Site Acquisition Manager

Helios Towers is a leading independent telecommunications infrastructure company, having established one of the most extensive tower portfolios across Africa. It builds, owns and operates telecom passive infrastructure, providing services to mobile network operators. Helios Towers currently operates in 8 markets across Africa and Oman in the Middle East.

Overview

As Site Acquisition Manager, you will lead the end-to-end site acquisition function, ensuring the timely delivery of acquisition, permitting, and contract management activities that support Helios Towers' network expansion objectives. You will oversee the identification and acquisition of suitable properties, negotiate ground lease agreements, secure statutory approvals, and ensure all sites remain legally compliant throughout their operational lifecycle.

Working closely with internal stakeholders, landlords, contractors, regulatory authorities, and commercial partners, you will drive operational excellence across the Site Acquisition function while ensuring delivery against business targets, budgets, governance requirements, and customer commitments.

Role Responsibilities

As Site Acquisition Manager, you will be responsible for:

• Leading the Site Acquisition team by setting priorities, managing performance, developing capability, and ensuring delivery against agreed business objectives and timelines.
• Planning and overseeing the end-to-end site acquisition process, including site identification, property assessments, lease negotiations, permitting activities, and contract administration.
• Negotiating ground lease agreements, renewals, amendments, novations, and contract terminations in line with company policies, commercial objectives, and legal requirements.
• Managing relationships with landlords, property owners, government authorities, and external stakeholders to facilitate successful site acquisition and resolve acquisition-related issues.
• Coordinating acquisition and colocation activities with Commercial, Finance, Legal, Engineering, and external operators to ensure alignment with network rollout plans and operational priorities.
• Ensuring all statutory permits, licenses, approvals, and regulatory requirements are obtained, maintained, and renewed throughout the operational life of each site.
• Maintaining strict compliance with applicable laws, regulatory requirements, company policies, and governance standards throughout the site acquisition process.
• Monitoring acquisition progress, contractor performance, budgets, and delivery timelines while proactively addressing risks, bottlenecks, and project delays.
• Managing relationships with suppliers and supporting Finance in ensuring timely and accurate payments to landlords and service providers.
• Maintaining complete, accurate, and up-to-date records of all acquisition activities, lease agreements, permits, amendments, renewals, and site documentation.
• Preparing operational reports, acquisition dashboards, and management updates to provide visibility on project progress, risks, budgets, and overall team performance.
• Driving continuous improvement initiatives by strengthening acquisition processes, enhancing stakeholder engagement, and improving operational efficiency across the Site Acquisition function.

Requirements for the Role

To succeed in the role, you will be/will have:

• Bachelor's degree in Law, Property Management, Real Estate, Business Administration, or a related discipline.
• Minimum of 5 years' experience in site acquisition, property management, or real estate within telecommunications, infrastructure, utilities, or related industries.
• At least 3 years' experience leading or managing teams.
• Strong knowledge of property acquisition processes, contract negotiation, land rights, and permitting requirements.
• Good understanding of relevant legal and regulatory frameworks governing property acquisition and site operations.
• Experience managing external contractors, landlords, government authorities, and multiple stakeholders.
• Proven ability to manage multiple acquisition projects simultaneously while meeting deadlines and budget requirements.

Desired Skills

• Strong contract negotiation and commercial management skills.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and relationship management capability.
• Strong leadership and people management skills.
• Sound understanding of legal and regulatory compliance.
• Excellent planning, organisation, and project coordination skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capability.
• High attention to detail and administrative accuracy.
• Results-oriented with strong decision-making ability.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Key Deliverables

• Site acquisition targets achieved within agreed timelines and approved budgets.
• Executed lease agreements and property contracts compliant with company standards.
• Timely acquisition of statutory permits and regulatory approvals.
• Accurate and up-to-date site acquisition records and contract documentation.
• Strong relationships with landlords, government authorities, and external stakeholders.
• High-performing Site Acquisition team delivering against operational objectives.
• Regular management reports on acquisition progress, permitting status, contract lifecycle activities, and operational performance.
• Continuous improvement initiatives implemented across acquisition processes.

KPIs

• Percentage of site acquisition targets delivered on schedule.
• Average site acquisition cycle time.
• Permit approval turnaround time.
• Lease negotiation success rate.
• Contract accuracy and compliance rate.
• Acquisition budget adherence.
• Landlord and stakeholder issue resolution time.
• Team performance against acquisition targets.
• Number of compliance or regulatory issues arising from acquisition activities.
• Accuracy and completeness of site acquisition documentation.

Helios Towers is committed to promoting equal opportunities in employment. You and any job applicants will receive equal treatment regardless of age, disability, marital status, pregnancy or maternity, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief.