Principal Specialist: Enterprise Change & Strategic Enablement

At Cell C, we are not just a telecommunications company; we are a people-centric and consumer-focused organization committed to delivering exceptional experiences to our customers. In line with our dedication to customer-centricity, we are seeking a seasoned professional as a Principal Specialist: Enterprise Change & Strategic Enablement to join a dynamic team of #Unstoppables.

Purpose of the Job

To serve as the enterprise custodian of organisational change, transformation governance and strategic enablement, responsible for designing, institutionalising and governing enterprise-wide change frameworks that enable the successful delivery, adoption and sustainability of strategic transformation initiatives.

The role provides strategic, operational and governance support to the Chief People Officer through the coordination of strategic initiatives, enterprise projects, organisational reporting and stakeholder engagement activities, ensuring alignment between the People strategy and broader organisational objectives. The incumbent drives execution excellence across the Human Resources function and broader business by enabling effective implementation of strategic priorities, while ensuring visibility and management of key organisational risks, initiatives, interdependencies and transformation outcomes.

Operating at a principal specialist level with organisation-wide influence, the role shapes enterprise change architecture across multiple concurrent strategic programmes and serves as a trusted advisor to the Chief People Officer, Executive Committee and Programme Sponsors. The incumbent provides authoritative guidance on organisational transformation, change governance, capability maturity and people risk mitigation, ensuring alignment between business strategy, transformation delivery and organisational effectiveness.

The role carries accountability for enterprise change standards, methodology governance, transformation risk management, strategic coordination and the continuous enhancement of organisational change capability and execution maturity across the enterprise.

Main Responsibilities

Enterprise Change Architecture and Governance

• Define and institutionalise the enterprise change management framework, standards, policies and toolkits
• Develop consolidated enterprise change roadmaps across all strategic initiatives
• Conduct enterprise-wide impact diagnostics and organisational readiness assessments
• Cross-programme interdependencies
• Change saturation risk
• Adoption risk
• Transformation fatigue
• Design and oversee resistance management and stakeholder alignment strategies
• Integrate change governance into Enterprise Risk Management and strategic planning cycles
• Provide executive-level advisory on complex organisational transitions including restructuring, digital transformation, operating model implementation and/ or redesign and Cell C’s change journey
• Ensure application of globally recognised methodologies (Prosci, ADKAR, Kotter, ACMP, Lean Six Sigma) in a fit-for-purpose manner aligned to organisational context

Enterprise Transformation Enablement

• Lead integrated change planning across multiple concurrent strategic programmes
• Partner with Programme Managers and Project Sponsors to embed structured transition frameworks
• Change adoption KPIs
• Behavioural shift indicators
• Engagement metrics
• Business readiness thresholds
• Provide strategic oversight on transformation risk mitigation
• Report enterprise change health and adoption maturity to Exco and Board Committees where required

Change Capability & Organisational Maturity

• Design and embed an enterprise change capability framework aligned to business strategy
• The Executive Committee
• Executive Leadership and Senior Management
• People Leaders
• HR Business Partners
• Change Champions
• Define change maturity benchmarks and continuous improvement standards
• Partner with Learning & Development to institutionalise change capability within the Cell C contex t

Strategic HR Transformation Leadership

• Lead and govern major HR transformation initiatives and strategic programmes
• Coach Executive and Senior Leaders on enterprise transition strategy
• Evaluate transformation outcomes and drive continuous optimisation
• Serve as subject matter authority on organisational change across Cell C

Strategic Reporting & Governance

• Design and oversee enterprise-level HR and transformation reporting frameworks
• Executive Committee
• Board Committees
• Governance Forums
• Ensure reporting integrity, automation and governance compliance
• Translate data into strategic decision-support insights

Strategic Planning

• Collaborate with the Chief People Officer in the development and execution of strategic plans, transformation initiatives and operational priorities for the Human Resources function
• Conduct research, analyse organisational data, market trends and business insights to support strategic decision-making and contribute to organisational growth and effectiveness
• Anticipate complex challenges, risks and opportunities, ensuring alignment and integration with broader functional and organisational strategy
• Develop and propose annual business plans for designated areas of accountability, ensuring alignment to strategic objectives and business priorities
• Support the implementation and monitoring of strategic plans across the various divisions within the organisation
• Provide input into organisational design, departmental structures and operating models aligned to strategic and operational requirements
• Identify organisational inefficiencies, operational barriers and disenabling elements, and recommend mitigating solutions and improvement initiatives
• Support and actively monitor alignment between the Office of the Chief People Officer strategy and broader organisational objectives and priorities

Stakeholder Engagement

• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with internal departments, external partners and key stakeholders
• Coordinate and collaborate with stakeholders to gather information, align activities and support the achievement of organisational objectives.
• Facilitate effective communication, stakeholder alignment and cross-functional collaboration in support of strategic initiatives and operational priorities
• Influence senior stakeholders through evidence-based frameworks and structured methodology
• Provide interpretive guidance on complex organisational design and culture evolution matters
• Shape executive decision-making on change sequencing and transformation pacing

Project Management

• Support the management and oversight of strategic and operational projects, ensuring delivery within agreed timelines, scope and budget parameters
• Coordinate with internal departments, project teams and stakeholders to facilitate effective project execution and cross-functional alignment
• Monitor project progress, identify risks and dependencies, resolve issues and provide regular updates and strategic insights to the Chief People Officer
• Track implementation milestones, deliverables and outcomes to ensure effective execution and governance discipline

Functional Support

• Manage confidential and sensitive information with a high degree of professionalism, discretion and integrity
• Ensure strict adherence to organisational policies, governance requirements and operational procedures.
• Ensure the Office of the Chief People Officer remains informed of key organisational initiatives, risks and strategic developments underway across the business.
• Provide recommendations and insights to the Chief of Staff and Chief People Officer to proactively identify, manage and mitigate strategic and operational risk areas

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in industrial / Organisational Psychology, Business Management or equivalent
• Postgraduate qualification preferred
• Accredited in recognised change methodologies (Prosci, ADKAR, Kotter, ACMP, PMP, Lean Six Sigma)

Experience

• 9 -10 years’ experience and knowledge in application of Change Management Models and leading implementation of strategic organisational change and transition projects
• Demonstrated experience advising Executive-level stakeholders
• Proven track record managing multiple complex transformation programmes concurrently
• Experience institutionalising governance frameworks and enterprise standards
• Strong systems thinking and organisational diagnostic capability
• Proven experience coordinating and managing multiple strategic initiatives concurrently
• Experience in strategic planning, governance coordination and organisational reporting
• Strong analytical, problem-solving and stakeholder management capability
• Experience operating within a fast-paced, highly complex organisational environment

Additional Skills Required

• Exceptional project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver within tight deadlines
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present complex information clearly and concisely
• Strong business acumen and strategic thinking capability
• Excellent organisational, planning and coordination skills
• Advanced problem-solving and decision-making capability
• Strong interpersonal and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across all organisational levels
• High levels of professionalism, discretion and confidentiality
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite, presentation software and project management tools
• Ability to adapt quickly within a dynamic and fast-paced environment

"Cell C is an equal opportunities employer, committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace where all employees are treated fairly and with respect, regardless of race, gender, age, disability, or any other protected characteristic."