Executive Head: Product Development & Innovation

About the role

The Executive Head of Product Development & Innovation will lead the end‑to‑end product and innovation agenda for Vodacom Business’s Beyond Connectivity portfolio. Reporting to senior leadership, this role is responsible for building a future‑fit, market‑leading product suite that drives sustainable revenue growth and differentiates the brand.

Key responsibilities

• Define, own and continuously evolve the product and innovation strategy aligned with growth objectives.
• Maintain a balanced portfolio of core enhancements, adjacent growth opportunities and transformational innovations.
• Develop and manage a multi‑year product and innovation roadmap across all customer segments.
• Lead the full product lifecycle from ideation, validation and business case development through piloting, MVP execution, commercialisation and in‑life optimisation.
• Establish an enterprise‑wide lifecycle framework that embeds customer insight, agile delivery, design thinking and lean experimentation.
• Ensure scalability, security and operational readiness while driving speed to market and execution excellence.

Required profile

• Proven senior leadership experience in product development and innovation, preferably within telecom or connectivity services.
• Strong commercial acumen with a track record of delivering revenue‑generating product portfolios.
• Ability to anticipate market shifts, identify new value pools and make strategic investment decisions.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills across technology, ecosystem partners and internal teams.

Required skills

What we offer

• Opportunity to shape the future of connectivity products for a leading South African telecom operator.
• Leadership role with significant strategic impact and visibility.
• Competitive remuneration and benefits package.