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AI & Automation Products & Solutions Lead

Vodafone -
Johannesburg, Gauteng

Job Details

Full-time

Full Job Description

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Role Purpose/Business Unit:

The AI & Automation Products & Solutions Lead is a senior leadership role responsible for driving AI-led growth, innovation, and commercial success across the organization. This role owns the end-to-end AI & Automation product portfolio, shaping and executing strategy to deliver revenue and profitability in line with the company’s overall business objectives. As a champion of AI-driven transformation, the role leads the development and commercialization of cutting-edge AI solutions—spanning Generative AI, Machine Learning (ML), Robotic Process Automation (RPA), and Conversational AI—that empower enterprise customers to achieve operational excellence and digital transformation. The AI & Automation Lead collaborates closely with cross-functional teams and business units to identify high-impact opportunities, ensures successful go-to-market execution, and establishes the organization as a market leader in AI and intelligent automation.

Your responsibilities will include:

Key Responsibilities:

Strategy & Vision: Develop and continuously refine the AI & Intelligent Automation strategy in alignment with broader business goals. Leverage a deep understanding of market trends, emerging technologies, and enterprise customer needs to guide strategic priorities and maintain competitive advantage. Stay at the forefront of AI innovation—keeping abreast of Generative AI, LLMs, and industry developments (including AI ethics and regulatory guidelines)—to identify opportunities for new solutions and market differentiation.
Product & Portfolio Leadership: Own and evolve the AI & automation product portfolio, ensuring a robust pipeline of innovative solutions that meet current and future customer needs. Define a multi-year product roadmap that integrates emerging capabilities (e.g., advanced ML models, RPA, Agentic AI) and drives continuous product innovation and quality. Oversee the design, development, and deployment of AI solutions from concept to scaled implementation — prioritizing initiatives by business impact, managing proof-of-concepts and pilot programs, and ensuring each solution delivers measurable ROI. Lead cross-functional teams and partner resources to launch and manage new AI products and enhancements, continuously improving product performance, customer adoption, and satisfaction.
Commercialization & Growth: Drive revenue growth and P&L performance for the AI & Automation portfolio. Develop annual business plans and sales strategies in partnership with commercial leaders, setting ambitious revenue and profitability targets. Own the business case for the portfolio and ensure all products meet their financial objectives and margin goals. Identify and implement new commercial models (e.g., outcome-based pricing, AI-as-a-Service offerings) to accelerate market penetration and capture new revenue streams. Monitor key performance metrics (revenue, margins, market share, NPS/customer satisfaction) and optimize product and pricing strategies to achieve profitable growth. Ensure effective go-to-market execution and above-industry customer experience in collaboration with sales and delivery teams.

Ecosystem & Partnerships: Build a strong ecosystem of strategic partnerships and alliances to enhance the company’s AI capabilities and market reach. Forge and manage relationships with leading AI technology vendors, cloud hyperscalers, and automation platform providers, negotiating optimal agreements and integrating partner offerings to enrich the product portfolio. Collaborate closely with internal stakeholders (including senior management, sales, technology, and delivery teams) to ensure alignment on AI business growth plans and seamless execution across functions. Represent the company as an AI thought leader at key industry forums, conferences, and with enterprise customers, to strengthen brand authority and promote the organization’s leadership in AI and intelligent automation.
Governance & Operational Excellence: Establish and uphold robust governance frameworks for AI & Automation initiatives. Ensure consistent, high-quality product development processes and standardized pricing methodologies, with timely input and coordination across all relevant functions. Oversee financial discipline for the portfolio—budgeting, forecasting, and controlling expenditure—to meet financial targets and optimize efficiency. Proactively identify risks (technical, financial, or operational) and implement mitigation strategies to safeguard business outcomes. Champion adherence to responsible AI practices, data privacy regulations, and AI ethics, embedding compliance and risk management into all AI product and service lifecycles.
People Leadership & Development: Build and lead a high-performing, diverse team of AI, data science, and automation professionals. Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning, ensuring the team remains at the forefront of AI advancements and industry best practices. Attract, develop, and retain top talent by providing coaching, clear performance expectations, and growth opportunities. Empower team members with the skills, resources, and support needed to excel, while promoting knowledge sharing and a culture of experimentation. Lead by example to inspire accountability and excellence, and recognize outstanding contributions that drive the success of the AI & Automation portfolio.

