Safaricom is the leading provider of converged communication solutions in Kenya. In addition to providing a broad range of first-class products and services for Telephony, Broadband Internet and Financial services, Safaricom seeks to uplift the welfare of Kenyans through value-added services and support for community projects.

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Talent Acquisition Manager - Technology

Job Type

Full Time

Qualification

BA/BSc/HND

Experience

6 - 8 years

Location

Nairobi

Job Field

Human Resources / HR

Job Description

Reporting to the Senior Manager, Resourcing & Talent, the role holder will partner with the Technology Cluster to deliver end-to-end, skills-based talent acquisition that enables Safaricom’s AI-first and digitally driven ambitions, ensuring timely access to critical technology talent through a balanced build, buy and borrow approach.

The role works closely with hiring managers to define requirements, build strong talent pipelines and drive high-quality, data-informed hiring decisions, while prioritizing internal mobility, enhancing candidate experience and ensuring efficient, compliant and insight-driven recruitment delivery.

Responsibilities

Health and Safety

• 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.

Technology Talent Acquisition Delivery

• Deliver end-to-end recruitment for Technology roles (AI, data, engineering, digital) within agreed SLAs.
• Work with recruitment agencies and sourcing partners to fill critical roles aligned to workforce plans.
• Ensure high-quality, compliant and professional recruitment processes aligned to the Safaricom Way.
• Drive strong candidate experience and timely closure of vacancies.
• Balance speed, quality and cost in hiring execution.

Hiring Manager Partnership & Capability Building

• Partner closely with hiring managers to define role requirements, skills and hiring priorities.
• Deliver workshops and coaching to line managers on recruitment best practice and assessment approaches.
• Guide hiring managers on structured interviews, assessment centres and fair selection decisions.
• Ensure hiring decisions are consistent, objective and aligned to policy.
• Act as a trusted advisor on market insights, talent availability and hiring strategies.

Talent Pipeline, Diversity & Employer Branding

• Build diverse talent pipelines across gender, disability and underrepresented groups.
• Develop proactive sourcing strategies for scarce and future-critical technology skills.
• Participate in career fairs and external engagements to position Safaricom as an employer of choice.
• Build relationships with universities, institutions and talent communities.
• Strengthen employer brand visibility within the Technology talent market.

Internal Mobility & Skills-Based Placement

• Review all vacancies against internal talent pools before initiating external hiring.
• Place ready-now internal talent into roles to drive mobility and reduce time-to-fill.
• Partner with HRBPs to align hiring decisions to workforce and capability plans.
• Support skills-based hiring and redeployment across Technology teams.
• Track internal vs external hiring mix and improve internal fill rates.

Recruitment Governance, Reporting & Vendor Management

• Manage relationships with external providers (agencies, background checkers, institutions).
• Ensure all recruitment activities are legally compliant and ethically conducted.
• Produce weekly and monthly recruitment reports (pipeline, hires, challenges, KPIs vs workforce plan).
• Provide data-driven insights to improve hiring performance and decision-making.
• Identify process improvement opportunities to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.

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.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration or related field.
• Higher National Diploma in HRM.
• 6–8 years’ progressive experience in Talent Acquisition, with at least 3 years, in a Senior Specialist and above level role dedicated to Technology/ Digital hiring in complex, fast‑paced environments (e.g. telecoms, fintech, big tech, consulting, or large-scale enterprises).
• Proven, hands‑on experience hiring across critical and scarce technology skills, including (but not limited to): Software & Platform Engineering, Data, AI / ML, Cybersecurity, Cloud, Digital Product, and Architecture roles.
• Demonstrated track record of senior‑level hiring and building sustainable talent pipelines for hard‑to‑fill and leadership roles.
• Experience partnering closely with senior business leaders to translate workforce strategy, capability gaps, and DEI ambitions into actionable hiring plans.
• Extensive experience in conducting competency based interviewing and assessment centers as selection tools.
• Strong knowledge of end-to-end recruitment processes, sourcing strategies and assessment methods.
• Experience working with recruitment systems (ATS) and data-driven hiring/reporting.
• Understanding of labour laws, recruitment compliance and ethical hiring practices.
• Proven ability to partner with hiring managers and manage external vendors/agencies.
• Experience in coaching staff and line managers on best recruitment and selection principles/practices and interviewing skills.
• Good stakeholder management experience.

