Careers at Cellulant Corporation

Summary Overview

The VP Financial Institutions is a leadership role tasked with building and guiding a high-performance financial institutions function that sets the benchmark of excellence in Africa. Reporting directly to the Chief Revenue Officer (CRO), you will spearhead comprehensive sales strategies, foster robust cross-functional collaboration, and drive long-term revenue growth within the financial sector.

Operating at the intersection of fintech innovation and banking, you will develop new market opportunities, forge strategic partnerships, and align product, marketing, and customer success initiatives to deliver transformative solutions for banks, credit unions, and other financial institutions. With an unwavering focus on shaping a sales organisation that becomes the gold standard in Africa, your leadership will ensure that our banking products address evolving industry needs, deliver outstanding customer experiences, and position the company as a trusted partner in financial services transformation.

Core Responsibilities:

Strategic Sales Leadership

• Sales Strategy & Execution: Develop and drive a comprehensive sales strategy for banking products, ensuring alignment with overall business objectives and revenue targets.
• Market Intelligence: Continuously analyse banking industry trends, competitor movements, and regulatory changes to identify growth opportunities and enhance sales initiatives.
• Pipeline Management: Establish and maintain a robust sales pipeline that supports near- and long-term revenue goals.

Team Leadership

• High-Performance Culture: Recruit, mentor, and inspire a results-driven sales team, empowering them to meet and exceed ambitious KPIs.
• Coaching & Development: Provide ongoing training, feedback, and professional development opportunities.
• Collaboration & Innovation: Foster a culture of open communication, accountability, and continual innovation within the team.

Business Development

• Key Relationship Building: Establish strong relationships with senior decision-makers in banks, credit unions, and other financial institutions.
• Strategic Alliances: Identify and cultivate partnerships that amplify brand presence, unlock new market segments, and drive revenue growth.
• Negotiations & Contracts: Lead complex, high-value deal negotiations, ensuring beneficial terms and alignment with organisational goals.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Product & Marketing Alignment: Work closely with Product Development and Marketing teams to refine offerings, messaging, and campaigns tailored to client needs.
• Customer Success Integration: Partner with Customer Success to ensure an exceptional onboarding and post-sale experience, driving client retention and long-term value.
• Feedback Loop: Channel customer insights and market feedback to relevant internal teams for continual product and process improvements.

Market Analysis & Insights

• Data-Driven Approach: Utilize market research, analytics, and customer insights to forecast sales, inform go-to-market strategies, and optimise outreach efforts.
• Continuous Improvement: Implement tools and methodologies to track performance, identify challenges, and propose corrective actions for sustained growth.

Revenue Optimization

• Market Penetration: Develop targeted strategies to break into new markets and expand existing customer footprints.
• Customer Segmentation: Tailor solutions to distinct banking segments, leveraging data to prioritise high-potential opportunities.
• Performance Tracking: Regularly analyze sales metrics and present strategic recommendations to the CRO for achieving and exceeding revenue goals.

Partnership Development

• Indirect Sales Channels: Explore reseller networks, alliances, and co-branded initiatives to broaden reach.
• Collaborative Innovation: Pilot new ideas and approaches with external stakeholders to keep the product portfolio at the cutting edge.

Candidate Profile

Required Experience

• Education:
  • Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Finance, or a related field (MBA preferred).
• Industry Expertise:
  • 10+ years in sales or business development within Banking, Financial Services, or FinTech.
  • Deep understanding of banking and financial institution products, regulatory environments, and fintech-driven innovation.
• Leadership:
  • 5+ years in a senior leadership role with direct oversight of high-performing sales teams.
  • Demonstrated success in closing large, complex enterprise deals.

Skills & Attributes

• Strategic Mindset: Ability to conceptualise and implement long-term sales strategies.
• Exceptional Communication: Strong presentation and negotiation skills, with the ability to influence C-level executives and stakeholders.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Proven track record of working effectively across diverse teams and functions.
• Analytical Approach: Proficiency in leveraging data and analytics for decision-making, forecasting, and measuring success.

Advantageous Experience

• Certifications: CFA, CIMA, or other fintech-relevant credentials.
• Financial Modeling & Digital Transformation: Experience designing sales pitches and strategies around emerging digital solutions.
• Cultural & Global Sensitivity: Comfortable working with geographically dispersed teams and navigating different cultural contexts.

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JOB DESCRIPTION:

The Senior Product Owner: Core at Cellulant will play a pivotal role in driving the strategy and execution of our financial transaction products with a strong focus on business solution architecture and business analysis principles.

