Director - Devices

Job description / Role

The Company:
Ooredoo is an organisation on the move. Thanks to our dedicated employees, we continue to move closer towards our vision to be among the top 20 telecommunications companies in the world by 2020. We are a dynamic global telecommunications player operating in 17 countries across the Middle East, North Africa (MENA) and Asia. We cover a population of more than half a billion people and serve more than 68 million customers.

In Kuwait, we employ approximately 1,000 talented people, all of whom are driving Ooredoo to be the number one choice for world-class communications services in Kuwait. In the face of intensifying competition, increasingly sophisticated technology and rising customer expectations, nothing is more important to our success than our team - and it's a team that you can be part of. Ooredoo's future is bright, and you can be part of our ongoing success.

The Purpose:
- The role-holder is responsible for leading and managing the device team and all associated device business activities. Develops and drives the devices business; the integration, deployment and launch along-side wider service and product offering.
- Offers strategic and technological thought leadership and expertise on devices; ultimately ensuring the company becomes the premiere Kuwait operator destination for devices and services.
- Manages the Device Inventory, Forecasting & Ordering to maximize a healthy inventory to drive product sales.
- Drive & manage ooredoo's wholesale and distribution model maximizing revenue and build long lasting partnership in both Kuwait and other countries
- Is pro-active in understanding industry best practice as well as new industry innovations and trends and be able to mix, match and synthesise those together with the aspirations of the company to match opportunities with needs.
- Development Focus - Should be seen as a regional key opinion leader in device and a contributor to the device eco-system. Strong focus on team development/mentoring to ensure knowledge transfer and succession planning.

Key Activities & Responsibilities:
- Manage existing partnerships to extract maximum benefit to the company through preferential treatment, new offerings and co-marketing investments
- Maximize vendor support to improve margin and drive more product.
- Initiate and negotiate new partnership opportunities with device vendors/partners.
- Plan and execute engagement strategy for vendor partners to promote where relevant existing or emerging vendors to the benefit of the company
- Build long term sustainable partnerships with device vendors; driving alignment of shared objectives, inter-business processes and strategy.Define and execute the short mid and long term device strategy.
- Ensure device strategy matches and drives key business objectives; Acquisition, ROI, Revenue
- Build and maintain the device release calendar and promotional roadmap.
- Drive and diversify device brands to reduce liability on few premium partners.
- Create strategic alignment between hero device market event and company service offerings/promotions for maximal growth.
- Own the device portfolio and lifecycle from introduction to retirement ensuring a well-balanced and market leading offering in all segments.Manage and maintain ooredoo's complete device portfolio.

