• EXCO
• Systems
• Operations

CipherWave, a Johannesburg based Internet Service Provider that offers Connectivity, Cloud, Voice & Security products is looking to hire a Lead, Operations Transformation & Automation individual to join the CW team.

This is a high-impact, senior-level role designed to act as the strategic bridge between our Innovation (CINO) and Operations (COO) divisions. We are seeking a transformative leader whose primary objective is to drive a step-change in operational performance by placing automation at the front and centre of our business.

Reporting to the CINO, you will be the designated expert for re-imagining and re-engineering our 'Lead to Service' lifecycle. You will partner daily with the COO and their leadership team to identify systemic friction, bottlenecks, and manual-effort drains.

You will then leverage your deep expertise in business analysis, Agile, ITIL, and automation to design and deploy intelligent, scalable solutions. This role is not just about maintaining systems; it's about fundamentally re-architecting our operational processes for the future, ensuring all initiatives align with both the CINO's technology roadmap and the COO's efficiency targets.

The ideal candidate is a hybrid: a strategic systems thinker, a hands-on automation champion, and a skilled change agent who thrives on translating executive vision into operational reality.

1. Automation Strategy & Execution (Core Focus)
   • In close partnership with the CINO and COO, develop, own, and execute the company's operational automation roadmap.
   • Proactively identify, model (ROI), and champion high-impact automation opportunities (e.g., RPA, API integrations, workflow automation, AI/ML models).
   • Lead the cross-functional design and implementation of automation solutions to eliminate manual tasks, reduce error rates, and accelerate service delivery.
   • Serve as the business-side product owner for our automation platforms and tools.
2. Strategic 'Lead to Service' Re-engineering
   • Act as the chief process architect for the end-to-end "Lead to Service" journey, working with the COO to deconstruct and rebuild workflows for maximum efficiency and customer experience.
   • Translate the COO's operational challenges and the CINO's innovation goals into a single, unified, and prioritised systems backlog.
   • Lead strategic business analysis workshops, requirements documentation (e.g., User Stories), and process mapping (BPMN) for all major operational change initiatives.
3. Executive Stakeholder Management & Reporting
   • Serve as the primary systems and automation advisor to the COO, attending operational leadership meetings as the CINO's representative.
   • Develop and present a "single source of truth" operational dashboard for the executive team, focusing on automation impact (e.g., hours saved, cost reduction) and 'Lead to Service' KPIs.
   • Translate complex technical concepts and system dependencies into clear business implications and strategic recommendations for C-level decision-making.
4. Agile & ITIL Governance
   • Lead the Agile portfolio management for operations systems, ensuring the backlog is transparent and strategically prioritised to balance innovation (CINO) with stability and urgency (COO).
   • Govern the ITIL framework for operational systems, serving as the senior escalation point for systemic, high-impact problems and driving a robust root cause analysis (RCA) culture.
5. Technology & Innovation Scouting
   • Act as the CINO's 'eyes and ears' within operations, identifying emerging technologies (e.g., Generative AI, new platforms) that can be applied to solve key operational problems.
   • Lead proof-of-concept (PoC) projects for new automation tools and platforms to validate their potential impact.

• Experience: 7+ years of experience in senior-level roles such as Senior Business Analyst, Systems Manager, or Operations/IT Lead, with a clear progression of responsibility.
• Industry: Direct experience within an ISP, telecommunications, or managed technology service provider is essential.
• Stakeholder Management: Proven experience managing C-level stakeholders and navigating a matrixed environment (e.g., reporting to one function while being embedded in another).
• Automation Expertise: Expert-level understanding and a proven track record of designing and leading intelligent automation initiatives from concept to production.
• Process Expertise: Expert-level knowledge of "Lead to Service" (or "Order to Cash") processes and associated OSS/BSS platforms (e.g., CRM, Quoting, Provisioning, Billing).
• Agile & ITIL: Deep practical experience leading initiatives within both Agile (Scrum/Kanban) and ITIL environments. 4 years ITIL experience.
• Reporting: Advanced skills in data analysis and visualization (e.g., Power BI, Tableau) and presenting data-driven strategic narratives.

• Sales
• Accounts
• Customer Support
• Operations
• Management

• Resellers
• Customers

• • Ensure that there is a maintained relationship within every customer account, within your allocated account base and any new customers that you acquire
  • Prospect for and develop/grow new customers to ensure that your monthly sales/renewal quota is achieved
  • Ensure that a strategy and a daily tactical plan is in place to maximise cross-selling, upselling and renewal opportunities so as to maintain a healthy sales pipeline, sales forecast and sales nett new closure of new business sales guided by your allocated new business sales target and allocated customer base

• Identify any possible threats, competitors and consultant influences that may cause the customer to consider any form of cancellation
• Ensure that you consistently meet agreed, nett of churn sales, new business targets
• Weekly monitoring and reporting of contract renewal dates, and renewal proposals to be adhered to in order to maintain extremely high customer retention levels
• Utilise and incorporate competencies of the services of any of our “Sales Specialist” & “Product Managers” to ensure that we offer our customers the best possible solutions and options for their business
• Foster an atmosphere of self-study with regards to trends in the Telecommunications market so as to ensure that the company is viewed as a leader within our industry
• Ensure that daily customer sales calls, sales contact and update calls are adhered to
• Ensure that you remain relevant within the operational, finance and support workflow process to support your customer via these touchpoints
• Attend all Sales and Relevant Internal meetings timeously
• Work attendance is to be in line with the company set out work timelines
• Must be able to develop and build a cross-sell matrix (white space report) against your account base as part of your account planning strategy and tactical approach
• Understand each customers business segmentation, industry and core line of business which will help you to be able to offer suitable advice and solutions to the customer
• Reporting via the CRM system which will include your sales forecast, sales pipeline and sales activity to be carried out. This will be submitted to your reporting line on a weekly basis or whenever requested by your reporting line
• Must be able to work as part of the sales team and extended departments on special projects and initiatives
• Meet or exceed your agreed monthly sales targets as set out by your line manager
• Must be well-spoken with extremely professional telephone skills and manners
• Must have the ability to write and to quote customers via Email with excellent Email etiquette
• Must be able to adhere to the company Vision, Mission and values at all times in a responsible manner
• The above includes but is not limited to the required output

• Excellent telephone manner
• Excellent time management and personal organizational skills
• Ability to work to deadlines
• Ability to work without close supervision
• Ability to work closely with instructions
• Excellent numeracy skills
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Strong attention to detail
• Proficient at Microsoft Office
• Proficient use of Excel
• Proficient and demonstrable use of CRM systems, preferably Salesforce
• Telesales skills, must include cold calling experience
• Ability to demonstrate effective interpersonal and influencing skills
• Demonstrate a good level of negotiation skills with internal and external customers

• Minimum of 2 years of Internal Sales experience required within the technology industry

• Matric, additional Sales training is an advantage

• Well presented
• Professional
• Enthusiastic
• Self-motivated and driven
• Flexible
• Patient
• Proactive
• Punctual
• Sense of humour