordinate and consolidate budgets and monitor actual spend against agreed parameters

•Base annual budgets on the identification of trends and patterns within the current operations and extrapolate these over the next planning cycle, taking any known changes in new products or services into consideration

•Identify areas where money is lost and seek ways to reduce expenditure

•Identify opportunities to generate additional revenue

•Monitor costs and determine initiatives to optimize resources. Ensure cost effectiveness by maximising cost/benefit ratios

 

 

Educational requirements

Education:

•Relevant degree (BCom Honours or equivalent) – Finance related

•Articles of Clerkship

 

Experience:

•At least 5 years of financial experience in Billing, Banking and Revenue Assurance with exposure to national and international trends and strategy

•At least 2 – 3 years of leadership experience in similar positions, in fast-moving industries

•At least 2 years Telecoms environment experience

•Administration and Operational management experience, preferably in a cellular environment

 

 

Experience required

Experience:

•At least 5 years of financial experience in Billing, Banking and Revenue Assurance with exposure to national and international trends and strategy

•At least 2 – 3 years of leadership experience in similar positions, in fast-moving industries

•At least 2 years Telecoms environment experience

•Administration and Operational management experience, preferably in a cellular environment

 

Skills required

Skills / physical competencies:

•People management and balanced leadership skills – the ability to hire the right people, get the best out of people, and make sound people management decisions

•Feedback skills

•Relationship skills – to build relationships to facilitate efficient workflow

•Coaching skills – to develop the team and staff

•Scanning skills – to search for new ideas, trends and principles

•System thinking – understanding the “big picture”

•Delegating skills

•Business acumen – un understanding of the business as a whole

•Analytical skills

•Planning skills

•Conflict management skills

•Influencing skills

•Time management, specifically the ability to prioritise

•Flexibility – the ability to adapt and change in the light of changing circumstances / new information

•Legal and commercial skills

•Risk management skills

•Presentation skills

•Ability to work with conflicting objectives

•Ability to work with deadlines in a deadline-driven environment

•Crisis management skills

Other information

Reference No:  SM:FO/SD

Position Type:   Permanent

Affirmative Action:          Open to All

Salary:

Additional:          Knowledge:

•Wholesale, retail and staff Billing, Systems Support and Blacklisting models

•Account payment models

•Financial reporting an insurance strategies

•Knowledge of cellular best practices

•MTN products and services

•Market research

•Broad knowledge of the industry

•Understanding the regulated environment

•An understanding of the MTN business

•Commercial, legal and contractual knowledge

•Strategy development

•Knowledge of markets, including market trends, and industry knowledge

 

Behavioural qualities:

•Courage and conviction – challenging the status quo and breaking down silo barriers to performance, and overcoming resistance to change

•Proactivity / initiative – to introduce ongoing changes to maximise productivity and influence the future

•Focused and priority driven – staying focused amidst the multiple demands and expectations

•Customer centricity

•Accuracy and attention to detail

•Decisive and action-oriented

•Operate with integrity (high ethics)

•Pressure / stress tolerance

•Consultative

•Flexibility to travel (local / national)

•24/7 environment

 

Applications close 26 Apr 2012.

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