Executive Head of Department - Consumer Segments and Go To Market (Internal / External) Re-Advertised

The Executive Head of Department for Consumer Segments and GTM is a pivotal role, responsible for shaping the company's consumer-focused vision and strategy. You will lead a team to develop deep insights into consumer behavior, market trends, and competitive landscapes. Your strategies will guide the company's market positioning, ensuring a cohesive and impactful presence. This role is key to driving market share growth, revenue optimization, and brand loyalty, making every business decision customer centric.

Role Purpose:

The purpose of this role is to champion the consumer within the organization, leading the strategy for how we understand, segment, and engage with our target markets. The role holder will lead the end-to-end consumer understanding and engagement strategy, from generating deep, actionable consumer and competitive insights to defining and executing segment-based market-winning strategies while ensuring a cohesive and impactful presence in the market through strategic sponsorships and impactful brand partnerships. 

The role holder will be responsible for creating and executing a robust Go-to-Market framework that drives market share, revenue growth, and brand loyalty, thereby accelerating market share growth, optimizing revenue, and strengthening customer loyalty. This role is crucial for ensuring every business decision is customer-centric and grounded in a thorough understanding of the market.

Key Accountabilities And Decision Ownership:

Market Segments & Strategy:

• Develop and maintain a comprehensive consumer segmentation model.
• Define target segments for new products and campaigns; approve the strategic approach for addressing different consumer needs.

Go-To-Market (Gtm):

• Lead the design and implementation of all consumer product GTM plans.
• Approve GTM strategies, including channel mix, communication strategy, and launch timelines; make decisions on resource allocation for GTM initiatives.

Market Research, Insights And Intelligence:

• Lead all market intelligence and research functions, providing timely and strategic insights into consumer behavior, competitor dynamics, and industry trends.
• Define and approve the company’s primary and secondary research agenda. You will make key decisions on which market trends and competitive threats require a strategic response and how to translate complex data into clear, actionable business recommendations for senior leadership. 
• Manage relationships with external research agencies, consultants, and data providers.

Competition Monitoring:

• Lead continuous competitive analysis and intelligence gathering by tracking industry trends and competitor activities including pricing, product launches, network performance, and customer experience.
• Deliver regular intelligence reports and strategic recommendations to senior leadership highlighting which competitive threats require a strategic response; lead the development of counterstrategies and tactical plans.

Sponsorships & Partnerships:

• Manage the company's sponsorship portfolio.
• Select and approve all consumer sponsorships; determine the budget and strategic focus for sponsorship activities.

Team Leadership:

• Lead, mentor, and manage a high-performing team.
• Make decisions regarding team structure, roles, and hiring; approve professional development plans for team members.

Cross Functional Collaboration:

• Guarantee cross-functional cooperation and communication with other Departmental Managers to achieve time to market effectiveness and organizational efficiency. 
• Ensure that all processes are aligned with corporate policies.
• Interfacing with internal and external stakeholders to deliver against the roadmap and bring offerings to the market. 
• Liaise with various stakeholders (departments, agencies/suppliers) to ensure smooth implementation of planned retention initiatives and ensure that such initiatives are implemented within budget.

Performance Management

• Making sure segment, GTM metrics are being tracked, monitored with appropriate reporting of any variations from expected trends.
• Track revenue growth and retention for all segments. 
• Recruit, train, develop, coach, mentor and motivate the team to achieve overall objectives. 
• Monitor and manage team performance

Core Competencies, Knowledge And Experience:

Business Competencies:

Strategic Thinking: The ability to see the big picture, anticipate future market trends, and translate complex data into a clear and actionable strategic direction. This includes identifying and prioritizing long-term growth opportunities and defining the company's competitive advantage.

Leadership & People Management: A proven track record of inspiring, mentoring, and developing a high-performing team. This includes fostering a collaborative culture, setting clear goals, and empowering individuals to achieve their best.

