Vodafone

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Role Purpose/Business Unit:

This role oversees the planning, execution, and delivery of strategic Digital & IT projects utilizing recommended methodologies. The Project Manager provides leadership to the solution delivery team and facilitates Agile Release Train processes and execution. This role is responsible for identifying and managing risks, dependencies, and blockers, guiding teams in finding solutions, coordinating with other teams and delivery partners, and actively escalating issues when necessary to ensure resolution.

The Project Manager is responsible for maintaining awareness of stakeholder needs and insights from other initiatives, regularly communicating status updates, changes in direction, and relevant metrics to avoid misalignment and roadblocks. The Project Manager acts as a servant leader to the delivery team, driving continuous improvement, and providing support and facilitation to enhance velocity and team productivity. Leading an empowered team requires the Project Manager to adopt a facilitative approach rather than "command and control".

Your responsibilities will include:

• Understand the business priorities, objectives, key requirements & work closely with key stakeholders to define the project scope, priorities and roadmap.
• Ensure effective and timely communication and provision of information to key project stakeholders e.g. project sponsors, project board, steering committee etc.
• Collaborate with the Delivery Team and other appropriate stakeholders to create and agree the Delivery Plan.
• Monitor the project progress against the baselined Delivery Plan
• Perform project planning and scheduling as well as team delivery,
• Track and manage risk and any issues as they arise, collaborating with senior business or technical stakeholders as required to resolve them.
• Manage all project dependencies, ensuring alignment across all key stakeholders.
• Facilitate the resolution of blockers within span of influence. Escalate appropriately where required.
• Monitor and ensure appropriate involvement and communication between required members of the multi-disciplinary delivery teams. Enable the teams to focus on delivery.
• Manage the deployment of all releases into production and define / assess release readiness according to business requirements
• Continuously improve release processes, implementing best practices consistent with agile methodologies.
• Track and report on release progress to all the relevant stakeholders.
• Provide guidance to delivery teams to ensure alignment.
• Facilitate solution compliance to security, privacy, and regulatory needs.
• Advocate adoption of new technologies into solutions.
• Facilitate key agile ceremonies, such as daily stand-ups, demos, and retrospectives.
• Promote continuous improvement through retrospectives and team learning.
• Execute Agile Release Train based on agreed PI Objectives.
• Assist to translate the overall digital vision and target architecture into corresponding solution designs and change requirements.
• Manage the project budgets, invoicing, and reporting.
• Prepare and present budget reports to key stakeholders.

The ideal candidate for this role will have:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or other related field
• Minimum 10 years IT experience
• Minimum 5 years relevant experience as a project manager or senior project manager.
• Experience in delivering complex strategic initiatives.
• Experience leading teams using waterfall/agile methodologies in large-scale projects.
• Certifications in traditional Project Management practices, e.g., Prince 2, PMP preferred
• Certifications is agile project management e.g. Certified Agile coach, Certified Scrum Master (CSM),
• Professional Scrum Master (PSM).
• Experience with JIRA/Confluence, MS Project, or equivalent tools preferred.

Core competencies, knowledge, and experience:

• Excellent facilitation, organization, and problem-solving skills, helping the team manage conflicts, challenges, escalating appropriately.
• Strong grounding in traditional project management practices
• Experience in Agile software development methods, including Scrum, SAFe, etc.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communications skills, with the ability to inspire, influence, and update delivery teams and senior Executives.
• Comfortable with ambiguity and working in fluid, fast-changing environments under pressure
• Understanding of emerging business and technology trends.
• Proficient in managing team backlogs and performing estimations
• Ability to coach and develop others, with a focus on improving team dynamics and performance.
• Vendor selection and RFP / RFI management
• Vendor performance, contract, and relationship management

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: 18 July 2025.

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.