Principal Specialist: Commercial Intelligence and Value Engineering

Job Description

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The number 1 Top Employer in South Africa.
Certified by the Top Employer Institute 2026.

Role Purpose/Business Unit:

To drive sustainable revenue growth, margin optimisation, and commercial excellence for Vodacom Business Africa by shaping pricing and commercial strategy, optimising partner and customer economics, and embedding value‑based, risk‑aware decision‑making across the deal lifecycle.

The role provides commercial thought leadership across pricing, value engineering, partner models, customer value management (CVM) and in‑life deal optimisation, balancing aggressive growth ambitions with disciplined risk, margin, and return thresholds across multi‑country enterprise engagements.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Analyse competitor pricing, deal structures, and propositions across African and global markets to inform VBA’s pricing strategies and positioning.
• Track customer engagement, deal velocity, and win/loss drivers to build an evidence‑based view of effective pricing and commercial levers.
• Recommend pricing frameworks, discount guardrails, and value‑based pricing approaches for enterprise and partner deals.
• Lead and support commercial structuring and negotiations with:
  • External partners (carriers, system integrators, hyperscalers, satellite providers)
  • Internal partners (Opcos and Vodafone entities)
• Apply value engineering principles to reshape deals, cost stacks, and solution designs to maximise customer value and internal returns.
• Identify cost efficiencies across network, partner, and delivery components without compromising service outcomes.
• Manage commercial risk by balancing aggressive pricing and growth objectives with EBITDA, cash flow, and risk appetite targets.
• Own Customer Value Management (CVM) for the VBA customer base by:
  • Identifying upsell and cross‑sell opportunities
  • Improving customer lifetime value and retention
• Drive best practice and continuous improvement across commercial processes, including pricing, approvals, governance, and reporting.
• Champion automation, tooling, and analytics to improve speed, accuracy, and scalability of commercial decision‑making.

The ideal candidate for this role will have:

• Bachelor’s degree in Commerce, Finance, Economics, Engineering, or similar.
• MBA or postgraduate commercial qualification (advantageous).
• 8–12+ years’ experience in commercial strategy, pricing, value engineering, or complex B2B deal structuring.
• Strong exposure to telecommunications, enterprise services, wholesale connectivity, or digital infrastructure.
• Demonstrated experience working across multi country, multi partner environments.
• Proven track record in partner negotiations, complex deal structures, and commercial governance.

Core competencies, knowledge, and experience:

• Strategic thinker with leadership and management qualities to drive from planning though to implementation.
• Proven experience in Mobile Network infrastructure and connectivity products.
• Strong analytical and decision-making skills coupled with understanding of key risks.
• Background in developing and implementing innovative commercial propositions in rapid and constantly changing environments.
• Excellent relationship builder, with the ability to foster credibility and negotiate at a Senior Leadership level within Vodacom, Vodafone, and external partners/suppliers.

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: 30 April 2026.

The base location for this role is Midrand, Vodacom 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.