This role combines the strategic, market-focused responsibilities of a Product Manager with the solution-oriented, engineering-focused duties of a Product Owner. The successful candidate will bridge the gap between engineering and business teams to deliver exceptional payment solutions across multiple African markets. At the core of this role is a person with great business analysis fundamentals.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop and execute the product strategy, aligning with Cellulant's business goals and market opportunities.
• Conduct market research to identify trends and opportunities in the African financial services landscape, specifically related to Payment Collections in local and foreign currencies, Local payouts and IMTO, Treasury, FX, Float, Recon & Settlements, Mobile money, Card Payments, EFT and APMs.
• Analyse customer needs and pain points through user research and feedback loops.
• Translate market insights into a clear product vision and roadmap that aligns with Cellulant's overall business objectives.
• Define product vision and roadmap, prioritising features and enhancements based on market demand and business value (i.e.: the benefits you identify).
• Deliver features against the roadmap you define and the benefits you identified.
• Manage timelines and stakeholder expectations around product/feature delivery and be ultimately accountable for the production go-lives.
• Act as the bridge between business and technical teams to design and deliver scalable solutions.
• Lead the creation of detailed business requirements documents (BRDs), user stories, and acceptance criteria.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to design workflows that align with both business needs and technical capabilities.
• Map and optimize end-to-end processes such as reconciliation, settlement (incl FX settlement), and treasury management, ensuring efficiency and accuracy. Have an ability to identify and define technical and operational requirements for those complex systems.
• Develop solutions that address AML, fraud prevention, and other regulatory requirements in financial transactions.
• Proactively identify risks, gaps, and opportunities in product workflows and recommend actionable improvements.
• Engage with key stakeholders, including merchants, financial institutions, and regulatory bodies, to gather feedback and ensure product alignment with market requirements.
• Collaborate with sales, marketing, and business development teams to ensure product-market fit and drive customer acquisition.
• Work closely with the software engineering team to translate product vision into detailed user stories, requirements, and acceptance criteria.
• Prioritize features and user stories for development sprints, ensuring alignment with the product roadmap and business goals.
• Conduct user acceptance testing (UAT) to validate that delivered features meet the specified requirements and user expectations.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including QA, UX/UI, and customer support, to ensure a seamless end-to-end product delivery.
• Monitor and analyse product performance, using data-driven insights to make informed decisions and drive continuous improvement.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE:

• 7-10 years of experience in product management, with at least 5 years in fintech or payments within African markets. Demonstrable experience working within the African market, understanding its unique dynamics, regulatory frameworks, and cultural nuances.
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Information Systems, or a related field.
• Certifications in Agile (e.g., Certified Scrum Product Owner) and Business Analysis (e.g., CBAP, ECBA) are highly desirable.
• Proven track record of successfully launching and scaling products in multiple African countries.
• Deep understanding of Mobile Money ecosystems and operations in Africa, In-depth knowledge of mobile money platforms, including their design, functionality, and adoption patterns.
• Extensive knowledge of various payment methods, preferable if you also know about card payments.
• Strong experience with reconciliation and settlement processes in financial transactions. Ability to address discrepancies and manage financial flows efficiently.
• Familiarity with core banking platforms and integration methodologies.
• Understanding of treasury management principles and practices; treasury operations, liquidity management, and risk mitigation strategies specifically, account floats, balancing and settlement.
• Strong background in security considerations for financial transactions.
• Proven track record of successfully launching and scaling products in African markets.
• Strong understanding of payment systems, mobile money, and cross-border transactions.
• Experience with Agile methodologies and product ownership.
• Strong communication and leadership abilities.
• Fluency in English; knowledge of other African languages is a plus.
• Experience with multi-channel payment methods, including card acceptance, mobile money, API integration, USSD, and web portals.
• Excellent communication and leadership skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate with cross-functional teams.
• Data-driven mindset with strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES PREFERRED:

• Expertise in financial technologies and payment systems, with a strong understanding of digital payment gateways and security protocols.
• Strong leadership skills, with the ability to manage and inspire a team of product managers.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, essential for coordinating with multiple teams and reporting to executive leadership.
• Strong number crunching capabilities with the ability to navigate and use data analysis tools to drive a data driven approach to insights and recommendations
• A strategic mindset capable of balancing various perspectives and making informed decisions that align with business goals.

