Lead, Digital & Mobile Services

Job Description
Why Airtel Africa?
At Airtel Africa, we act with passion, energy, and a can-do attitude. Innovation with an entrepreneurial spirit drive us. If you like “ordinary”, then we are not for you.
We champion diversity. We anticipate, adapt, and deliver solutions that enrich the lives of communities we serve. we roll up our sleeves to win with our customers.
By choosing Airtel, you choose to be part of a winning team. All this in addition to a brilliant opportunity to build a career in your field of expertise, across our different operating companies in Africa.
About The Role
The Lead, Digital & Mobile Services oversees the design, delivery, and day‑to‑day management of digital platforms that support business and customer initiatives. The role ensures applications are reliable, secure, scalable, and fit for a fast‑paced telecoms environment.
The position manages the full application lifecycle, working closely with business teams, vendors, and partners to translate requirements into effective technology solutions, maintain system performance, and drive continuous improvement and innovation. Experience with telecom systems, digital platforms, and large‑scale integrations is essential, with exposure to financial services or digital channels an added advantage.
Airtel Africa is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and remain fully committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
Responsibilities
Digital Product & Project Delivery

• Understand business requirements (URS/PCN) and translate them into workable technical solutions
• Lead projects from start to finish using a structured delivery approach (SDLC)
• Bring together the right teams (business, IT, network, vendors) to get the job done
• Run requirement sessions and ensure everyone is aligned before development starts
• Ensure systems are well integrated (CRM, billing, digital channels, etc.)
• Keep an eye on new technologies and suggest better ways of doing things
• Ensure applications are always up and running as agreed (SLA)
• Handle system issues properly (incident, change, and risk management)
  

Stakeholder Management (Internal Teams)

• Regularly engage business teams to understand their needs and challenges
• Work closely with IT and network teams to deliver complete solutions
• Make sure systems support the full customer journey from onboarding to service usage
• Keep communication clear and simple so everyone is on the same page. Follow up on issues and ensure they are resolved on time
  

Project Planning & Execution

• Create clear project plans with timelines, deliverables, and responsibilities
• Track progress and quickly address any delays or risks
• Hold regular update meetings and keep stakeholders informed
• Manage scope, cost, quality, and timelines effectively
  

Operations & Service Support

• Monitor application performance and fix issues quickly
• Ensure high system availability and reliability
• Continuously look for ways to improve system performance
• Manage changes carefully to avoid service disruption
  

Solution Design & Architecture

• Take ownership of solution design from idea to implementation
• Ensure solutions follow standard architecture and best practices
• Work with business teams to ensure solutions deliver real value
• Recommend technologies that can improve efficiency and revenue
  

Vendor & Partner Management

• Work closely with vendors on new product development and system support
• Agree on clear deliverables, timelines, and SLAs
• Track vendor performance and hold them accountable
• Resolve issues quickly and escalate when necessary
• Manage payment milestones based on delivery progress
  

Qualifications
Educational Qualifications

• Graduate Degree: BSc Computer Science or related discipline
• Project management certification would be an advantage
  

Functional / Technical Skills

• 8 to 10 years of IT experience
• At Least 4-5 years system operations experience
• At Least 3-4 years system Solution architecture experience is required.
• Experience working for a Telecommunications company, Enterprise company or Fintech or Digital based Organization
• Hands on Knowledge of Unix System, DevOps, Automated Testing,
• API management and gateway design (REST, GraphQL, gRPC)
• Proven ability to analyze complex business requirements and deliver appropriate solutions.
• Experience with digital channels (mobile apps, web, USSD, APIs, Bots)
• Cloud-native design — containers (Docker/Kubernetes), microservices
• Integration middleware (MuleSoft, Kafka, Kong)
• Direct team management experience.
• Experience with telecommunication products, processes, and markets
• Impact (and relative importance) of IT in telecoms today and in the future

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