We are looking for a Business Readiness Lead to join our Dynamic Team based in Cape Town (onsite).

The Business Readiness Lead supports the successful implementation of projects and project deliverables by planning, managing, and driving Business Readiness and User Adoption across specific projects in order to achieve business goals. The Business Readiness Lead works collaboratively with multiple stakeholders, project teams and representatives from business and IT by planning and tracking all activities and deliverables related to Business Readiness and cutover. Ensuring employees and management teams are efficiently and effectively enabled and ready to implement the change required at go live is key.

Role Description

• Assume end-to-end responsibility for Business Readiness for specific projects, ensuring the change deployed is sustainable and fully embedded within the business.

• Conduct Business Readiness needs analysis for relevant business units to determine key drivers for change and best options or solutions to support business activities and performance on the project.

• Establish and mobilise a Business Anchoring team (BAT) structure to provide direction, make decisions and manage the flow of communication during the change to senior stakeholders that will enable the change to be implemented successfully in the respective department or business unit.

• Work with Business Anchoring Teams to identify and set up readiness activities/ tasks for relevant stakeholder groups.

• Manage and monitor the completion of readiness activities/ tasks to ensure readiness for go live.

• Communicate the Business Readiness tasks that need to be performed.

• Engage with the Sponsor and Business Anchors to ensure timelines and status of the project are understood and to address any business-related constraints.

• Proactively address operational Business Readiness issues within specific units.

• Promote and support end-user training efforts in preparation for go live.

• Ensure that feedback is provided by the Training team and People Partners that all training has been completed.

• Coordinate the creation of Quick Reference Guides/ FAQs to support the user experience and sustain the change.

• Conduct regular Business Readiness forums with key project - and business stakeholders to ensure delivery milestones are on track and any potential risks or delays are escalated and proactively mitigated.

• Provide business stakeholders with regular progress reports, dashboards, and status updates. 

• Ensure Super Users where applicable, are enabled to support and execute the change through an propriate training and engagement.

• Manage and coordinate Go-live & hypercare support in collaboration with project management.

• Disseminate surveys and consolidate findings to support process and efficiency improvements.

• Initiate and facilitate “Lessons Learnt” forums.

• Draft/ compile/ publish communication pieces.

Qualifications and experience

• Degree or Diploma in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business - or Change Management or a related field - (essential).

• Project Management Certification – (desirable).

• 3+ years' experience in a similar capacity or role with demonstrable experience driving Business Readiness of multiple and complex projects across stakeholder groups within a large organisation - (essential).

• Strong Change Management capability and experience delivering change involving people, processes, and technology - (essential).

• Strong understanding of project delivery frameworks and project management delivery methods including agile delivery methodology – (essential).

• Experience in a retail or FMCG environment - (desired). Key competencies and work ethic

• Project and Business Readiness management - Applies Project - and Business Readiness management processes and tools to ensure Business Readiness. Define roles and responsibilities for all business stakeholders involved.

• Analytical thinking - Understands, analyses, and navigates the risks of complex processes with a strong basis on project methodologies and principles. Applies sound discretion and judgement in balancing competing demands and priorities.

• Communication skills - Ability to apply accurate and succinct messaging, present complex concepts simply and communicate actionable findings and recommendations in a way that facilitates change.

• Relationship building - Works collaboratively with others to achieve business outcomes. Builds credibility quickly and establishes trust to empower and enables others to integrate and sustain change.

• Able to persuade, influence and inspire commitment in others, effectively exploring alternatives and positions to reach outcomes that gain the support and acceptance of all parties.

• Results-oriented and quality focused setting goals for self and others, while remaining focused and working tenaciously toward meeting and exceeding expectations.

• Ability to work under pressure and manage multiple demands while organizing, prioritizing, and reordering workload in a rapidly changing and fast-moving environment.

• Innovative and solution-orientated - Creating and applying sound judgement and the ability to generate solutions that serve the flow of work, quality, and the respective risk mitigation requirements.

• Digital centric & savvy - passionate about the possibilities of digital technologies and their value for business, a self-starter who can come up to speed quickly on applications, technologies, and processes.