Senior Manager, Market Development and Planning

The Senior Manager, Market Development & Planning is responsible for identifying and developing opportunities that drive sustainable growth of the Consumer Business Unit(CBU). The role brings together market development, commercial planning, customer and market insights, geo-marketing, research, competitive intelligence and loyalty, providing the CBU Director and wider Consumer leadership team with the commercial fact base required to make informed strategic choices. The role leads the translation of the agreed CBU strategy into long-range and annual commercial plans, identifies emerging customer and market opportunities, and ensures insights are converted into clear commercial actions. This is a broad commercial leadership role requiring a strong understanding of the full consumer commercial ecosystem, including CVM, products, pricing, channels, digital services, marketing and brand. The role is not expected to directly own all these functions but must understand how they work together to drive customer and revenue growth, overall consumer business strategy and final strategic decision-making while remain accountable to the CBU Director. Key Responsibilities Market Development & Growth · Identify new and emerging growth opportunities across customer segments, geographies, products, services and channels. · Assess the size, attractiveness and commercial viability of market opportunities and recommend where the business should focus. · Develop commercial business cases for new growth opportunities, investments and strategic initiatives. · Identify underserved customer segments and geographic opportunities using customer, network and market data. · Work across CVM, Product, Digital, Brand & Marketing, Sales & Distribution, FBB and other functions to translate identified opportunities into commercial initiatives. · Track market evolution, consumer behaviour and industry developments and assess their implications for the Consumer Business. Commercial & Long-Range Planning · Lead the Consumer Business annual and long-range commercial planning process under the direction of the CBU Director. · Translate agreed CBU strategic priorities into measurable commercial plans, initiatives and resource requirements. · Coordinate revenue planning across Consumer portfolios, ensuring assumptions are supported by customer, market and operational evidence. · Develop commercial scenarios and sensitivity analysis to support major business decisions. · Challenge growth assumptions across customer base, ARPU/value, usage, pricing, acquisition, retention and new revenue streams. · Work closely with Finance to ensure commercial plans and financial ambitions are aligned. · Support the CBU Director in strategy development, strategic reviews and preparation for EXCO, Board and Group discussions. Customer & Market Insights · Own the Consumer customer and market insights agenda. · Ensure customer, behavioural, transactional and market data are converted into actionable commercial recommendations, rather than reporting alone. · Identify changes in customer behaviour, needs, preferences and value pools and determine their commercial implications. · Develop a single view of key consumer segments and opportunities across the business. · Lead customer and market research required to support commercial decisions. · Ensure insights are effectively shared and used across CVM, Products, Digital, Brand & Marketing, Sales and other relevant functions. Geomarketing & Market Planning · Lead geomarketing and geographic market planning for the Consumer Business. · Combine customer demand, revenue, market share, network coverage/capacity, device penetration and competitive information to identify priority geographic opportunities. · Provide commercial input into network investment and expansion priorities. · Identify areas where commercial growth is constrained by coverage, capacity, distribution or proposition gaps. · Support targeted acquisition, CVM, distribution and marketing interventions based on geographic opportunity. · Build market opportunity maps that help determine where to invest, where to defend and where to grow. Loyalty & Customer Engagement · Own and develop the Consumer loyalty agenda and ensure it supports customer retention, engagement and value growth. · Develop a differentiated loyalty proposition aligned with customer needs and the overall Consumer strategy. · Identify and develop relevant ecosystem and third-party partnerships that extend customer value beyond core connectivity. · Ensure loyalty initiatives are designed to change customer behaviour and create measurable commercial value, rather than simply reward existing activity. · Establish clear measures for loyalty effectiveness including engagement, retention, incremental usage, customer value and return on investment. · Work closely with CVM, Brand & Marketing, Digital and other teams to integrate loyalty into the wider customer experience. Competitive & Commercial Intelligence · Establish a structured view of competitor activity across pricing, products, promotions, channels, network propositions, devices, loyalty and customer experience. · Assess the potential commercial impact of competitor actions and recommend appropriate responses. · Monitor broader market and technology developments and identify opportunities or threats to the Consumer Business. · Ensure competitive intelligence informs planning, investment and commercial decision-making. Strategy Development & Decision Support · Support the CBU Director in developing and evolving the Consumer Business strategy. · Provide robust customer, market, competitor and financial evidence to support strategic choices. · Translate strategic direction into clear commercial priorities and implementation plans. · Lead selected strategic business cases and cross-functional commercial projects on behalf of the CBU Director. · Track key strategic initiatives and escalate material risks, dependencies and decisions requiring CBU Director intervention. Cross-Functional Commercial Leadership · Operate as a senior member of the CBU leadership team and provide a broad commercial perspective across Consumer priorities. · Connect insights across CVM, Products, Pricing, Digital, Brand & Marketing, Sales, Customer Experience, Network and Finance. · Challenge functional recommendations where customer, commercial or financial evidence suggests an alternative approach. · Take leadership of additional commercial priorities or strategic projects as assigned by the CBU Director. · Build strong relationships across Consumer and wider business functions to ensure commercial priorities are executed effectively. Who we are looking for (Qualifications, Competencies – Skills & Behaviours) · Bachelor’s degree in business, Marketing, Economics, Finance, or a related discipline. · MBA in Marketing, Economics and Telecommunication Management or relevant postgraduate qualifications would be an advantage. · 8-12 years progressive experience in consumer commercial leadership, preferably within telecommunications, technology, financial services, FMCG or another large consumer-led business. · Experience in identifying and developing market growth opportunities and translating them into commercial plans. · Strong understanding of customer insights, research, analytics and their application to commercial decision-making. · Experience in developing commercial business cases and working with Finance on revenue plans and investment decisions. · Strong understanding of competitive dynamics and consumer behaviour. · Demonstrated experience across multiple commercial disciplines, rather than a career limited to one specialist area. · Strong understanding of CVM, customer segmentation, products and propositions, pricing, revenue management and commercial planning. Nice-to-Have We are looking for a commercially astute and well-rounded consumer business leader with broad exposure across the telecommunications commercial value chain, rather than a specialist focused solely on strategy, planning, research, or analytics. Key desirable attributes include: Demonstrated experience across multiple commercial functions, with a strong understanding of how Customer Insights, Customer Value Management (CVM), Product Management, Pricing, Loyalty, Distribution Channels, Brand, Marketing, Digital Platforms, and Network Experience collectively drive customer acquisition, retention, revenue growth, and market share. Ability to seamlessly balance strategic and operational perspectives, including: Analyzing customer, market, and commercial performance data. Challenging and validating revenue forecasts and business plans. Assessing product and customer propositions. Evaluating go-to-market strategies and brand positioning. Building and reviewing business cases. Recommending investment priorities to unlock sustainable growth. Strong commercial ownership experience with accountability for business outcomes. Candidates with predominantly strategy, research, or analytics backgrounds, without significant exposure to commercial decision-making and revenue ownership, may be less suited for this role. Experience in designing and managing customer loyalty programmes, strategic partnerships, ecosystem propositions, and customer engagement initiatives would be a distinct advantage. Preferred Functional Expertise The successful candidate will have practical experience in one or more of the following areas: Consumer Marketing Strategy and Go-to-Market Execution. Brand Positioning and Customer Value Proposition Development. Customer Communication, Engagement, and Retention Strategies. Marketing Effectiveness Measurement and Return on Investment (ROI) Analysis. Customer Acquisition, Consideration, and Conversion Drivers. Commercial performance management and growth strategy execution. Understanding of the interdependencies between Brand, Product, Pricing, Distribution, Network Experience, Customer Engagement, and Customer Value Management in driving commercial performance and business growth.