Executive Head: AI Strategy Execution & Performance

Role Purpose/Business Unit

• A Group-level executive role responsible for orchestrating the end-to-end execution of Vodacom's Group AI Strategy across 8 markets, and ensuring that AI investment translates into measurable, accountable, and commercially credible business performance.
• The Executive Head: AI Strategy Execution & Performance serves as the critical bridge between AI ambition, Vodafone Group, Vodacom Group alignment and in-market delivery — owning the Group AI Execution Framework, performance architecture, business case rigour, and governance alignment.
• This role ensures that AI initiatives are delivered with strategic coherence, financial discipline, and enterprise-grade governance across all Vodacom Group markets.

Your responsibilities will include

• Define and enforce execution standards, delivery methodologies and performance operating rhythms to ensure consistency and accountability across the Group AI portfolio.
• Establish and own the Group AI Performance Management architecture, including AI-specific KPIs and value-realisation metrics that track impact at both Group and Market level.
• Drive a high-performance AI execution culture across all markets through structured operating cadences, including executive reporting, market performance dialogues and portfolio reviews.
• Establish and lead a Group AI delivery office to coordinate cross-market deliverables, manage dependencies, track milestones and risks, and ensure disciplined execution of strategic AI priorities across all markets.
• Establish a Group-wide framework for AI investment tracking, benefits realisation and return on AI spend, integrating AI value measurement into financial planning cycles and budget governance processes.
• Provide the Group Executive team with clear, forward-looking visibility on AI value delivery against committed business cases, surfacing risks and recommending corrective actions proactively.
• Represent Group AI execution interests in market-level strategic and operational governance forums, ensuring alignment between local delivery and Group AI priorities.
• Build and sustain trusted executive relationships with market leadership across all 8 markets, acting as a strategic partner and execution enabler rather than a central control function.
• Align AI execution practices with Vodafone Governance structures, embedding governance, risk and compliance considerations into delivery frameworks from the point of design.
• Lead, develop and mentor the AI Execution & Performance team, fostering a high-performance culture and building internal capability in AI programme delivery and performance management.

The ideal candidate for this role will have

• Bachelor Degree in Information Systems, Actuarial Science or Artificial Intelligence
• MBA or postgraduate business qualification is strongly advantageous.
• Minimum 12–15 years of progressive experience in strategy execution, enterprise transformation, Product Management, with at least 3 years in a senior or executive leadership capacity.

Core competencies, knowledge and experience

• Strong analytics, data science and machine learning experience, with the ability to translate advanced methods into scalable business use cases, assess model performance, and ensure AI solutions are data-led, measurable and responsibly deployed.
• Deep expertise in enterprise strategy execution, operating model design, and performance management frameworks within complex, multi-market organisations.
• Strong understanding of AI programme delivery dynamics, including the interplay between technical build, business adoption, change management and value realisation.
• Financial acumen and proficiency in business case construction, Product investment governance, benefits tracking and ROI reporting at an enterprise level.
• Strong working knowledge of AI governance principles, responsible AI frameworks, and corporate governance structures in multinational environments.
• Ability to design and embed structured performance operating rhythms — including reporting, review and escalation mechanisms — across geographically distributed teams.
• Systems thinking and enterprise-level strategic planning capabilities, with the ability to manage interdependencies across markets, functions and governance structures.
• Decisive, outcome-focused leadership style with a proven ability to drive accountability and delivery at pace in ambiguous and high-complexity environments.
• Ability to lead, inspire and develop cross-functional, multi-disciplinary teams across diverse cultural, regulatory and organisational contexts.
• Strong executive communication skills, with the ability to translate complex AI, delivery and performance topics into clear priorities, decision points and trade-offs for senior stakeholders, enabling alignment across markets, functions and governance forums.

Closing date for Applications: 27 August 2026