Job Purpose:

is responsible for managing Zain’s commercial agreements with international carriers, operators, and telecommunications service providers. This role ensures effective end-to-end negotiation, delivery, and management of these agreements, supporting the company’s strategic wholesale objectives.

Key Accountabilities and Tasks:

• Team Management: Lead the Carrier Relations, Interconnect, and Capacity Management teams, ensuring alignment with departmental goals.

• Strategy Development: Formulate the wholesale strategy and roadmap, driving complex cross-functional projects to improve customer experience, meet revenue assurance objectives, and enhance company performance metrics. This includes carrier relations, international business, capacity management, and the strategic expansion of Zain Sudan’s backbone infrastructure.

• Negotiation & Operations: Oversee the negotiation and management of commercial agreements with carriers, operators, and service providers, ensuring the achievement of wholesale KPIs. Develop and manage the wholesale (interconnect & capacity) budgets, and ensure the financial commitments are met.

• Cross-Departmental Coordination: Collaborate with departments such as Finance, IT, and Network, setting performance targets, objectives, and goals to ensure cross-functional efficiency.

• Interconnect Agreements: Evaluate new interconnect agreements with countries and carriers, covering legal, regulatory, commercial, and technical aspects. Lead the preparation, execution, and follow-up of capacity orders and invoice verifications.

• Capacity & Infrastructure Projects: Manage Zain’s leased line and capacity projects, including submarine cables, to expand the backbone and provide redundancy and cost efficiency.

• Revenue Accountability: Ensure the achievement of interconnect revenue targets, managing all financial inflows and outflows.

• Team Development: Support the effective management, motivation, and development of the carrier relations team, ensuring issues are identified and resolved early or escalated as needed.

• Compliance: Ensure compliance with all applicable policies and regulatory requirements, particularly in information security.

• Effectiveness in achieving revenue and commercial targets.

• Successful negotiation and management of wholesale agreements.

• Implementation of department strategy and roadmap.

• Team performance and development.

• Achievement of financial and operational KPIs.

• Reports to : Director Wholesales • Carrier Relations & Regulatory.

·  Team Leadership: Responsible for the management and performance of the Interconnect & Carriers Relations team.

·  Financial Accountability: Accountable for interconnect revenue and costs.

Qualifications/Experience:

* Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Economics, Computer Engineering, or Computer Science (Telecom Engineering).

* MBA is preferred.

•  Strong experience in wholesale businesses, with a focus on telecoms.

•  Proven leadership, negotiation, and analytical thinking skills.

•  Telecommunications background is mandatory.

•  Extensive experience in international roaming, carrier services, and achieving commercial targets.

* Proficiency in multiple languages

Key Behaviours for Success:

·  Analytical thinking and problem-solving abilities.

·  Strong leadership and forward planning.

·  Creative and strategic thinker.

·  Excellent negotiation skills and commercial awareness.

·  Commitment to achieving results and meeting standards of efficiency.

·  Collaborative approach with strong resilience and self-management.

Knowledge:

In-depth understanding of the mobile telecoms industry, interconnection, capacity management, international roaming agreements, and regulatory standards.

Knowledge of the Sudan market, Zain's business strategy, and competitive landscape.

Expertise in carriers/operators settlements, budget/resource management, and control processes.

Understanding of best practices in change management.

Familiarity with GSM mobile operations, products, and services.

Skills:

·  Ability to develop and apply best practice methods/processes.

·  Excellent negotiation and contract management skills.

·  Leadership and conflict resolution capabilities within a matrix management environment.

·  Expertise in change management.

·  Highly developed communication and reporting skills in both Arabic and English (French is an advantage)...