Manager - Costing and Profitability at MTN Nigeria

MTN Nigeria is part of the MTN Group, Africa\'s leading cellular telecommunications company. On May 16, 2001, MTN became the first GSM network to make a call following the globally lauded Nigerian GSM auction conducted by the Nigerian Communications Commission earlier in the year. Thereafter the company launched full commercial operations beginning with Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt. MTN paid $285m for one of four GSM licenses in Nigeria in January 2001. To date, in excess of US$1.8 billion has been invested building mobile telecommunications infrastructure in Nigeria. Since launch in August 2001, MTN has steadily deployed its services across Nigeria. It now provides services in 223 cities and towns, more than 10,000 villages and communities and a growing number of highways across the country, spanning the 36 states of the Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Many of these villages and communities are being connected to the world of telecommunications for the first time ever. The company\'s digital microwave transmission backbone, the 3,400 Kilometre Y\'elloBahn was commissioned by President Olusegun Obasanjo in January 2003 and is reputed to be the most extensive digital microwave transmission infrastructure in all of Africa. The Y\'elloBahn has significantly helped to enhance call quality on MTN network.

Mission/ Core purpose of the Job

Responsible for the development of the various costing models for the Bayobab capacity and services portfolio. He or She will also be responsible for contributing towards the establishment and implementation of the costing and pricing principles and methodologies. The role will ensure that Bayobab improves on revenues streams by enhancing its competitive position in the wholesale business and international carrier relations business (for wholesale customers, OpCos and GEBU demand requirements) while improving its overall margins on new and existing business. 

RESPONSIBILITIES

Key Performance Areas: Core, essential responsibilities / outputs of the position (KPA's)

The Manager Costing & Profitability role will be accountable to achieve the following objectives:

• Develop the strategy for optimizing and managing costing framework for Bayobab capacity.
• Develop and implement costing principles that will be applied to set the prices and other charges including price caps, price guidelines and other price controls for the various products
• Carry out all necessary studies, analyses and cost calculations with the aim of minimizing the cost of international services by developing relationships with 3rd party suppliers and OpCo’s
• Derive the pricing principles based on market trends and market analysis for price benchmarking purposes in order to maintain relevant price books.
• Align with the various internal teams, particularly the tax and compliance teams in order to manage issues relating to withholding taxes, transfer pricing and ensure full alignment to group policy.
• Identify the Bayobab submarine connectivity costs and pricing by analyzing the competitive environment from a global perspective and collating inputs from the OpCos on competitive offers received for international connectivity
• Gather OpCo’s terrestrial connectivity costing inputs, with focus on the wholesale components for backhaul and last mile from the cable landing stations
• Support in the sourcing of 3rd party connectivity when required, ensuring to meet the target price and quality requirements
• Provide support to the product management teams on product development and pricing as relates to multi-OpCo infrastructure 
• Ensure connectivity sourcing deals afford optimal benefit to MTN and MTN’s clients, considering price, quality, SLAs and speed of delivery

Role Deliverables

• Costing Model framework for Bayobab capacity and services
• Costing and pricing strategy of wholesale fixed connectivity solutions (subsea and terrestrial)
• Support the pricing methodologies for Opcos and internal connectivity services
• Initiate and support Initiatives to improve margins on new and existing services
• Regular market analysis and price benchmarking in order to maintain relevant price books
• Constant engagement with Tax and Finance to ensure full compliance on group policies

Role Dependencies

• Bayobab sales, technical, product and finance teams
• Bayobab OpCo and Group Enterprise demand management teams

QUALIFICATIONS

Job Requirements (Education, Experience and Competencies)

Education:

• Minimum 4-year Academic Degree (Commerce, BBA, Engineering /Computer or Business Science) 
• Post graduate qualification MBA/Masters (Economics, Engineering /Computer Science) preferred 
• English, French and Arabic (as advantage)

Experience:

• 5+ years relevant cost modelling and pricing experience in the fixed line international telecommunication industry preferably in carrier business with a good technical understanding as well.

Competencies:

• Able to work effectively with multiple stakeholders in a multi-cultural environment
• Strong analytical skills to adequately anticipate demand & provide recommendations for decision making
• A working knowledge of business practices
• Knowledge of risk management and business development
• Ability to identify key issues in a situation and to think creatively and strategically in facing internal and external challenges

Method of Application