Head of Payments (Nigeria)

Описание

Purpose of the Role

Nigeria is one of the largest and most operationally complex payment markets in Africa .
Unstable banks. Heavy reliance on bank transfers and local wallets. Strict antifraud controls. Constant restrictions from PSPs and banks.

The purpose of this role is simple:
users in Nigeria must always be able to deposit and withdraw funds using familiar and trusted local methods .

If a user cannot pay quickly and conveniently , this is not a market issue.
It is a payments failure .

1. Nigeria Payment Architecture

• Design a bank-first / wallet-first payment architecture.

• Build fallback scenarios for NIP or key bank degradation.

• Minimize pending states and repeated attempts.

2. PSPs, Wallets, and Banks

• Own relationships with local PSPs and fintech providers.

• Rapidly rotate providers when performance degrades or blockings occur.

• Control limits, caps, delays, and reversals.

3. Performance and Stability

• Success rates across NIP and wallet-based payments.

• Deposit coverage across the market.

• Time-to-Credit and Time-to-Withdrawal.

• Hands-on resolution of pending and failed transactions.

4. Risk and Antifraud

• Work closely with Fraud and Risk teams.

• Control mass account blockings.

• Balance growth with payment stability.

5. Operational Readiness

• Design and execute anti-crisis scenarios.

• Support Customer Support during peak payment incidents.

• Direct communication with Product and Tech teams.

• Deposit Success Rate (NIP / wallets).

• Deposit Coverage (% of players with at least one working method).

• Uptime of key payment methods.

• Time-to-Recovery after failures.

• GGR uplift driven by payment improvements.

Must-Have:

• Proven hands-on payments experience in Nigeria .

• Practical experience with NIP and local banks .

• Background in high-risk industries : gambling, betting, crypto.

• Strong understanding of bank-first UX .

• Willingness and ability to operate in an unstable environment.

Strong Plus:

• Existing contacts with local PSPs and banks.

• Broader West Africa experience (Ghana, Kenya as an addition, not a replacement).

• Proven cases of restoring payment flows after mass blockings.

• You have only worked with card payments.

• You have never operated in bank-transfer-dominated markets.

• You avoid crisis-driven decision making.

• One of the most high-volume and complex payment markets in Africa.

• Full autonomy over payments in the region.

• Direct impact on company revenue.

• Competitive compensation + performance bonuses .

• Minimal bureaucracy. Maximum ownership and accountability.