Head of Agency Banking at Airtel

Job Description

• The Head of Agency Banking is responsible for building and scaling the Agency Banking business across all regions.
• This includes strategic oversight of agent recruitment, aggregator management, POS infrastructure, channel optimization, performance analytics, and compliance.
• The role demands strong leadership to ensure service reach, operational excellence, agent engagement, and alignment with financial and growth objectives.

Responsibilities
Strategic & Business Leadership:

• Develop and implement national agency banking growth strategy and expansion plans. 
• Drive the business roadmap for agent network coverage, transaction volume/value, POS deployment, and float management. 
• Champion digital inclusion through robust agent touchpoints and market penetration strategies.

Agency Network Expansion:

• Oversee the recruitment, onboarding, and management of aggregators and their sub-agents across all territories. 
• Ensure each aggregator maintains at least 95% active agent base. 
• Monitor aggregator performance and provide continuous capacity development and motivation.

POS & Infrastructure Management:

• Provide end-to-end oversight of POS terminal lifecycle: procurement, deployment, repair, retrieval, and replacement. 
• Work with IT and service vendors to manage Terminal Management Systems (TMS). 
• Maintain optimal POS-to-agent ratios and ensure maximum device uptime.

Performance Monitoring & Reporting:

• Supervise the collation and analysis of transaction metrics, float balances, and terminal activity data. 
• Direct agency banking performance reporting at weekly, monthly, and quarterly intervals for executive management. 
• Utilize data insights to refine strategies and drive improvements across geographies.

Regulatory Compliance & Risk Management:

• Ensure agent operations meet CBN and internal regulatory standards. 
• Implement fraud prevention, risk controls, and operational SOPs at the field level. 
• Lead periodic audit readiness exercises and risk assessments across the channel.

Branding & Channel Visibility:

• Drive branding and PICOS (Picture of Success) standards across agent locations 
• Ensure availability and proper deployment of POSM (Point of Sale Materials). 
• Maintain high channel visibility and uniform agent branding across regions.

People & Stakeholder Management:

• Provide coaching and performance leadership to the regional agency teams. 
• Collaborate with marketing, finance, product, risk, and technology teams to achieve business goals.
• Represent the Agency Banking function in leadership and regulatory forums.

Qualifications
Educational Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in business, Economics, Marketing, or related field (MBA preferred). 

Relevant Experience:

• Minimum of 10 years' experience in agency banking, fintech, payments, or retail distribution, with at least 4 years in a senior leadership role. 
• Demonstrated experience scaling agent banking or similar distribution networks. 
• Proven ability to lead teams in a fast-paced, high-volume environment. 
• Deep understanding of financial inclusion, digital payments, and POS technologies 
• Hands-on experience with field operations and cross-functional leadership.
• Leadership & People Management – inspire regional teams and partners to deliver results. 
• Commercial Acumen – strong understanding of agency unit economics and market forces. 
• Analytical Thinking – interpret performance data and drive actionable insights 
• Operational Excellence – build scalable and efficient processes. 
• Stakeholder Influence – engage effectively with internal teams, vendors, and regulators 
• Innovation Orientation – challenge status quo and champion new models for agent growth.