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JOB DESCRIPTION:

Role Summary: We are seeking a highly skilled Banking Payments Product Specialist with a strong focus on understanding and driving product innovation for the African payments landscape. This role demands expertise in product management, a commercial mindset, and the ability to build trust and credibility with stakeholders. The ideal candidate will play a critical role in shaping payment solutions for banking customers, contributing to our growth and market leadership in Africa.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Product Vision and Leadership:

• Develop a comprehensive product vision and strategy that aligns with both Cellulant's overarching business goals and the evolving needs of the payments industry.
• Lead the product team in envisioning future innovations, drawing inspiration from market leaders who continuously evolve their product offerings to stay ahead in the global payments landscape​.
• Develop a deep understanding of banking product needs from a payments enablement perspective.
• Innovate and deliver cutting-edge payment solutions tailored to banking customers.
• Drive the adoption of product management best practices across the team.

In-depth Market and Competitive Analysis:

• Conduct detailed market research to identify and understand emerging trends, customer expectations, and potential technological advancements that could impact the banking sector.
• Analyse competitive landscapes to benchmark against industry leaders and identify areas for differentiation and improvement.
• Collaborate with existing and potential customers to understand their needs and provide tailored payment solutions.
• Build strong relationships with stakeholders, earning trust through expertise and reliability.

Roadmap Development and Prioritisation:

• Define the product roadmap with clear, actionable items that prioritise features based on their potential impact on customer satisfaction and business objectives.
• Use data-driven insights to adjust priorities as market conditions evolve, ensuring that product development aligns with user needs and company goals.

 Cross-functional Team Leadership and Collaboration:

• Foster a collaborative environment across various departments (Engineering, UX/UI Design, Marketing, Sales, and Customer Support) to ensure that all aspects of product development are aligned and that deliverables meet the highest standards.
• Organise and lead regular cross-departmental meetings to discuss progress, tackle roadblocks, and adjust strategies as necessary, ensuring all stakeholders are informed and engaged in the product's success.

Lifecycle Management from Concept to Launch:

• Manage all phases of the product life cycle, from initial concept, through development, to launch and post-launch analysis.
• Implement agile methodologies to enhance product development processes, ensuring flexibility and rapid adaptation to new information or market changes.

Compliance and Regulatory Adherence:

• Ensure all product developments comply with relevant local and international regulatory standards, including data protection laws, payment industry standards (e.g., PCI DSS), and anti-money laundering (AML) regulations.
• Regularly update the product team and stakeholders on regulatory changes and adjust the product roadmap to accommodate these changes, ensuring compliance at all stages of the product life cycle.

Performance Monitoring and Optimisation:

• Establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) to assess the product's market performance and operational efficiency.
• Analyse product usage and customer feedback to continuously refine and improve the product offerings. Utilise A/B testing, user satisfaction surveys, and usage data to make informed decisions about product adjustments and enhancements.
• Provide enterprise-level pre-sales support, offering technical and strategic insights to secure customer partnerships

Stakeholder Communication and Reporting:

• Communicate effectively with all stakeholders, including senior management, team members, and external partners, about the product's progress, challenges, and strategic direction.
• Prepare detailed reports and presentations that summarise product performance, market insights, and strategic recommendations, ensuring transparency and informed decision-making at the executive level.

Key Competencies

• Technical Proficiency: Deep understanding of the payments ecosystem, including trends in digital payments, cross-border transactions, and regulatory challenges.
• Strategic Thinking: Ability to craft long-term strategies that align with both customer needs and business goals.
• Leadership and Communication: Strong leadership skills to manage and inspire a team, and excellent communication abilities to liaise with stakeholders and executive leadership.

Educational and Experience Requirements:

Experience:

• Minimum of 8 years in product management Experience with financial technologies and payment systems is crucial.
• Deep understanding of banking product needs from a payments enablement perspective.
• Comprehensive knowledge of the African payments landscape.
• Proficiency in product management best practices, including innovation and execution.
• Experience in enterprise pre-sales (preferred but not required).
• Strong commercial acumen with a focus on driving business growth and profitability.
• Proven history of successful product innovation and implementation.
• Strong leadership skills, with the ability to manage and inspire a team of product managers.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication and stakeholder management skills, essential for coordinating with multiple teams and reporting to executive leadership.
• Strong number crunching capabilities with the ability to navigate and use data analysis tools to drive a data-driven approach to insights and recommendations
• A strategic mindset capable of balancing various perspectives and making informed decisions that align with business goals.

Education:

• A base degree in a relevant field plus at least one additional qualification (e.g., MBA or a specialised Master's in finance or technology).

Certifications:

• Relevant certifications might include Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO), Pragmatic Certified Product Manager, or similar credentials that emphasise expertise in product development and agile methodologies.
• Be based in Africa or willing to spend significant time in Africa to engage with customers and teams effectively.