These portfolios include:
- Fixed(FastTelco)/Wireless
- Postpaid/Prepaid
- Smartphones/WBB Devices
- Corporate/Consumer
- New Verticals Improving on overall device experience
- This includes helping retails shops with device displays in branches
- Device Warranty visibility.
- Support the support team with a process and replacement devices.
- Device shop distribution improvements to maximize availability.
- Device after sales solutions.
- Provide subject matter expertise on portfolio ranging, offer and pricing to segment managers
- Ensure the right device is matched with key customer offers, at the right price, on time consistently.
- Device launch plan & execution management including device availability, approvals, & events if required.
- Drive excellence in the marketing and operational delivery of device in the segmented market offering.
- Collaborate with sales, comms, segments, & pricing teams to plan / execute new offers in the market and to ensure high share of gross additions/profitability.
- Set and approve relevant commissions and incentives for devices with key sales stakeholders
- Responsible and owner of the complete Device Inventory for ooredoo.
- Weekly review of inventory to ensure ageing situations are avoided.
- Promotions & Stock Rotation on ageing stock.
- Maximizing Consignment agreements to keep the inventory healthy.
- Wholesale of obsolete devices.
- Device Warehousing 3PL/4PL study.Quarterly device forecasting for each segment to secure budget.
- Monthly forecast planning to ensure the correct stock is ordered for the month.
- Weekly device orders to maintain a healthy ordering model and reduce ageing situations.
- Ordering includes the creation of purchase requests & follow ups with Supply chain and vendors to ensure stock arrives in time.
- Accountable for distributor and category management, forecasting and managing the supply and sourcing of devices.
- Ensure robust supply of devices and accessories to support the offer to market
- Drive more partners on consignment and stock rotations models.
- Lead cross-functional (sales, marketing, logistics) sales and operational planning for devices
- Ongoing re-evaluation of supply / sourcing strategies to ensure that supply conditions continue to meet the companies requirements. Drive a device distribution model.
- Maximize Revenues & margin facilitating with supply chain, sales, & partners.
- Maximize distributer agreements to drive more volume and product.
- Create larger partnerships & support when driving additional device volumes.Manage and launch new device services to improve experience and increase revenues.
- Manage & outsource the accessory business to create 1 stop shops.Project financial requirements for the annual device subsidy and gross device volume/non-recurring revenue budget (tradable inventory) and P&L.
- Manage the utilization of this budget to agreed limits and ROI objectives.
- Budget estimated at 35-40 Mil. KWD (115-132Mil. USD) in 2016Set and monitor specific KPI's for each team member's performance, qualitative and quantitative
- Proactively manage and motivate the team to be highly professional and results oriented.
- Work to improve employee performance through personal coaching and identifying training and development needs.
- Ensure Individual Development Plans (IDP) are completed for all staff in accordance with Ooredoo Telecom policy.
- Recruit reporting staff as required.
- Conduct annual performance appraisals (Performance Management System) and ensure objectives set are monitored and achieved.
- Foster strong relationships with internal and external resources. Engage with different functional teams and business units (in order to drive business success and optimization.
- Attend Operations and Marketing division meetings as required.
- Proactively take responsibility for self improvement by staying well-informed of developments, knowledge and innovations in relevant field of expertise.
- Attend Training Programs, Courses, Seminars, conferences, vendor meetings, User Groups and presentations to be ready with the latest business ideas.
- Other duties as reporting directed by the line manager or other top management members.

Requirements

Other Requirements:
- Experience of which 6 should be experience in telecom, software, consulting or IT sectors
- Experience with mobile devices, such as handset, smartphones and wireless data terminals.
- Experience in an externally facing partnership, device management or BD role.
- Experience in Inventory Management, Forecasting, & Ordering.
- Experience in Distribution & wholesale.
- Ability to effectively operate within diverse and cross functional groups, including outside partners/suppliers
- Ability to be a leader who can innovate, set and/or implement a strategy and drive results
- Proven track record in product development, devices & accessories, product marketing, events planning and partnerships
- Experience owning, managing and delivering against multimillion dollar revenue budgets
- Solid understanding of both business and technical requirements and ability to translate each to an untrained audience
- Understanding of the key trends, technologies and companies in today's global communications landscape
- Previous experience and proven success in establishment, development and management of vendor partnerships and relations
- Strong coaching and team building experience; ability to drive interlock with reporting and non-reporting line team members.
- Experience working with modern 2PL, 3PL and 4PL device supply chains
- Bachelor Degree (Engineering, Marketing, Business or Science)
- Strong analytical & project management skills.
- Knowledge of the GSM, LTE & emerging mobile services and products and overall knowledge of product lifecycle management
- Presentation skills to "C" level management
- Communication skills - Comfort around higher management.
- MS Office applications (focus Excel, PowerPoint)
- Demonstrated acumen in understanding the industry and its trends.
- Core knowledge of telecommunications products and services.

The Qualification:
- Bachelor Degree (Engineering, Marketing, Business or Science)

Note: you will be required to attach the following:
- Resume / cv

About the Company

We are a leading international communications company delivering mobile, fixed, broadband internet, and corporate managed services tailored to the needs of consumers and businesses across markets in the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia. As a community-focused company, we are guided by our vision of enriching peoples lives and our belief that we can stimulate human growth by leveraging communications to help people achieve their full potential.

Formerly known as Qtel Group, we have a customer base of 92.9 million and reported revenues of USD 9.3 billion in 2012.