Manager- Competition at Safaricom Kenya

Overview

We are pleased to announce the following vacancy Manager- Competition in Regulatory & Public Policy department within External Affairs Cluster. In keeping with our current business needs, we are looking for a person who meets the criteria indicated below.

Role

Reporting to the Director -Regulatory Affairs, the role holder will provide robust, insights led economic and policy analysis and advisory that supports Safaricom’s regulatory, competition, compliance and public policy objectives across Safaricom’s telecommunications, financial services and digital platforms.

About The Company

Safaricom is the leading technology company in East Africa. Our purpose is to transform lives by connecting people to people, people to opportunities and people to information. We keep over 60 million customers connected across Kenya and Ethiopia, and play a critical role in the society, supporting over 1.13 million jobs both directly and indirectly while our total economic value was estimated at KES 1.1 trillion ($ 8.5 billion) for the 12 months through March 2025.

Listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange and with annual revenues of close to KES 388 billion as at March 2025, Safaricom provides connectivity through wide range of technology. Our 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G network in aggregate covers over 99% of Kenya’s population.

We run the world’s largest mobile payment system and Africa’s largest Fintech, M-PESA, the world’s first mobile money transfer system. By empowering millions of customers to transact, save or borrow money through their mobile phone, M-PESA has driven financial inclusion in Kenya to 84.8% of the adult population in 2024, from a low of 26.7% in 2006, and generated over KES 161 billion in revenue as at FY25.

Our subsidiary, Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia, has deployed world class network and services to contribute to Ethiopia’s digital transformation.

Safaricom is an equal opportunity employer, actively recruiting staff from different backgrounds reflecting the communities that we serve. We are committed to equal gender representation at all levels.

As part of our ongoing commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we continue to work towards improving energy and resource efficiency in our network and facilities to reduce carbon emissions and our fuel consumption. We remain committed to becoming a Net Zero carbon-emitting company by 2050.

Responsibilities

• Uphold the company code of conduct, policies and procedures, ensuring integrity and accountability in every aspect of your work.
• All employees have a responsibility to adhere to safety, health, and wellbeing policies, guidelines and procedures in all actions and decisions.

Economic & Policy Analysis

• Guide Safaricom’s approach to competition economics and regulatory market design.
• Analyse and interpret competition laws, relevant sector regulations, and policy frameworks affecting telecommunications, digital platforms, and adjacent markets.
• Conduct competition audits, prepare policy briefs, economic analyses, and position papers to inform Safaricom’s responses to competition focused regulatory proposals and legislative reforms.
• Support the development of Safaricom’s policy positions on competition and emerging digital regulation.
• Conduct market and regulatory benchmarking against regional and international jurisdictions to inform best practice and advocacy strategies.
• Provide authoritative economic assessments on regulatory proposals, remedies, and enforcement actions affecting the telecommunications, financial services and digital economy.
• Set analytical standards and frameworks for economic and policy analysis across the regulatory and public policy function.
  

Regulatory Engagement & Compliance Support

• Collaborate with colleagues in the Regulatory and Public Policy Departments and the wider Safaricom to support engagements with national and regional competition regulators and national and regional sector specific regulators on all issues relating to competition management.
• Own the development of Safaricom’s economic policy positions, ensuring alignment to corporate strategy and long term market sustainability.
• Lead responses to major legislative, regulatory, and policy reforms, including consumer protection, competition law, and sector specific interventions.
• Translate complex regulatory developments into clear executive level implications and recommendations.
• Analyse regulatory and licence requirements and provide clear policy oriented guidance to internal stakeholders on compliance options and implications.
• Monitor and assess current and anticipated regulatory and legislative developments, including consumer protection and competition policy, and advise on business impact.

Mergers, Acquisitions and Other Notifiable Transactions

• Provide economic and competition policy input to support applications for regulatory approvals relating to mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and other notifiable transactions.
• Work collaboratively with the Regulatory and Public Policy Department, Legal, Business Development, and external advisors to support timely and effective engagement with competition authorities and sector regulators.

Policy Advocacy & Stakeholder Management

• Support the formulation of policy advocacy strategies, including economic justifications for regulatory or legislative change that promotes sustainable competition and investment.
• Contribute to consultation submissions, policy dialogue, and stakeholder forums convened by regulators and policymakers.
• Represent Safaricom, as delegated, in technical or consultative regulatory engagements, hearings, and working groups, in coordination with the Director, Regulatory Affairs.

Inter Operator & Market Framework Support

• Provide economic and policy input into pricing and inter operator frameworks.
• Collaborate with internal teams in the review and negotiation support of regulatory driven agreements to ensure alignment with economic principles and regulatory obligations.
• Assist in analysing and managing regulatory or commercial disputes from a policy and economic perspective, working closely with regulatory, legal and external advisors.

Internal Advisory & Process Development

• Act as an internal point of reference on economic and regulatory policy issues, supporting cross functional teams with clear, practical insights.
• Contribute to the development and continuous improvement of internal processes, guidelines, and SLAs related to regulatory analysis and policy engagement.

• Support knowledge building initiatives to strengthen Safaricom’s institutional capability in economic and competition policy analysis.

Core competencies, knowledge and experience:

Customer Obsession

• Deepen team connection to our customers and communities.
• Foster authentic relationships with customers and partners that build trust.
• Explicitly take customer-centric decisions and take personal ownership to achieve results.
• Simplify processes through digitalisation and promote a digital mindset and digital first customer experience.
• Stay focused on the big priorities, know when to make meaningful trade-offs and demonstrate brilliant execution.

Purpose

• Create an inspiring vision for your team to drive strategy and performance.
• Show ambition and courage, empowering others to go beyond the plan.
• Bold and challenge teams to reimagine how things are done.
• Prompt new thinking and ideas by asking “what if” questions.
• Use knowledge of the external environment (customers, partners, competition, external bodies) to identify and act on opportunities for growth at pace.

Innovation

• Create psychological safety so everyone can have an impact.
• Fuel innovative ideas from others and test them to enable growth.
• Explore successes and failures with curiosity and resilience; fearlessly recognizing lessons learned.
• Share your ongoing learning and personal purpose with others.
• Learn fast from digital adoption, using learnings to drive simplicity, scale and efficiency.

Collaboration

• Articulate your team’s role in making our strategy happen, prioritizing and aligning resources with current and future needs.
• Actively collaborate to break silos and hold your team accountable to do the same.
• Develop others to make the most of their talents and coach them to take ownership to get things done.
• Create an inclusive environment ensuring the safety and wellbeing of others.
• Live our Purpose and demonstrate the highest Standard of integrity.
  

Requirements

• Degree in Economics, Public Policy, Law, or a related discipline; postgraduate qualification in economics or competition policy is an advantage.
• 5–8 years’ experience in economic policy, competition analysis, regulatory affairs, consulting, or a similar environment.
• Strong analytical capability with the ability to translate complex regulatory and economic issues into clear business and policy insights.
• Experience engaging with regulators, policymakers, or industry associations.
• Strong written communication skills, particularly in policy papers, regulatory submissions, and briefing notes.
• Collaborative mindset with the ability to work across regulatory, legal, commercial, and technical teams.

How to Apply. If you feel that you are up to the challenge and possess the necessary qualification and experience, kindly proceed to create/ update your candidate profile on the recruitment portal and then Click on the apply button. Remember to attach your resume.