Budget Management

Maintain financial forecasts, while governing expenditure against approved budgets and investments. Continuously identify areas for improved efficiency and effectiveness.
Identify and mitigate financial risks and develop corrective action plans as needed.
Ensure identification, implementation, and development of processes to optimise cost efficiency across the AI & Automation portfolio.
Manage investment cases for new AI product development, technology partnerships, and platform acquisitions.

Channel Development and Sales Revenue Growth:

Lead the design, development, deployment, and maintenance of AI solutions.
Prioritize AI projects based on business impact and feasibility.
Oversee proof-of-concepts, pilots, and enterprise-scale implementations.
Ensure AI solutions deliver measurable outcomes and return on investment.
Develop the annual AI & Intelligent Automation Products and Solutions business plans; sales cadence and pipeline management.
Partner with sales executives to set annual revenue targets for the AI & Automation portfolio according to the agreed business plan.
Maintain overall accountability for revenue, profitability, and the delivery of margin targets.
Deliver profitable growth by actively managing costs through the sales, delivery, and servicing product cycle.
Ensure service delivery translates into an above-industry Net Promoter Score (NPS) standard.
Evaluate the price performance of AI & Automation Products and Solutions by developing a robust price monitoring plan and make corresponding price optimisation recommendations.
Identify and develop new commercial models (e.g., outcome-based pricing, AI-as-a-Service) to accelerate market penetration and revenue growth.

Stakeholder Management

Build collaborative partner ecosystem and alliances with AI technology vendors, hyperscalers, and ecosystem partners for market success.
Negotiate the best possible rate card with the partners to ensure profitability.
Manage and collaborate with Vodacom Business management and sales leadership to develop growth plans for the AI & Automation business.
Collaborate, champion, and enable effective leadership and cross-functional working relationships to create a unique, superior customer experience based on leadership practice.
Establish and monitor healthy, diverse internal and external relations and implement remedial actions where required, in the achievement of organisational goals.
Represent Vodacom Business at industry forums, AI conferences, and customer engagements to build brand authority in the AI & Automation space.

Delivering through People:

Build a high performance & diverse organisation, focused on generating growth opportunities from clients and prospects, and driving unique growth and development opportunities in line with relevant revenue & margin targets to be achieved.
Support and enable the team to succeed by driving skills development and future-fit talent in AI, data science, automation, and digital transformation in line with business strategy.
Oversee the activities of the team to ensure effective delivery of business outcomes.
Support and enable the team to succeed by encouraging frequent knowledge sharing between team members and fostering a culture of continuous learning and innovation in AI & Automation.
Develop a high performing team by embedding formal performance management process, informal coaching and continuous 1:1 performance discussion.
Embed the Spirit of Vodacom by living the Spirit behaviours and culture codes, ensuring consistently high Spirit engagement levels.
When required, initiate disciplinary processes for team members calling on support from HR when required.
Resolve grievances raised by team members and escalate only if required.
Motivate team members and ensure that their efforts are recognised by using Vodafone Stars platform.

