Head of Product & Solutions East Africa at Visa

Job Description

Purpose

Support the strategic development of Visa’s business in East Africa covering initiatives related to Core Consumer Products (Debit, Credit, Prepaid), benefits and innovations across markets in East Africa.

This role will also be responsible for the selling in and optimization of Visa’s Data Products, which include data-driven applications, APIs, and software-as-a-service platforms for key Sub-Saharan Africa markets.

Key Responsibilities

• Scope: East Africa & other key markets across Sub-Saharan Africa, based in Nairobi.
• Important: Candidate must be willing to travel to Clients.

Key Result Areas

• Provide product support of strategic initiatives for East Africa.
• Assess and leverage appropriate business models, products, solutions and successes throughout Visa regionally and globally.
• Have a good understanding of the industry in which Visa operates. Assess and develop plans which identify and address Visa’s position with competitors, threats and development opportunities for the Visa business.
• Achieve key business objectives through promotion and management of Visa affluent products, Visa data products, product benefits and services, partners, and with Clients.
• Take an active role in the engagement of Clients buy-in to core and data product related and strategic initiatives.
• Provide core and data product support – through management of local subject matter owners, key benefit partnerships, and co-ordination of regional and global subject matter experts.
• Provide general support of Visa’s products through to Clients – particular emphasis on affluent and benefit platforms in addition to marketing efforts.
• Prepare and execute product development, support plans and their implementation within Visa.
• Work with local Product Management to ensure the needs of the East Africa market is highly prioritized.
• Help to build the strategy and approach to drive Data Products’ market penetration and business results in key Africa markets.

Product leadership for core consumer products (Debit, Credit, Prepaid) across markets in East Africa:

• Work with Visa’s clients and Business Development teams in East Africa to ensure the product requirements of clients and Visa cardholders are clearly understood and prioritized.
• Drive product-related and strategic initiatives with Visa’s clients, in collaboration with Business Development, Marketing and other functional teams.
• Pro-actively identify opportunities for growth and/or improvement.
• Provide input to new business opportunities and formal proposals (e.g. RFP’s).

Manage product platforms relevant to East Africa

• Work with vendors and cross-functional teams to manage local benefit platforms in selected East African markets, including vendor management, communication, and client engagement.
• In cases where new products or capabilities are deployed in selected East African markets, play an active role in understanding requirements and developing solutions.

Manage performance of Consumer products across East Africa

• Review performance, available reporting and request additional management information as required for all products within the region.

Support strategic initiatives to grow and sustain Data Products in key Markets

• Collaborate and liaise between the client/sales teams and product support teams to own the acquisition, execution, and optimization of Data Products.

Key Performance Indicators & Decision Making:

• Manage expenses and budgets. Support with financial management of Product budget and allocation of funding to ensure spend is maximized to achieve key business goals that drive business growth.
• Support Senior Director of Consumer Products to ensure that budgets are spent and   tracked appropriately. 
• Provide support for implementation of affluent product strategy for East Africa business.
• Provide support for product strategy and benefit platform value proposition development.
  • Follow correct governance to maintain an exemplary control environment.
  • Support with East Africa affluent product strategic business plans & initiatives in conjunction with local and regional management.
• Development of strong influential and respectable relationships with Local and Regional Product Development counterparts.
• Support with achievement of country business targets; this includes card numbers, card volume (PV), multi-currency revenues and domestic processing volumes.
• Support in achieving Member Satisfaction Survey targets in line with CEMEA and Global targets annually.
• Provide support for development of product strategies and business plans to local Product Management.
• Anchor the execution of Data Product related initiatives.

Qualifications

Professional

1. Tertiary qualification with a business, marketing, or other relevant degree
2. Post-graduate qualification will be advantageous, but not an absolute requirement
3. >5 years’ experience in payments, banking or financial services
4. Experience in product management, and/or marketing management

Technical

1. Analytical experience with insight and understanding of segmentation and modelling consulting principles and other product management principles
2. Ability to support and develop business case financial models
3. Exposure to digital products and digital product management will be advantageous
4. Strong project management skills
5. Extremely competent with computer based programs including PowerPoint, Excel, Word, Outlook and the Internet
6. Strong project management and execution skills

Business

1. Good networker with experience at senior levels
2. Strong conceptualization and problem solving skills
3. Superior people skills
4. Good business analytical skills
5. Strong relationship management skills
6. Confidence and ability to sell and negotiate with others
7. Entrepreneurial skills and ability to take initiative
8. Self-driven, highly motivated team player
9. Execution driven

Additional Information

Visa is an EEO Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status. Visa will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with EEOC guidelines and applicable local law.