• Deliver end-to-end recruitment for Technology roles (AI, data, engineering, digital) within agreed SLAs.
• Work with recruitment agencies and sourcing partners to fill critical roles aligned to workforce plans.
• Ensure high-quality, compliant and professional recruitment processes aligned to the Safaricom Way.
• Drive strong candidate experience and timely closure of vacancies.
• Balance speed, quality and cost in hiring execution.
• Partner closely with hiring managers to define role requirements, skills and hiring priorities.
• Deliver workshops and coaching to line managers on recruitment best practice and assessment approaches.
• Guide hiring managers on structured interviews, assessment centres and fair selection decisions.
• Ensure hiring decisions are consistent, objective and aligned to policy.
• Act as a trusted advisor on market insights, talent availability and hiring strategies.
• Build diverse talent pipelines across gender, disability and underrepresented groups.
• Develop proactive sourcing strategies for scarce and future-critical technology skills.
• Participate in career fairs and external engagements to position Safaricom as an employer of choice.
• Build relationships with universities, institutions and talent communities.
• Strengthen employer brand visibility within the Technology talent market.
• Review all vacancies against internal talent pools before initiating external hiring.
• Place ready-now internal talent into roles to drive mobility and reduce time-to-fill.
• Partner with HRBPs to align hiring decisions to workforce and capability plans.
• Support skills-based hiring and redeployment across Technology teams.
• Track internal vs external hiring mix and improve internal fill rates.
• Manage relationships with external providers (agencies, background checkers, institutions).
• Ensure all recruitment activities are legally compliant and ethically conducted.
• Produce weekly and monthly recruitment reports (pipeline, hires, challenges, KPIs vs workforce plan).
• Provide data-driven insights to improve hiring performance and decision-making.
• Identify process improvement opportunities to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.

• Talent Acquisition
• Recruitment
• Sourcing
• Candidate Experience
• Hiring Manager Partnership
• Talent Pipeline Development
• Employer Branding
• Internal Mobility
• Skills-Based Hiring
• Recruitment Governance
• Reporting
• Vendor Management
• Competency-Based Interviewing
• Assessment Centers
• ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems)
• Data-Driven Hiring
• Labour Laws
• Recruitment Compliance
• Ethical Hiring Practices
• Stakeholder Management
• Coaching

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration or related field.
• Higher National Diploma in HRM.
• 6–8 years’ progressive experience in Talent Acquisition, with at least 3 years, in a Senior Specialist and above level role dedicated to Technology/ Digital hiring in complex, fast‑paced environments (e.g. telecoms, fintech, big tech, consulting, or large-scale enterprises).
• Proven, hands‑on experience hiring across critical and scarce technology skills, including (but not limited to): Software & Platform Engineering, Data, AI / ML, Cybersecurity, Cloud, Digital Product, and Architecture roles.
• Demonstrated track record of senior‑level hiring and building sustainable talent pipelines for hard‑to‑fill and leadership roles.
• Experience partnering closely with senior business leaders to translate workforce strategy, capability gaps, and DEI ambitions into actionable hiring plans.
• Extensive experience in conducting competency based interviewing and assessment centers as selection tools.
• Strong knowledge of end-to-end recruitment processes, sourcing strategies and assessment methods.
• Experience working with recruitment systems (ATS) and data-driven hiring/reporting.
• Understanding of labour laws, recruitment compliance and ethical hiring practices.
• Proven ability to partner with hiring managers and manage external vendors/agencies.
• Experience in coaching staff and line managers on best recruitment and selection principles/practices and interviewing skills.
• Good stakeholder management experience.