Senior Manager - Artificial Intelligence Information Security

The Senior Manager Information Security AI role is responsible for leading the security pillar of the AI COE and be the custodian of MTN’s BRAIN policy (our enterprise policy for safe, secure, and responsible AI).

The role will collaborate with Group Information Security and the Cloud Centre of Excellence design and operate MTN’s AI security strategy, controls, and assurance model—covering GenAI, classical ML, data pipelines, and AI-enabled products—so that innovation scales secure-by-design, compliant, and resilient to adversarial manipulation.

Context

MTN's strategy toward 2030, focuses on transitioning from a traditional telecom company into a platform-based technology business. The "Beyond 2025" strategy aims to establish MTN as a holding company managing three core platforms—Connectivity, Fintech, and Digital Infrastructure—with a strong emphasis on sustainability, AI, and Pan-African growth

MTN is establishing a Group AI Centre of Excellence (AI COE) to accelerate secure, responsible, and value-generating adoption of AI across our platforms—Connectivity, Fintech, and Infraco—and functions. The role must therefore ensure the successful delivery in context of

• The rapid scale of digital channels and consumer/enterprise digital services
• API marketplace expansion, resilience, scalability and platform engineering
• Rise of digital identity, privacy and data protection, fraud intelligence, and trust frameworks
• Multi‑market harmonisation of digital architectures across 19+ OpCos and PlatformCos
• A dynamic regulatory environment regarding data privacy and consumer protection
• Ongoing digital ecosystem partnerships leveraging hyperscalers and external developers
• Sustainable, autonomous, green tech
• AI capability and related guardrails
• An expertise-based multicultural federated organisation
• A dynamic and evolving field of API Marketplace and platforms
• Revolutionary workforce practices which are bringing together global labour markets
• Evolving industry sector constantly presenting new challenges, opportunities and threats to the core businesses

Values

We at MTN are a purpose and value-led organization. At MTN, we believe that understanding our people’s needs and aspirations is key to creating experiences that delight you at work, everyday. We are committed to fostering an environment where every member of our Y’ello Family is heard, understood and empowered to live an inspired life.

Our values keep us grounded and moving in the right direction. Most importantly, they keep us honest. It is not something we claim to be. It is in our DNA.

As an organisation, we consider it our mission to create an exciting and rewarding place to work, where our people can be themselves, thrive in positivity and ignite their full potential. A workplace that boosts creativity and innovation, improves productivity, and ultimately drives meaningful results. A workplace that is built on relationships and achieving a purpose that is bigger than us.

Our commitments go beyond an organisational promise. It is in our leadership and managerial ethos to meaningfully partner with our employees, customers and stakeholders with a vision to realise our shared goals.

Live Y’ello

• Lead with Care
• Can-do with Integrity
• Collaborate with Agility
• Serve with Respect
• Act with Inclusion

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science/Engineering/Mathematics
• Honours degree advantageous
• Relevant security certifications (e.g., CISSP, CCSP), plus data/AI credentials (e.g., cloud AI specialties, ML engineering) are advantageous.

Experience

• 5–10+ years across cybersecurity/platform security with 3-5+ years securing AI/ML platforms, GenAI/LLM ecosystems, or data-intensive analytics at enterprise scale.
• Demonstrable track record establishing security operating models/COEs and driving group-wide policy adoption in complex, multi‑country organizations (preferably telco/fintech).
• Hands‑on exposure to cloud-native AI stacks (in particular Azure), MLOps toolchains, and embedding controls in agile product delivery.
• Experience integrating AI systems into SOC/SIEM, designing AI incident response, and conducting AI red teaming and robustness testing.

Core Competencies and skills

• Security architecture for AI/ML;
• Threat modelling and adversarial ML;
• Secure MLOps; data security & privacy;
• GenAI/LLM guardrails;
• Risk & compliance;
• Leadership and stakeholder management.

The Senior Manager Information Security AI COE is responsible for the following key performance areas:

AI COE (Security Pillar) & Governance