Vodafone's hiring an Apps Business Developer: Oh dear
I’ve got a ton of keywords that Google hunts for me — and this morning, this page showed up.
It might be useful for some Mobile Industry Review readers looking for a new role. I thought it was rather insightful too.
Have a read:
One of the world’s leading telecommunications companies are currently looking for an Apps Business Developer
This project is aimed at the development and initial implementation of an outreach programme engaging with well known brands and persuading them to invest time and other resources to develop our apps. Also we will be mobilising the small developer’s cottage industry to contribute to the growing apps pipeline.
The successful candidate will be delivering a strategy for the generation of new apps business which aligns with the wider Global approach, and takes in all potential apps developers from the big high street brands to individual programmers working in their bedrooms.
Knowledge:
Deep knowledge of Internet, telecommunications and Hi-tech industries, with established relationships across these sectors.
Exposure to the software development benefits/barriers of mobile widgets & applications, across handset technologies and international markets
Awareness of roles of relevant industry bodies and standardisation initiatives
Strong grasp of developer management tools and widget SDKs Skills
Strong stakeholder management ability
It’s a 6-month contract with one of the ‘world’s leading telecommunications companies’ based in Newbury. It can only be Vodafone.
What I found interesting in the text was this paragraph:
This project is aimed at the development and initial implementation of an outreach programme engaging with well known brands and persuading them to invest time and other resources to develop our apps
Doesn’t this highlight everything that’s wrong in the mobile operator approach?
If there’s a market, companies will gravitate to it, provided you make the tools easily available. Apple has demonstrated this. Apple don’t have to walk about persuading companies to invest time and ‘other resources’ to make applications.
It’s patently obvious to companies whether they should or should not do it. All you should need to do is facilitate.
I wonder if this points to a future catastrophic failure at Vodafone, in the context of applications and application development.
If you have to PERSUADE companies, I think you’ve got a problem. A big problem.
And if you’re describing the applications that companies develop as ‘our apps’ — i.e. ‘Vodafone’s apps’… no, that’s entirely the wrong attitude.
It’ll be interesting to see the results in 6 months.
The Job Serve role is here.
