Chief Technology Officer

Chief Technology Officer (CTO) – Mobile Network Operator (MNO)

📍 Uganda

🏢 High-Growth MNO Group

💰 Highly Competitive Executive Package + Bonus & LTIP

Alexander Lloyd Senior Search are partnering with a leading Mobile Network Operator to appoint a Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to lead the end-to-end technology strategy, delivery, and operations of the network.

This is a board-facing executive role, accountable for the evolution of the network from legacy technologies through 5G Standalone, 5G-Advanced and future 6G readiness, while driving best-in-class coverage, reliability, security, and unit economics.

The Role

As CTO, you will own the full technology estate including:

• RAN strategy and delivery across multi-band spectrum (low/mid/high/mmWave)
• 5G SA core, IMS and cloud-native transformation
• Transport, backhaul, MEC/edge compute
• Device, handset and SIM/eSIM ecosystem
• Network operations, availability, security and customer experience

You will lead the transition toward AI-native, cloud-native, open and programmable networks, enabling new revenue streams such as FWA, private networks, slicing, MEC and IoT.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and execute the multi-year network and technology roadmap (2G/3G sunset → LTE → 5G SA → 5G-Advanced → 6G-ready).
• Lead nationwide RAN planning, rollout, optimisation and performance engineering.
• Own core network evolution, IMS modernisation, and digital platform enablement.
• Drive transport and backhaul modernisation to support ultra-low latency services.
• Oversee network availability, resilience, disaster recovery and cyber security.
• Own technology Capex/Opex, unit-cost optimisation, and vendor strategy.
• Build and lead high-performing engineering and operations teams.
• Act as senior technology interface to the CEO, Board, regulators, vendors and partners.

Candidate Profile

• Extensive experience in the African telecommunications market, with clear progression across:
• Hands-on engineering execution
• Senior domain leadership
• Executive-level technology governance
• Proven CTO (or equivalent) experience within a mobile network operator.
• Deep expertise across RAN, spectrum, 5G Core/IMS, transport, cloud, devices and security.
• Demonstrated leadership of large-scale network transformations and national rollouts.
• Commercially astute, operationally disciplined, and regulator-credible.
• Comfortable operating in complex, high-growth and emerging market environments.

** Re location would be on offer for candidates that can demonstrate experience within the key requirements requested.

Please quote JR0126 when emailing in the first instance at jri@alexanderlloyd.co.uk. Please expand on the key candidate requirements.

Due to the high amount of interest that we receive for each of our roles unfortunately we cannot respond to each application individually, therefore if you do not hear back from one of our consultants you have not been shortlisted for this role. Please continue to check our website www.alexanderlloyd.co.uk for any other roles which may be of interest.

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