Lead - Converged Business Solutions

Enterprise Solutions Portfolio Architect

Based on Safaricom’s purpose of transforming lives, this role ensures that enterprises, SMEs, and public institutions access secure, converged, and scalable digital solutions that power economic growth, sectoral transformation, and national digital advancement.

Key Responsibilities

The successful candidate will be strategically accountable for:

• Enterprise Solutions Portfolio Architecture: Define and manage the end-to-end enterprise solutions portfolio, ensuring standardized, integrated, and reusable propositions across connectivity, payments, fixed, mobile, fixed voice, and VAS.
• Convergence & Solution Integration Strategy: Drive convergence across GSM, fixed voice, VAS, cloud, security, and business applications.
• Segment Converged Solutions: Build segment converged solutions for different segments—small, medium, and large. Lead with M-Pesa for small and with connectivity for medium and large.
• Industry-Aligned Solution Design: Develop sector-ready solution frameworks aligned to priority verticals, embedding compliance, regulatory, and operational requirements into reference architectures.
• Commercial Viability & Product Lifecycle Governance: Ensure enterprise solutions are financially viable, margin-accretive, and governed through structured lifecycle management including launch, scaling, and retirement.
• Solution Standardization & Reusability: Reduce bespoke solution dependency by building modular, repeatable, and scalable solution templates for enterprise and public sector clients.
• Technical Architecture & Cross-Functional Alignment: Partner with technology to validate feasibility, integration requirements, capacity readiness, and roadmap alignment for enterprise solutions.
• Innovation & Emerging Technology Integration: Embed AI, automation, digital platforms, and ecosystem partnerships into the enterprise portfolio to maintain future-readiness and competitive differentiation.
• Journeys: Build simple automated and digital journeys for business customers and the sales team.
• Growth: Design and implement launch, growth, and sustenance plans for converged solutions.
• Partnerships: Define a comprehensive partnerships framework to onboard relevant partners and enter commercially viable partnerships.
• Device: Formulate and design a comprehensive device strategy for enterprise.

Key Accountabilities and Decision Ownership

Enterprise Solutions Portfolio Architecture

• Define and maintain the end-to-end enterprise solutions portfolio across connectivity, payments, fixed, mobile, fixed voice, and VAS.
• Establish clear solution taxonomy, bundling logic, and modular architecture standards.
• Develop standardized solution blueprints and reference architectures for enterprise and public sector segments.
• Ensure portfolio alignment to enterprise strategy, vertical priorities, and growth ambitions.
• Conduct periodic portfolio reviews to assess performance, scalability, and market relevance.
• Retire, refresh, or scale solutions based on lifecycle maturity and commercial performance.

Convergence & Integrated Proposition Design

• Lead convergence across fixed, mobile, cloud, security, and fintech propositions into unified enterprise-grade bundles.
• Eliminate product silos by aligning cross-platform integration frameworks.
• Drive cross-sell enablement through standardized bundled offerings.
• Develop integrated value propositions tailored to large enterprise, SME, and public sector needs.
• Monitor solution attach rates and convergence performance metrics.
• Strengthen internal alignment to ensure seamless integration between commercial and technical domains.

Industry-Aligned Solution Development

• Translate vertical industry requirements into sector-ready solution architectures.
• Design compliance-aligned solution frameworks for government, BFSI, health, manufacturing, and transport sectors.
• Partner with sales to incorporate industry insights into solution design.
• Develop sector reference use cases and case studies.
• Align ecosystem partnerships to industry-specific requirements.
• Monitor vertical performance and refine solution positioning accordingly.

Commercial Viability & Lifecycle Governance

• Validate financial viability of enterprise solutions in partnership with commercial excellence and finance.
• Define pricing frameworks and margin expectations for new solution launches.
• Govern go-to-market readiness reviews prior to commercial launch.
• Monitor solution revenue contribution and profitability performance.
• Ensure clear ownership of roadmap evolution and enhancement prioritization.
• Embed structured launch, scale, and retirement processes within portfolio governance.

