Senior Specialist: Predictive - Data Analysis

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:

Vodacom is a Leading African Mobile communication company providing wider range of communication services including mobile voice, messaging, data and converged services to over 73.6 million customers.  From our roots in South Africa, we have grown our mobile network business to include operations in Tanzania, DRC, Mozambique and Lesotho. The mobile networks cover a total population of approximately 200 million people.  Through Vodacom Business Africa (VBA) we also offer business managed services to enterprises in over 40 countries across the continent.  Vodafone is the majority shareholder of Vodacom and has a 65% share.

We are at our best when we lead and over the past 20 years, as the Company that pioneered mobile in South Africa, Vodacom has achieved a remarkable list of firsts.  We are immensely proud to be a leader in our field and are 100% committed to continue trailblazing.

We employ individuals who are as passionate about customers as we are. We are truly Customer Obsessed, which means that we are passionate about exceeding customer expectations; work relentlessly to really understand the customer; look at decisions through the customer’s eyes and take personal accountability for the customer experience.

Vodacom is on a journey to become the South Africa’s leading data company, moving from a handset retailer & network provider into a truly digital business.

The G Band (Lower) Senior Specialist Predictive Analytics will be based Cape Town, Century City

The role of the Senior Specialist Predictive Analytics is to support Customer Operation with strategic analysis of key indicators across the business that impact the demand for customer service engagements. This role is responsible for the development of data models that explain shifts in demand (increase/decrease) of customer contacts, chats, digital engagement, back-office escalations and to empower the leadership with high quality insights to drive business decisions. The person would need to be able to evaluate the impact of technology, operational and product changes in the business, and interpret the relationship with Customer Operations key metrics (OPEX, Volume, FCR, NPS, Repeat Contacts etc.). A strong background in the Telco, TechCo and Service industries is critical, and how new technologies such as AI are impacting business efficiencies and CX and the transition from human to digital care.

Drafting quarterly and annual insights reports for Commercial Operations would also be required. The primary objective is to evaluate the commercial operations business unit from a performance, technology and financial perspective using advanced modelling techniques and capabilities and having the ability to present these to senior leaders within the business. This would include benchmarking Vodacom to OPCO’s, MNPO’s and service industries.

The Senior Specialist Predictive Analytics Lead is accountable for owning data‑driven decision‑making across commercial operations, with a specific focus on understanding and quantifying cause‑and‑effect relationships between customer demand, operational capacity, agent productivity, and operating expenditure (OPEX).

The role applies statistical and economic modelling to guide strategic decisions related to customer growth, digital adoption, service design, and CX investment trade‑offs. It acts as a strategic business partner to Customer Operations, Finance, and Executive Leadership, translating complex analytics into clear narratives that inform business decisions to deliver on the Ask Once ambition.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Develop Causal Modelling: Understanding of how business changes impact demand to commercial operations (Price Changes, Increased Base Growth, Digital Adoption, Repeat Call Drivers).
• Assess and evaluate the impact of AI investment and technology on Service Demand and Customer Experience.
• Statistical Modelling: Linear and Multivariant regression, Sensitivity Analysis, Machine Learning Modelling techniques.
• Scenario & Future Forecasting and Planning: Strategic overview of impacts of strategic business impacts for key drivers.
• Data Science Lifecycle: Collaboration with key stakeholders to transition through the four stages of analysis.
• Determine the impact of business changes (e.g. price change, new products), outages and failures (e.g. Technology, Network on service demand, and first contact resolution.
• Draft board level narratives to outline movement in KPI’s and Measurements within the business and how these impact or benefit customer CX, and business efficiency.
• Collaborate with key stakeholders to obtain insights from various business areas.
• Collaborate with Big Data and MIS to develop and automate monitoring and analysis, consolidating key metrics from each business area.

• Develops smart and insightful dashboards and reports, tracking performance across channels to promote data-driven decision-making and optimize conversion.
• Assist in the monitoring and analysis of Performance KPI’s the correlation and benchmarking of these for the purposes of driving customer experience and business efficiency.
• Able to structure, integrate and organise data to create and extend data models for an information system by applying certain formal techniques typically implemented in a database management system. May use probability and statistics to understand whether data is meaningful, including optimization, inference, testing, and other methods for analysing patterns in data to predict, understand, and improve results.
• Deliver business value through data analysis and data modelling to solve for Customer impacting failures for proactive and reactive treatment.
• Conduct complex exploratory data analysis using PySpark.
• Extract complex data from various source systems using the Big Data Platform, Cloud Platform, CCDW, CDW, Teradata.
• Data Visualisation using QlikSense or Python Data visualisation libraries for Business Insights.
• Uses data visualisation to engage audience in a compelling way enabling effective storytelling.
• Deliver high quality presentations and documentations for distribution in the business based on the analytics and the findings to support Operations, Service Design and the broader Commercial Operations.

The ideal candidate for this role will have:

• Matric is essential.
• Relevant 3 Year Diploma or Degree in in quantitative fields like Mathematics, Statistics, Economics, Computer Science Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, or related fields.
• Experience in Data Science / Data Analytics.
• Minimum of 5 to 8 years relevant experience essential in:
  • Expertise in data manipulation: use of structured data tools (e.g., SQL, Python), & unstructured data tools and platforms (e.g., Hadoop, Spark, NoSQL).
  • Proficiency in Python.
  • Expertise in machine learning and multivariate techniques (e.g. k-means segmentation, multiple regression, factor analysis, timeseries forecasting, clustering).
  • Expertise with visualisation tools (e.g. QlikSense, Power BI).
  • Contact Centre Service Environment.
  • Data Analytics and insights.
  • Exposure/interest in machine learning.
  • Expertise in AI capabilities (Generative AI).
• Facilitation skills
• Presentation skills
• Planning & organising skills.
• Interpersonal skills   
• Report writing & documentation skills.
• Numerical skills.
• Judgement and Evaluation.
• Time Management.
• Teamwork.
• Detailed focus.
• Communication (Written & Verbal).

Core competencies, knowledge, and experience:

• Agile practices and methodologies.
• Experience working high volume highly complex data sets.
• Data modelling and coding experience essential (Python, SQL).
• Experience and deep knowledge of contact centre and BPO environments.
• Understanding of Workforce Management Practices.
• Knowledge of contact centre, service industry, and operational KPI’s (FCR, NPS, AHT, Response Times, Productivity, capacity planning, demand drivers).
• Understanding of Financials for the Service Environments (Cost-to-Serve, OPEX, CAPEX), forecasting and budgeting.
• Customer Experience knowledge and Business process Transformation.
• Fluent with data, big data practices and prediction techniques.
• Strong business acumen with in-depth understanding of the contribution of the domain to the wider digital business strategy.
• Excellent collaboration and stakeholder management skills across the business and technical domain.
• Understanding of both the current Telecommunications and digital services market and emerging business trends.
• Understanding of the economics of service environments balancing digital self-service with human assisted contact centres.

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: 17 September 2026. 

The base location for this role is Century City, Cape Town or Midrand, Johannesburg.

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.