Role Purpose/Business Unit:

• The Principal Specialist – Advanced Analytics & Insights will lead a team of insights analysts to produce advanced analytics and actionable insights. 
• This role is crucial in driving data-driven decision-making and fostering a culture of analytics excellence within the Vodacom group. 
• The incumbent will also lead a Community of Practice (COP) for group finance, ensuring best practices and innovative solutions are shared and implemented across the organization

Your responsibilities will include:

Leadership & Team Management:

• Lead and mentor a team of data scientists and analysts to deliver high-quality analytics projects.
• Foster a collaborative and innovative team environment.
• Provide strategic direction and guidance to the team.

Advanced Analytics & Actionable Insights:

• Develop and implement advanced analytics models to solve complex business problems.
• Translate complex data analyses into actionable insights for business stakeholders.
• Present findings and recommendations to senior management and other key stakeholders.

Community of Practice (COP) Leadership:

• Lead the COP for group collections, promoting best practices and knowledge sharing.
• Organize and facilitate COP meetings, workshops, and training sessions.
• Collaborate with other departments to ensure alignment and integration of analytics initiatives.

Partnerships & Stakeholder Engagement:

• Build and maintain strong relationships with business stakeholders to understand their analytics needs.
• Collaborate with the Big Data team for personalized analytics and deep insights on customer trends.
• Provide advanced performance reporting and financial forecasting to drive business performance and inform the Monthly Performance Review (MPR).

Continuous Improvement & Simplicity:

• Stay updated with the latest trends and advancements in analytics and data science.
• Implement continuous improvement initiatives to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the analytics function.
• Develop ready-to-go insights by creating a build-once culture, encouraging market-to-market reuse, and assisting in business adoption of analytics solutions.

The ideal candidate for this role will have:

Must have technical/professional qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Data Science, Statistics, Computer Science, or a related field.
• Minimum of 8 years of experience in advanced analytics, data science, or a related field.
• Proven experience in leading and managing a team of data professionals.
• Strong expertise in machine learning, statistical analysis, and data mining techniques.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to translate complex data analyses into actionable business insights.
• Experience in leading a Community of Practice or similar initiatives is a plus.

Core competencies, knowledge, and experience:

• Proven track record of building clear strategy and driving business transformation programmes
• Advanced knowledge of Business Intelligence infrastructure and tooling
• Proven people leadership and strong negotiation and influencing skill
• Ability to balance multiple concurrent projects across multiple geographies. 
• A self-motivated analyst with experience in interpreting and analyzing complex & huge volume of data
• Detailed understanding of the telecommunications industry
• Outstanding analytical skills and problem-solving ability
• Experience of working on complex data modelling projects to support strategic, financial and/or regulatory mandates