Solution Sales Specialist – Cloud & Cybersecurity (C2) job at Liquid Intelligent Technologies Uganda Limited

Background information about the job or company (e.g., role context, company overview)

A subsidiary of Cassava, Liquid Intelligent Technologies is the leading independent data, voice and IP provider in eastern, central and southern Africa. It supplies fibre optic, satellite and international carrier services to Africa’s largest mobile network operators, ISPs and businesses of all sizes. It also provides payment solutions to financial institutions and retailers, as well as award winning data storage and communication solutions to businesses across Africa and beyond. Put simply, we connect people.

We started out by questioning the way things are done and being single-minded in our determination to improve them. Everything we do is driven by a simple yet powerful belief that everyone in Africa has the right to be connected. Over the last decade, this vision has helped us change the face of communications in the region.

Our future-focused approach to new product development makes our services enduringly adaptable.

“We have to focus on services of the future and new revenue streams not as a side show to infrastructure but as the main show leveraging off the infrastructure which we have.” – Nic Rudnick

Our flexible and dynamic business model keeps us at the forefront of telecoms innovation. And by listening to customers, we ensure that our solutions are constantly evolving to meet their needs. In June 2017, Liquid Intelligent Technologies raised $700m in a bond and term-loan issue that will help Liquid Intelligent Technologies refinance debt and provide a war chest for further acquisitions.

Our Beliefs – At the very core of our business is our belief that every individual on the continent has the right to be connected. We believe that the power of technology will create better and brighter lives for everyone.

We’re for everyone – Being connected shouldn’t just be for the privileged few. We believe it’s for everyone and this was recognised at the AfricaCom Awards 2013 when we won an award for Best Cost Efficiency Solution. The sense of doing the right thing runs through every aspect of our business.

Integrity – Having integrity in everything we do has made us what we are today. We are all encouraged to play our part and take responsibility for doing things right – and doing the right thing.

Only The Best Will Do – We’re constantly striving to deliver the best communications technology to everyone – from the smallest communities to the biggest businesses in the region.

Don’t Talk Do – We listen carefully to our customers, then we deliver beyond their expectations. This ‘can do’ attitude is key to our success.

In It For The Long Run – We’ve invested heavily in our own network and technology. We created the largest single fibre network in the region, which stretches over 18,000km across borders to connect people locally, nationally and internationally. We’re not stopping there – we’re continuing to invest so we can connect people all over Africa.

Further information can be found at www.liquid.tech

ROLE OVERVIEW

A Cloud & Cybersecurity (C2) Solution Sales Specialist will play a critical role in driving market growth and strategic development for our Cloud & Cybersecurity portfolio. The role is responsible for identifying, qualifying, and scaling new market opportunities, partnerships, and go-to-market initiatives. You will blend a strategic mindset with strong sales enablement and execution skills, working across teams to drive pipeline growth and build long-term customer and direct partner relationships

Key Performance Areas

1. Market Development & Strategy

• Identify and validate new markets, verticals, and customer segments for cloud and cybersecurity growth
• Define and refine GTM strategies with Product and Sales teams
• Collaborate with Marketing for regional campaigns and thought leadership
• Monitor competitive landscape and market trends
• Build relationships with ecosystem partners (vendors, MSPs, resellers)
• Drive the development and implementation of LIT’s short and long-term strategy related to solutions and cloud services by utilizing current connectivity products and existing tools to rapidly deploy solutions.
• Serve as LIT’s subject matter expert in support of technical white paper development for solutions.

2. Sales Enablement & Revenue Growth

• Equip Sales teams with tools, training, and messaging aligned with market insights
• Collaborate with Sales to convert market opportunities into pipeline
• Support strategic bids and enterprise deals
• Drive adoption of bundled cybersecurity and cloud services

3. Operational & Partner Ecosystem Management

• Manage performance of regional partnerships and alliances
• Lead joint business planning with strategic vendors
• Ensure alignment with compliance and governance requirements (e.g. NIST, ISO, GDPR)
• Manage internal cross-functional alignment across Product, Pre-sales, Delivery, and Finance
• Mentoring (including training thereof) of all direct reports in line with their performance management objectives

Key Decisions

• Decides on best technology and service/product to meet business requirements of customer
• Decides on Go/No-Go decision for RFXs/Bids/Tenders
• Identify which verticals and partner models to prioritize
• Decide on campaign focus and GTM tactics
• Influence product-market fit adjustments based on feedback
• Prioritize regions and resource allocation for market entry