The ideal candidate for this role will have:

B Degree / Equivalent (e.g., Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, Business, or related field)
Postgraduate qualification in AI, Data Science, Business Administration, or related field (Desirable)
Relevant AI/Automation certifications e.g., Microsoft Azure AI Engineer, AWS Certified Machine Learning, Google Professional ML Engineer, UiPath RPA Developer (Desirable)
10+ years of experience in technology product management (preferably within telecom, ICT, or enterprise software environments), with a proven track record of leading AI, automation, or data-driven product portfolios end-to-end
Demonstrated success in developing and launching AI-powered enterprise solutions and managing product lifecycle from ideation to commercialization
Experience in P&L ownership and business case development for technology products, with strong acumen in strategy, finance, and marketing
Effective experience in building partnerships with major AI technology vendors, cloud providers (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP), and automation platforms (e.g., UiPath, ServiceNow) to drive co-innovation and go-to-market success
5+ years of people management experience, including leading multi-disciplinary teams (AI/ML engineers, product managers, etc.), with evidence of developing talent and driving high performance
Exposure to enterprise solution selling and experience engaging with C-suite stakeholders to drive AI & automation adoption (preferred)

Technical Competencies

Strategic Vision & Innovation: Strategic and forward-thinking mindset with the ability to translate AI trends and emerging technologies into commercially viable solutions and competitive advantage
Deep AI/Automation Expertise: Broad and deep knowledge of AI & Intelligent Automation technologies – including Generative AI, Large Language Models (LLMs), Machine Learning, RPA, and Conversational AI – and their practical enterprise applications
Business Acumen: Strong understanding of enterprise customer needs, industry dynamics, and product commercial models (e.g., consumption-based, outcome-based, SaaS) to shape offerings that deliver business value and profitable growth
Cross-Functional Leadership: Exceptional collaboration and stakeholder management skills; able to influence and partner effectively across technical, sales, and business teams in a matrixed environment to drive coordinated execution
Results Orientation: Highly focused on delivering outcomes and business impact – takes ownership of product performance, meets or surpasses targets, and continuously seeks improvements and new opportunities for growth
Customer Centricity: Deep customer focus, championing AI solutions that deliver tangible value and exceptional customer experience; uses feedback and insights to refine offerings
Resilience & Adaptability: Thrives in a fast-evolving AI landscape, demonstrating agility, perseverance, and a learning mindset to navigate challenges and rapidly changing technology trends
People & Culture Leadership: Proven ability to build and inspire teams, creating a shared vision and fostering an environment of accountability, trust, and innovation; adept at coaching and developing others to achieve their full potential.

Behavioural Competencies

Customer Focus: Prioritising customer needs and delivering excellent service; champions AI solutions that create tangible customer value
Accountability: Seeks feedback and identifies opportunities for improvement or innovation; takes ownership of AI product outcomes and business results
Collaboration: Actively fosters collaboration, seeks input and effectively partners across technology, sales, and business functions
Resilience: Actively seeks opportunities for growth in a fast-evolving AI landscape; demonstrates a strong commitment to self-improvement and has a growth mindset
Flexibility: Uses various techniques to influence others (lobbies, approaches decision makers, finds sponsors) to drive AI adoption across the organisation
People Management: Ensure team work together to deliver on their responsibilities creating accountability and ownership; builds AI capability within the team
Organizational Savvy: Demonstrates strong understanding of assigned strategy for the Business/Function and creates strong team alignment to the AI & Automation strategy
Innovation Drive: Proactively identifies and champions new AI and automation opportunities; fosters a culture of experimentation, learning, and responsible innovation

We make an impact by offering:

Enticing incentive programs and competitive benefit packages
Retirement funds, risk benefits, and medical aid benefits
Cell phone and data benefits, advantages fibre connection discounts, and exclusive staff discounts offered in collaboration with partner companies

Closing date for Applications: 02 July 2026.

The base location for this role is Vodacom, Midrand Campus.

The company's approved Employment Equity Plan and Targets will be considered as part of the recruitment process. As an Equal Opportunities employer, we actively encourage and welcome people with various disabilities to apply.
Vodacom is committed to an organisational culture that recognises, appreciates, and values diversity & inclusion.

Role Purpose/Business Unit:

Your responsibilities will include:

The ideal candidate for this role will have:

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