Solution Standardization & Reusability

• Reduce bespoke solution dependency by building modular and reusable components.
• Develop standardized templates for common enterprise and public sector use cases.
• Drive replication of successful solution patterns across industries and segments.
• Monitor percentage of standardized versus customized solutions delivered.
• Improve implementation efficiency through documented solution playbooks.
• Enhance scalability by embedding automation and integration-ready components.

Technical Architecture & Cross-Functional Alignment

• Partner with technology (TES) to ensure solution feasibility, scalability, and roadmap alignment.
• Validate integration requirements across platforms, APIs, and infrastructure layers.
• Ensure solution readiness aligns with capacity planning and network evolution.
• Coordinate with systems integration for complex multi-vendor solution alignment.
• Provide technical advisory support during strategic bid pursuits.
• Maintain structured documentation of enterprise solution architectures.

Innovation & Emerging Technology Integration

• Embed AI, automation, analytics, and emerging technologies into the enterprise solution roadmap.
• Identify new digital infrastructure opportunities aligned to market evolution.
• Collaborate with ecosystem partners and hyperscalers to enhance solution depth.
• Monitor competitive innovation trends across ICT and digital markets.
• Drive experimentation pilots for next-generation enterprise propositions.
• Ensure Safaricom’s enterprise portfolio remains future-ready and differentiated.

Leadership & Talent Development

• Coach, mentor, and empower the leadership team to drive strategic excellence, collaboration, and disruptive thinking.
• Drive diversity, inclusion, and leadership bench strength, ensuring succession readiness for pivotal roles within the function.
• Build critical capabilities through targeted hiring and continuous learning programs.
• Institutionalize a functional academy—develop playbooks, methodologies, and training for execution and digital-first innovation models.
• Embed OKRs and a performance-driven culture, aligning incentives to strategic impact and innovation.
• Champion cross-functional collaboration across Safaricom to ensure integrated delivery of products.
• Lead change management for major shifts (new operating models, innovation platforms) with clear narratives, stakeholder engagement, and adoption tracking.
• Foster a culture of agility and experimentation, encouraging teams to pilot emerging technologies, new business models, and disruptive solutions.
• Model ethical leadership and values, reinforcing integrity, transparency, and responsible innovation in all strategic decisions.
• Ensure governance and compliance in all initiatives, safeguarding organizational reputation and stakeholder trust.
• Champion adoption of emerging technologies (AI, IoT, cloud, blockchain) to enable disruptive innovation and digital transformation.

Qualifications

Must-Have Technical / Professional Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Economics, Telecommunications, Computer Science, Information Technology, Business Information Systems, or a related technical field from a recognized institution.
• Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA), Technology Management, Digital Transformation, Strategy, or a related discipline is an added advantage.
• Minimum of 10–12 years’ progressive experience in enterprise solution design, ICT product management, solution architecture, digital platforms, or technology consulting within telecommunications, ICT, cloud, or fintech environments.
• Demonstrated experience designing and managing converged enterprise solutions spanning connectivity, cloud, IoT, and digital platforms.
• Strong understanding of enterprise ICT architectures, API ecosystems, cloud-native frameworks, DevSecOps principles, and systems integration models.
• Proven experience translating industry vertical requirements into scalable, commercially viable solution architectures.
• Demonstrated experience working in matrixed environments collaborating with Sales, Technology, Finance, Risk, and Operations functions.
• Experience in product lifecycle management, including solution launch governance, roadmap planning, and retirement processes.
• Certification in cloud technologies (e.g., AWS, Azure, Google Cloud), enterprise architecture (e.g., TOGAF), or cybersecurity frameworks will be an added advantage.
• Certification in project or program management such as PMP, PRINCE2, or equivalent is preferred.
• Strong commercial acumen with demonstrated ability to assess solution profitability, pricing frameworks, and margin impact.
• Experience partnering with hyperscalers, OEMs, system integrators, and technology ecosystem partners.
• Strong analytical capability with proficiency in solution modeling tools, enterprise reporting platforms, and portfolio performance dashboards.
• Demonstrated commitment to innovation, responsible technology deployment, and adherence to Safaricom’s Code of Conduct and regulatory standards.