Execution Excellence: The ability to translate strategic plans into tangible outcomes. This competency involves project management, a results-oriented approach, and a strong sense of accountability for hitting targets.

Working With Others

• Consciously takes steps to make the most of every conversation/interaction. 
• Identifies people’s needs, interests and motives to be able to influence the decisions they make. 
• Communicates simply to excite and engage people 
• Pro-actively adapts own style and approach to build rapport, and work with others more effectively. 
• Builds and maintains strong relationships and networks.

Working With Change

• Responds flexibly to changing situations 
• Manages the business and people aspects of change to drive performance.

Functional Competencies:

Analytical & Data-Driven Decision Making: Expertise in using both quantitative and qualitative data to generate actionable insights. This includes proficiency in market analysis, business forecasting, and performance measurement.

Go-to-Market (GTM) Expertise: In-depth knowledge of various GTM models, channel strategies, product launch management, and post-launch optimization.

Communication & Influence: Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with a proven ability to present complex information clearly and to influence senior stakeholders and cross-functional teams.

Market & Customer Knowledge: A deep, current understanding of consumer behavior, market dynamics, and competitive landscapes within the market and industry.

Knowledge:

• Expertise in market segmentation methodologies (e.g., demographic, psychographic, behavioral).
• In-depth knowledge of market research techniques, from survey design to focus group moderation.
• A strong grasp of competitive intelligence frameworks and tools.

Competing To Win

• Brings energy and passion to work and always aims to beat the competition 
• Knows what the competitors are offering, how our offer compares and uses market data to drive decisions

Key Performance Indicators:

• Market Share Growth: Increase in market share within key consumer segments.
• Customer Lifetime Value (CLV): Growth in the value of customer segments over time.
• GTM Success: Achievement of launch targets for new products, including revenue, subscriber numbers, and market penetration.
• Market Insights Utilization: Rate of adoption of market research findings in business decisions across departments (e.g., product, sales, marketing).
• Sponsorship ROI: Measurable return on investment from sponsorship activities, including brand lift, engagement rates, and lead generation.
• Competitive Agility: Speed and effectiveness of strategic responses to competitor actions.

Team Performance: Employee satisfaction and retention rates within the segments and GTM team.

Financial Responsibility:

Plan, propose, manage and account for budget spend for Consumer Segments, Research and GTM.

Direct Reports:

• Segments and GTM Manager

• Research Manager

• Sponsorships Specialist

Must have technical / professional qualifications: 

• Degree in Sales, Research and Marketing or a business management discipline.
• 5 years progressive experience in marketing, commercial strategy, or product management in a highly competitive commercial environment.
• Demonstrable success in developing and executing major GTM campaigns that drove significant business results.

• Innovative And Creative.

• Strong Communication Skills.

• Team Player.

• Customer Focused.

• Confident, intelligent and presentable.
• Highly organized, conscientious and detail oriented

  How To Apply

• If you feel that you are up to the challenge and possess the necessary qualification and experience, kindly proceed to create/ update your candidate profile on the recruitment portal and then Click on the apply button. Remember to attach your resume

  About Us

  At Safaricom Ethiopia, we are a purpose-led technology company dedicated to transforming lives through digital connectivity and inclusive financial services. In under four years, we have grown to serve over 10 million customers, with our network now reaching 55% of Ethiopia’s population – a testament to our bold vision and trusted partnerships.Guided by core values such as customer obsession, innovation, integrity, and get it done together, we are building a workplace that is dynamic, inclusive, and empowering. We believe our greatest strength lies in our people. That’s why, for two consecutive years, we have proudly get earned the Top Employer Award – in recognition for our unwavering commitment to fostering a supportive, innovative, and inclusive environment to people.Join Safaricom Ethiopia and be part of a team that is shaping the digital future of Ethiopia. Here, your work has meaning, your voice matters, and your growth is our priority. Together, we are transforming lives for a digital future