Senior Manager - Product Owner, DataCo

About this role

MTN is hiring a Senior Manager for its Product Owner role in the DataCo team, based in Roodepoort, Gauteng. The role sits within MTN-i, MTN Group’s AI-driven data and intelligence business. It leads the creation and lifecycle management of data, AI and technology-enabled products.

What you’ll do

• Find customer problems and market gaps through structured discovery, interviews and workshops across several industries.
• Turn customer needs into product ideas, business cases and clear product propositions, and test product-market fit before big technology spend.
• Set the product vision and strategy, define MVP scope and decide how to build, buy, partner or integrate.
• Write product requirements, user stories and acceptance criteria, and work with architects and engineers on the technical design.
• Lead multidisciplinary squads across technology, data science, legal, risk, compliance and operations, and guide products from launch into daily operation.
• Set pricing, packaging and monetisation models, and track commercial and product performance after launch.
• Guide the responsible use of AI, including model risk, bias, explainability and data privacy controls.

What you need

• A 4-year degree in Computer Science, Business, Product Management or a related field.
• 5 to 8 years of relevant experience in product management, technology, data, digital platforms, consulting, fintech, telecommunications, AdTech or a related environment.
• A proven record of taking complex products from concept through validation, launch and scale, including 0 to 1 product development.
• Experience leading technical and business teams without relying only on formal reporting lines.
• Strong understanding of modern data and technology architectures, and of Agile product development.
• Significant experience in one or more of: advertising and audience monetisation, geospatial or location intelligence, credit scoring, risk or fraud, AI and machine learning, or API and platform businesses.
• Good understanding of data privacy, security, governance and regulatory requirements.
• Strong analytical skills and AI literacy.
• Advantageous: a Master’s degree.

Is this job for you?

This role suits an experienced product leader who enjoys working with data and AI. You should be comfortable with ambiguity, able to explain complex ideas simply, and happy to challenge both business and technical thinking. You should also be someone who likes to build, not just manage.

Tips before you apply

• Have your degree certificate and a current CV ready, with dates for each role you list.
• Show one or two products you took from idea to launch, with clear results such as adoption, revenue or retention.
• Name the data, AI or platform areas you have worked in, and give examples of how you handled privacy and compliance.