Manager Digital Partnerships

Last Date to Apply: 12th October, 2025

Employment Type: This is a full-time position.

Grade: This is a grade Job Group 3 position, Permanent

Location: This role is based in Islamabad, Pakistan. (On-Site)

Strategic Impact of the Role

• The Manager, Digital Partnerships & Innovation plays a pivotal role in shaping the organization's digital future by driving revenue growth, ecosystem expansion, and operational efficiency. The role is strategically important because it:
• Positions the Organization as a Digital Leader: By introducing industry-first digital products and embedding innovations like WhatsApp Business Solution, the role ensures the company remains competitive, future-ready, and differentiated in the market.
• Drives Ecosystem Growth & Market Penetration: Through partnerships with fintechs, banks, e-commerce, and government, the role expands the organization's footprint beyond traditional telecom, unlocking new revenue streams and customer touchpoints.
• Balances Growth with Cost Optimization: The role doesn't just focus on expansion - it also ensures operational excellence by digitizing workflows, reducing vendor inefficiencies, and delivering measurable cost savings. This balance makes the business scalable and sustainable.
• Accelerates Digital Transformation: By integrating cloud, data-driven, and customer-centric solutions into core operations, the role transforms legacy systems into agile digital platforms - improving customer experience, enabling innovation, and ensuring regulatory compliance.
• Acts as a Strategic Connector & Influencer: Through C-level relationship management and cross-functional leadership, the role aligns internal and external stakeholders, influencing the broader strategic direction and positioning the company as a trusted digital-first partner.
• Ensures Long-term Competitiveness: By identifying emerging trends and continuously launching new digital services, the role ensures the organization stays ahead of disruptive forces in telecom, fintech, and digital commerce.

Your Impactful Goals will include:

• Revenue Growth from Digital Channels: Achieve measurable increases in revenues and ARPU (Average Revenue per User) from digital partnerships, products, and platforms.
• Successful Launch & Adoption of Digital Products/Services: Deliver industry-first digital solutions (e.g., WhatsApp Business Solution, fintech products, e-commerce integrations) with strong market adoption and customer engagement.
• Ecosystem & Partnership Expansion: Secure, manage, and retain high-value partnerships with fintechs, banks, global tech companies, e-commerce platforms, and government to create scalable growth opportunities.
• Operational Excellence & Cost Optimization: Digitize workflows and streamline vendor/partner management to achieve significant cost savings, efficiency improvements, and reduced time-to-market.
• Regulatory & Compliance Alignment: Ensure all digital initiatives comply with governance, regulatory, and security requirements without slowing down innovation.
• Stakeholder & Team Leadership: Build high-performing, cross-functional teams and maintain strong satisfaction across C-level stakeholders, internal functions, and external partners.
• Market Positioning & Innovation Leadership: Position the organization as a digital-first market leader by consistently identifying emerging trends, influencing strategy, and launching products ahead of competitors.

Your Typical Day will look like:

• Partnership Development & Management: Identify new potential partners (fintechs, banks, e-commerce, startups, gov't).
• Hold meetings/negotiations with partners to explore collaboration opportunities: Maintain ongoing relationships with existing partners, tracking performance and resolving issues.
• Innovation & Product Development: Work with product, technology, and business teams to design new digital solutions.
• Review product concepts, feature lists, and integration requirements: Drive pilots, proof-of-concepts, and ensure smooth rollouts.
• Project & Program Management: Monitor timelines, deliverables, and risks for ongoing digital initiatives.
• Coordinate with cross-functional teams (tech, legal, compliance, finance, marketing) to ensure progress: Report project updates, prepare dashboards, and highlight blockers to leadership.
• Ecosystem & Market Scanning: Track digital, fintech, and telecom industry trends to spot opportunities.
• Benchmark competitor launches and bring insights back to the leadership team:  Prepare briefs or business cases for new opportunities.
• Operational Efficiency & Governance: Review workflows and vendor processes to identify areas for digitization and cost reduction.
• Ensure compliance checks are embedded in all projects: Work on financial models to validate cost savings or ROI.
• Stakeholder Communication & Alignment
• • Conduct regular sync-ups with internal teams to align priorities.
• Update senior management on performance, KPIs, and pipeline opportunities.
• Facilitate cross-functional workshops to resolve conflicts or align strategies.
• Leadership & Team Development
• Mentor junior team members, ensuring they are aligned on goals.
• Foster a culture of innovation and accountability in daily operations.

Your Career Path:

Senior Manager Digital Partnerships & Innovation

What we're looking for:

Education: Minimum Masters's degree + specializations (business, marketing)

Work experience: 5-8 years of relevant experience. 

1. Strategic Partnerships & Ecosystem Management (Proven experience in building and managing partnerships with fintechs, banks, telcos, tech giants, e-commerce, or government bodies, Track record of negotiating, structuring, and scaling partnerships that drive measurable revenue or market growth,  Exposure to ecosystem development (creating platforms where multiple industries connect and generate value).

