Specialist: Escalation & Problem Management

## When it comes to putting people first, we're number 1. The number 1 Top Employer in South Africa. Certified by the Top Employer Institute 2026. ## Role Purpose/Business Unit: The Specialist Escalation Management is responsible for providing advanced operational expertise and leadership in the proactive monitoring, management, and resolution of customer, system, digital, and network-related incidents impacting the Vodacom customer experience. The role serves as a senior operational escalation point within the Nerve Centre and leads the coordination of complex and major customer-impacting incidents. It ensures that incidents are assessed, prioritised, escalated, communicated, and managed effectively to minimise business and customer impact and support the timely restoration of services. The role is also responsible for analysing recurring failures, identifying underlying causes and operational risks, and working with Technology, Network, Digital, Product, Customer Operations, and other relevant stakeholders to implement sustainable corrective and preventative actions. Through advanced analytics, stakeholder coordination, problem management, and continuous improvement, the Specialist Escalation Management converts operational data into actionable insights and recommendations that improve service resilience, reduce repeat incidents, lower avoidable customer contact, and enhance the end-to-end customer experience. ## Your responsibilities will include: * Major Incident Management: Lead the end-to-end operational coordination of complex and major customer-impacting incidents by assessing severity, activating appropriate escalations, coordinating stakeholders, implementing customer treatment strategies, maintaining clear communication, and tracking recovery through to operational stabilisation and post-incident review. This includes leading and or coordinating boilers and war rooms. * Problem Management and Root Cause Analysis:Identify recurring failures, coordinate root cause investigations, maintain accountability for corrective and preventative actions, and escalate unresolved risks to ensure that sustainable solutions are implemented and recurrence is reduced. * Proactive Monitoring and Operational Risk Management: Monitor customer channels, digital journeys, contact centre systems, operational platforms, and network indicators to identify emerging service risks, strengthen early-warning capabilities, and initiate preventative or mitigating interventions. * Analytics, Insights and Executive Reporting: Analyse operational and customer data to identify trends, anomalies, contact drivers, and service risks, and translate these findings into accurate reports, executive-level insights, and actionable recommendations. * Customer Experience and Service Improvement: Drive initiatives that reduce customer impact and avoidable contact by improving customer treatment, call-deflection, monitoring, automation, digital journeys, operational processes, and overall service resilience. * Stakeholder Management and Operational Governance: Coordinate and influence cross-functional stakeholders to ensure clear incident ownership, timely decision-making, adherence to governance standards, and accountability for resolving customer-impacting failures and operational risks. * Technical Guidance and Capability Development: Provide advanced operational guidance, coaching, and knowledge transfer to Nerve Centre team members while strengthening standard operating procedures, escalation frameworks, incident-management practices, and consistent decision-making. * Leadership: Deliver strong team leadership and workforce planning through effective roster management, ensuring business continuity and sustained team performance during planned and unplanned staff absences. * Ad hoc: Other duties as operationally required. ## The ideal candidate for this role will have: * Matric is essential. * A relevant diploma or degree in Business Management, Information Systems, Business Analysis. * 3 years experience in: * Nerve Centre or Fault Management is essential. * Customer Care / Contact Centres is essential. * 2nd line Support is essential. * Stakeholder engagement is essential. ## Core competencies, knowledge, and experience: * Advanced problem solving. * Critical and analytical thinking. * Major incident coordination. * Problem management. * Root cause analysis. * Operational risk management. * Customer-impact assessment. * Conflict management and negotiation. * Continuous improvement. * Knowledge of Contact Centre systems is strongly preferred (e.g. ICAP, EPPIX, Morpheus, Genesys Cloud). * Crisis and or Fault Management knowledge is desirable. ## We make an impact by offering: * Enticing incentive programs and competitive benefit packages * Retirement funds, risk benefits, and medical aid benefits * Cell phone and data benefits, advantages fibre connection discounts, and exclusive staff discounts offered in collaboration with partner companies Closing date for Applications: 09 October 2026. The base location for this role is Bellvile. The company's approved Employment Equity Plan and Targets will be considered as part of the recruitment process. As an Equal Opportunities employer, we actively encourage and welcome people with various disabilities to apply. Vodacom is committed to an organisational culture that recognises, appreciates, and values diversity & inclusion.