Accountable for

• Accountable for overall customer solution viability within the Liquid Group
• Accountable for managing Solution Sales team to meet prescribed Sales revenue targets
• Development and execution of market strategies for Cloud & Cybersecurity
• Growth in qualified pipeline and influence on revenue
• Regional marketing collaboration and campaign execution

Job Requirements

• Degree in IT, Telecom, Business, or Marketing (Essential)
• Cloud and/or Cybersecurity Certifications i.e Microsoft 365 Certified: Teams Administrator Associate, Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate, ISC2, CompTIA etc. (Desirable)

Experience

• 3 – 5 years ICT market development or business development in cloud/cybersecurity (Essential)
• 2 – 3 years Strategic planning and GTM development (Essential)
• 3+ years Working with or within Telco, ISP, or enterprise IT (Essential)
• 3 – 5 years Creation of short and long-term strategic plans (Desirable)
• 3 -5 years Commercial deployment of technical solutions (Desirable)
• 2+ years Channel/Partner ecosystem development (Desirable)

Knowledge Areas

• Understanding of cloud platforms (e.g. Microsoft Azure, AWS, Google Cloud (Essential)
• Interested in and inquisitive about innovation and technological trends (Essential)
• Ambitious and courageous – focus on helping to win large bids and growing Liquid’s lead in the market (Essential)
• Singular focus on designing solutions which can be delivered quickly/effectively to the customer, shortening the bid lifecycle (Essential)
• Ability to re-use standard solutions/technologies to reduce costs and improve customer experience (Essential)
• Be easy for customers to deal with, displaying flexibility and pragmatism (Essential)
• Excellence in communicating progress, pro-active in addressing issues, trusting in a virtual team (Essential)
• Cybersecurity frameworks and solutions (e.g. zero trust, endpoint, SIEM compliance) – Desirable
• ICT trends and regulatory environment in Africa (Essential)
• Pricing, packaging, and positioning strategies (Essential)
• Strong understanding of partner/channel models and vendor relationships (Desirable)

Skills

• Experience in a telecoms business environment (Desirable)
• Confident presenter and influencer (Essential)
• Base skills in consultative selling and influencing; unlocking the opportunity based on customers’ business requirements (Essential)
• Financial Acumen (e.g. ROI model generation, understanding of CAPEX/OPEX trade-offs) – Essential
• Team player, strong influence and relationship management (Essential)
• Comfortable with data analysis and reporting tools (e.g. CRM, Power BI) – Essential
• Self-starter with high energy and curiosity (Essential)
• Strong communication and presentation skills (Essential)
• Decision making skills – ability to balance conflicting interests (Essential)

Professional Membership

• Membership in industry forums or alliances (Desirable)

• Identify and validate new markets, verticals, and customer segments for cloud and cybersecurity growth
• Define and refine GTM strategies with Product and Sales teams
• Collaborate with Marketing for regional campaigns and thought leadership
• Monitor competitive landscape and market trends
• Build relationships with ecosystem partners (vendors, MSPs, resellers)
• Drive the development and implementation of LIT’s short and long-term strategy related to solutions and cloud services by utilizing current connectivity products and existing tools to rapidly deploy solutions.
• Serve as LIT’s subject matter expert in support of technical white paper development for solutions.
• Equip Sales teams with tools, training, and messaging aligned with market insights
• Collaborate with Sales to convert market opportunities into pipeline
• Support strategic bids and enterprise deals
• Drive adoption of bundled cybersecurity and cloud services
• Manage performance of regional partnerships and alliances
• Lead joint business planning with strategic vendors
• Ensure alignment with compliance and governance requirements (e.g. NIST, ISO, GDPR)
• Manage internal cross-functional alignment across Product, Pre-sales, Delivery, and Finance
• Mentoring (including training thereof) of all direct reports in line with their performance management objectives

• Experience in a telecoms business environment (Desirable)
• Confident presenter and influencer (Essential)
• Base skills in consultative selling and influencing; unlocking the opportunity based on customers’ business requirements (Essential)
• Financial Acumen (e.g. ROI model generation, understanding of CAPEX/OPEX trade-offs) – Essential
• Team player, strong influence and relationship management (Essential)
• Comfortable with data analysis and reporting tools (e.g. CRM, Power BI) – Essential
• Self-starter with high energy and curiosity (Essential)
• Strong communication and presentation skills (Essential)
• Decision making skills – ability to balance conflicting interests (Essential)

• Degree in IT, Telecom, Business, or Marketing (Essential)
• Cloud and/or Cybersecurity Certifications i.e Microsoft 365 Certified: Teams Administrator Associate, Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate, ISC2, CompTIA etc. (Desirable)