2. Digital Product Development & Innovation (Experience in originating and launching digital-first products/services (e.g., payments, wallets, apps, APIs, platforms, Involvement in concept-to-launch cycles (ideation business case execution adoption)., Exposure to emerging technologies (cloud, APIs, data-driven services, customer-facing digital platforms).

3. Project & Program Management (Hands-on experience in leading cross-functional projects involving technical, commercial, legal, and regulatory stakeholders, Familiarity with project governance frameworks, risk management, and reporting dashboards., Ability to manage multiple high-impact initiatives simultaneously)

4. Operational Excellence & Cost Optimization (Demonstrated success in streamlining workflows or digitizing processes, Experience in vendor management and contract optimization to deliver cost savings., Proven ability to balance growth with efficiency.

5. Regulatory & Compliance (Experience working in regulated industries (telecom, fintech, banking, e-commerce), Knowledge of data security, governance, and compliance frameworks (e.g., central bank regulations, telco compliance, data privacy laws)., Ability to navigate legal/regulatory approvals for digital products.)

6. Stakeholder & Leadership Experience: Exposure to C-level engagement (presenting business cases, influencing strategy, managing executive stakeholders), Experience in leading and mentoring cross-functional teams, Strong collaboration and negotiation skills across diverse functions and external partners.

7. Market & Industry Understanding: (In-depth knowledge of telecom, fintech, payments, and digital commerce industries, Experience in scanning markets for trends, identifying digital opportunities, and shaping strategy accordingly.Track record of competitive benchmarking and adapting strategies in fast-changing industries.)

8. Bonus / Differentiating Experiences

• Hands-on work with WhatsApp Business API, cloud solutions, or digital customer engagement platforms.
• Exposure to international partnerships or regional ecosystem growth.
• Experience in startup collaborations, accelerators, or venture building.

Functional Skills/Knowledge Areas:

• Strategic Partnerships & Business Development
• Negotiation, contract management, and alliance building.
• Ecosystem expansion (fintech, banking, e-commerce, gov't, telco).
• Digital Product Innovation & Management
• Product lifecycle management (concept launch adoption).
• Understanding of APIs, digital platforms, cloud solutions, and customer engagement tools (e.g., WhatsApp Business Solution).
• Business case development and ROI analysis.
• Project & Program Management
• End-to-end project governance and execution.
• Risk management, compliance alignment, and KPI reporting.
• Agile/Waterfall methodologies (knowledge of tools like Jira, Trello, MS Project is a plus).
• Operational Excellence & Cost Optimization ({Process digitization and automation, Vendor management and cost-saving strategies. Performance monitoring through dashboards and analytics.)
• Regulatory & Compliance Knowledge (Familiarity with telecom/fintech regulations and frameworks, Data privacy, cybersecurity, and risk controls.)
• Market & Industry Knowledge (Deep understanding of telecom, fintech, payments, and digital commerce ecosystems., Market scanning, competitor benchmarking, and trend analysis.)
• Data-Driven Decision Making: (Ability to interpret KPIs, dashboards, and business insights, Analytical thinking to evaluate new opportunities)
• Leadership & Team Management (Ability to inspire and mentor cross-functional teams, Driving accountability, collaboration, and performance)
• Stakeholder Management & Influence (Strong communication skills to engage with C-level executives, regulators, and external partner, Conflict resolution and alignment building across diverse groups.)
• Innovation Mindset (Creative problem-solving to design industry-first solutions, Comfort with ambiguity and change, with a bias for action)
• Emotional Intelligence (EQ) (High self-awareness and empathy in managing teams and partners, Relationship building across cultures and industries)
• Strategic Thinking & Visioning (Ability to connect emerging trends to business strategy, Long-term vision combined with short-term execution focus)
• Negotiation & Persuasion (Ability to secure win-win outcomes in partnerships, Strong influencing skills with external and internal stakeholders, Adaptability & Resilience)
• Navigating fast-changing digital landscapes. (Staying calm and effective under pressure and complexity.)

Why should you join us at Telenor?

At Telenor Pakistan, we're more than just a workplace-we're a community where learning and growth are at the core of everything we do. We provide a platform that nurtures your professional and personal development, empowering you to excel in your chosen field and realize your potential in a dynamic, collaborative environment. As an equal opportunity employer, we celebrate diversity and inclusivity, fostering an open and flexible environment where new ideas are welcomed.

As a learning organization, we value curiosity and innovation, encouraging hands-on experiences and continuous growth. Our culture, built on Telenor's four guiding behaviors, sets us apart:

• Always Explore:    We believe growth is achieved through daily learning. We encourage you to challenge norms, embrace curiosity, experiment, and learn from every step.
• Create Together:  We know that diverse teams yield the best solutions. By bringing together varied perspectives, we support, share, and help each other succeed.
• Keep Promises:    Trust is essential to all relationships. We take ownership and pride in delivering with accuracy and integrity.
• Be Respectful:      We prioritize empathy and respect, meeting everyone at eye level, listening intently, and showing care.

Join us to be mentored, empowered, and inspired and become part of a team that positively impacts over 40 million lives every day