Job Vacancies at Cellulant

Role Overview

• As Head of Merchant Operations, you will lead a core function responsible for the end-to-end operational experience of Cellulant's merchant customers — from onboarding and activation to daily transaction processing, payouts, and reconciliation.
• You will oversee a team that ensures operational excellence in how merchants are brought onto the platform and how they are supported throughout their lifecycle. This role sits at the intersection of operations, product, compliance, and customer success, with a strong mandate to scale and automate mission-critical processes that directly impact our merchants' experience and trust in Cellulant.

This role reports to the Vice President: Business Operations.

Key Responsibilities

Functional Leadership

• Lead the Merchant Onboarding & Activation and Merchant Production Operations teams, covering go-live readiness, daily transaction monitoring, and payouts.

• Build and scale standardized onboarding processes across markets to ensure seamless merchant experiences from integration to activation.

• Oversee daily production support for live merchants — ensuring service reliability, real-time responsiveness to issues, and proactive performance monitoring.

Operational Excellence & Automation

• Own payment reconciliation, settlement, and float management processes across all payment rails (mobile money, bank transfers, card schemes).
• Drive automation and process optimization across onboarding, reconciliation, and payout functions.
• Ensure accurate and timely settlements for merchant accounts, including USD payouts aggregated across multiple local currencies.

Performance, Risk & Controls

• Set and track performance KPIs (e.g., onboarding turnaround time, payout SLA adherence, reconciliation success rate, merchant NPS).
• Establish operational controls to manage risk, including RCSAs, segregation of duties, and audit readiness.
• Act as the first line of defense for risk — ensuring all operational activities meet compliance and regulatory expectations.

Collaboration & Integration

• Work cross-functionally with Product, Engineering, Treasury, Compliance, and Customer Success to integrate operational readiness into new product launches and platform changes.
• Champion the role of Merchant Operations internally — ensuring the function is recognized as a strategic enabler of growth and customer satisfaction.

Governance & SLA Management

• Manage service-level agreements (SLAs) with internal teams and third-party partners, ensuring transparency, accountability, and performance delivery.
• Support internal and regulatory audits by maintaining full compliance documentation and process integrity.

Key Success Measures

• Merchant onboarding turnaround time (TAT)
• Merchant satisfaction score (NPS/CSAT)
• % SLA adherence for payouts and reconciliations
• % of processes automated vs. manual
• Number of issues resolved within defined resolution timeframes
• First pass reconciliation accuracy
• Operational audit ratings

Must-Have Experience

• 7–10 years leading high-performing operational teams in a fintech, payments company, or bank.
• Demonstrated success in scaling operational processes, including onboarding, payouts, reconciliation, and partner support.
• Hands-on experience operating in high-growth, fast-changing environments with ambiguity and complexity.
• Deep understanding of merchant lifecycle operations, including KYC, transaction flows, and settlements.

Strongly Preferred

• Experience working with payment service providers, aggregators, or banking partners across Africa.
• Background in managing first-line operational risk and regulatory compliance.
• Familiarity with automation tools and process mapping frameworks (e.g., Lean Six Sigma)
• Ability to collaborate deeply with technical teams on system changes, integrations, and platform enhancements.

Education & Certifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Finance, Operations Management, or a related field.
• Relevant professional certifications in payments, operations, or financial risk (e.g., CPP, CTP, Lean Six Sigma) are a strong plus.
• MBA or equivalent advanced degree is desirable but not mandatory.

go to method of application »

Role Overview

• The VP: Regional Business Leader – West Africa is a newly created, strategic leadership role responsible for driving commercial growth, sales execution, and general management across key markets in the West Africa region. This role will lead Cellulant's go-to-market strategy, revenue delivery, and organizational leadership across multiple countries, with a strong focus on cross-border remittances, B2B collections, and partnerships with IMTOs and NGOs.
• Ideally based in Ghana or a suitable location in the region, the position is designed to harness the region's potential, serving as a central commercial and operational leader. From time to time, the VP may assume country management responsibilities, representing Cellulant externally and ensuring alignment with group strategy at a local level.

Key Responsibilities

Regional Leadership & General Management

• Own the commercial and operational strategy for Cellulant's West Africa region, delivering growth across multiple country markets.
• Serve as the executive representative in key markets, with the potential to act as Country Manager as needed.
• Ensure alignment between group strategy and regional execution, adapting to local market nuances.
• Lead stakeholder engagement with regulators, partners, enterprise clients, and government agencies.

Sales & Commercial Strategy

• Develop and execute a robust, data-driven regional sales strategy aligned with Cellulant's revenue and profitability goals.
• Drive expansion across the IMTO, NGO, and B2B collections segments.
• Lead go-to-market planning and execution, identifying high-impact opportunities and refining value propositions for target markets.

Revenue & Profitability Ownership

• Own gross profit metrics for the region, balancing growth with cost efficiency.
• Drive pricing strategies that reflect regional market dynamics and sustain long-term profitability.

Market Development & Competitive Positioning

• Track regional market trends, competitor strategies, and customer behavior to inform strategic decisions.
• Provide market intelligence to inform regional product roadmaps and innovation priorities.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with product, engineering, finance, and operations to deliver tailored solutions for customers in the region.
• Ensure the feedback loop between customers and product teams is timely, structured, and impactful.

Regulatory & Compliance Oversight

• Maintain a solid understanding of local and regional regulatory requirements, working closely with compliance teams.
• Proactively identify and mitigate compliance risks, ensuring business continuity and license integrity.

Team Leadership & Development

• Build, mentor, and lead high-performing commercial teams across West Africa.
• Foster a performance-oriented culture with a focus on ownership, execution, and customer success.

Key Account Management & Partnerships

• Manage strategic client relationships, ensuring high levels of satisfaction and long-term engagement.
• Lead RFP processes and strategic bids, ensuring competitive positioning and alignment with client needs.

Reporting & Insights

• Establish and monitor KPIs to track performance across countries, products, and customer segments.
• Provide regular updates to the CRO and executive leadership team with insights, risks, and recommendations.

Requirements & Experience

• 8+ years in senior commercial or general management roles within fintech, payments, banking or digital financial services.
• Proven experience in leading multi-country operations or regional portfolios, preferably within West Africa.
• Strong background in sales leadership, revenue management, and cross-functional execution.

Industry Knowledge

• Deep understanding of cross-border remittances, B2B collections, and NGO payment flows.
• Familiarity with regulatory landscapes across West Africa (e.g., AML, KYC, licensing).

Leadership Capabilities

• Demonstrated ability to lead teams, scale business units, and engage C-level stakeholders across diverse markets.
• Skilled in balancing strategic thinking with hands-on execution in high-growth environments.