Director Channels at Equity Bank Kenya

Job Purpose: 

This role plays a crucial leadership role in shaping and executing the strategic vision for the bank's payment channels. This position requires a seasoned professional with a deep understanding of payment systems, technological advancements, regulatory landscape, and customer behavior. The successful candidate will be responsible for overseeing the end-to-end management of payment channels, ensuring seamless operations, driving innovation, and optimizing customer experiences.

Key Responsibilities: 

Strategic Leadership:

• Develop and implement a strategic vision for the Bank’s Channel’s function aligned with the bank's overall objectives.
• Identify emerging trends, technologies, and industry best practices to maintain the bank's competitive edge in the payment services domain.

Operational Excellence:

•   Oversee the day-to-day operations of payment channels, ensuring reliability, efficiency, and compliance with regulatory requirements.
•    Collaborate with cross-functional teams to enhance processes, reduce operational risks, and optimize costs.

Innovation and Product Development:

•   Drive the development and launch of innovative payment products and services to meet customer needs and market demands.
•   Collaborate with technology teams to integrate emerging technologies (e.g., blockchain, AI) into payment channel infrastructure. 

Customer Experience:

• Enhance the customer journey across all payment channels, focusing on usability, accessibility, and speed.
•   Leverage customer feedback and data analytics to continually improve and personalize payment services. 

Compliance and Risk Management:

•  Ensure adherence to regulatory requirements and industry standards related to payment services.
•  Implement robust risk management practices to safeguard against fraud, cyber threats, and operational disruptions.

Stakeholder Management:

•   Collaborate with internal stakeholders, including technology, legal, compliance, and marketing teams, to ensure alignment and support for payment channel initiatives.
•   Cultivate relationships with external partners, vendors, and industry bodies to stay informed and foster collaboration. 

Performance Monitoring and Reporting:

• Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the success of payment channel initiatives.
• Provide regular reports to senior management on the performance, challenges, and opportunities within the payment channels function.

Qualifications

Qualifications and Experience

•  Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Technology, or a related field. Master's degree is a plus.
•  Proven experience (10+ years) in a leadership role within payment services, with a track record of strategic planning and successful implementation.
•  Relevant professional certifications would be an added advantage.

Key Competencies & Skills 

•  In-depth knowledge of payment systems, technologies, and regulatory landscape.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills
•  Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and lead cross-functional teams. 
• Strong leadership and people management skills 
•  Ability to motivate and develop staff, and promote high levels of consistent performance,
•  In-depth knowledge of regulatory requirements and risk management best practices
• Demonstrated capabilities to drive change within an organization,
• Deep understanding of banking operations, processes, and regulatory requirements, as well as the operations and technology trends that are shaping the industry, the inherent risks and potential mitigants in these scenarios.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build relationships with stakeholders at all levels of the organization, including the ability to manage matrix relationships.