Head, High Margin Merchants at Flutterwave

About the role

The Head, High Margin Merchants role owns the growth, retention, and profitability of Flutterwave's highest-value merchant portfolio. You will be responsible for building and leading the strategy, relationships, and commercial discipline that maximise revenue and margin from our most significant merchants across every market we operate in.

This is deliberately not an account-servicing role. In a fast-moving, competitive, and regulated payments environment, this function is a strategic revenue driver, and we are looking for someone who will design and lead it as such. You will be expected to bring commercial rigour, deep relationship capability and strong pricing discipline to this function, building the processes and playbooks that allow it to scale profitably.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Portfolio Strategy and Growth

• Own the strategy for the high margin merchant segment, defining the criteria, target verticals, and growth plan for the portfolio
• Identify, prioritise, and win new high-value merchants, building a strong and qualified pipeline in partnership with Sales and Business Development
• Set and deliver revenue, margin, and volume targets for the segment, tracking performance rigorously against plan
• Continuously assess the competitive landscape and pricing environment to protect and grow Flutterwave's share of high-value merchant volume

Merchant Relationship Management

• Serve as the senior relationship owner for Flutterwave's most strategic and highest-margin merchants, building trusted, C-level relationships
• Develop and execute account plans that deepen wallet share, cross-sell additional products, and improve merchant retention
• Resolve escalations and commercial issues quickly, working closely with Product, Risk, and Operations to protect key relationships
• Conduct regular business reviews with top merchants, translating merchant feedback into clear commercial and product priorities

Pricing and Margin Optimisation

• Own pricing strategy and commercial terms for high margin merchants, balancing competitiveness with profitability
• Build and maintain a clear framework for margin analysis, deal structuring, and commercial approvals
• Partner with Finance to monitor unit economics by merchant and segment, identifying opportunities to improve margin
• Lead contract negotiations and renewals for the segment's largest merchants

Risk, Compliance, and Governance

• Ensure all merchant relationships and commercial arrangements comply with regulatory, risk, and internal governance requirements across markets
• Partner with Risk and Compliance teams to ensure appropriate due diligence, monitoring, and controls for high-value merchants
• Maintain clean, audit-ready commercial records and approvals for the portfolio

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Act as the voice of high margin merchants internally, influencing product roadmap, pricing policy, and service levels
• Work closely with Marketing, Product, and Customer Success to ensure a seamless, premium experience for top merchants
• Partner with Finance and Data teams to build reporting that gives leadership clear visibility into segment performance

Leadership

• Lead, develop, and grow a small, high-performing team, building genuine capability and commercial depth
• Instil a culture of ownership, discipline, and customer obsession within the team
• Operate as a trusted partner to commercial leadership and the broader executive team

Required competencies to be a Waver:

• Minimum of 10 years' experience in commercial leadership, key account management, or business development, ideally within payments, fintech, or financial services
• Strong track record of managing and growing a high-value client or merchant portfolio, with clear evidence of revenue and margin growth
• Proven track record and domain expertise within the igaming sector
• Demonstrated experience in pricing strategy, deal structuring, and commercial negotiation
• Experience operating across multiple markets, with African market experience a strong advantage
• Comfort owning a P&L or revenue target and being held accountable for commercial outcomes
• Exposure to a regulated industry such as financial services or technology is an advantage
• Relevant professional qualifications in business, finance, or a related field are an advantage

Other attributes we are looking for:

• A commercially minded builder who is energised by designing strategy and playbooks, not just running a book of business
• Strong relationship and negotiation instincts, with high attention to detail and accuracy
• Comfortable owning both the commercial and the operational dimensions of a high-value portfolio
• Calm and credible under pricing, negotiation, and deadline pressure
• A clear communicator who can partner across Sales, Product, Finance, and the business