Head of Payments

SUMMARY:

POSITION INFO:
The successful candidate will be responsible for defining and executing the payments strategy, driving commercial growth, strengthening client value propositions, and positioning the organisation as a market leader within the rapidly evolving payments ecosystem. Key Responsibilities: Develop and execute the South African Payments strategy aligned to broader business objectives and growth ambitions. Lead the Payments franchise, providing strategic direction across product, commercial, operational, and market initiatives. Drive revenue growth by identifying market opportunities, enhancing customer propositions, and increasing market share. Develop and optimise Payments products and solutions across corporate, commercial, and institutional client segments. Drive the integration of digital payments, cross-border payments, liquidity solutions, emerging payment technologies, and fintech partnerships. Build innovative client value propositions that respond to evolving customer needs and market trends. Lead strategic programmes and transformation initiatives that enhance competitiveness and operational excellence. Shape investment priorities and business cases supporting future growth and innovation. Drive product adoption and commercialisation strategies across the Payments portfolio. Establish governance frameworks and decision-making disciplines to support sustainable growth and risk management. Represent the Payments business in executive forums and strategic decision-making committees. Engage with regulators, market infrastructures, industry bodies, fintech partners, and key stakeholders to influence market development. Monitor competitor activity, market trends, emerging technologies, and regulatory developments. Champion innovation, digital transformation, automation, and emerging payment capabilities. Drive operational effectiveness and continuous improvement across the franchise. Build, mentor, and develop high-performing teams while fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and innovation. Strengthen leadership capability, succession planning, employee engagement, and organisational performance. Job Experience and Skills Required: Education: Bachelor's Degree in Business, Commerce, Finance, Economics, Information Technology, or a related field. Postgraduate qualification advantageous. MBA or related executive qualification beneficial. Experience: Minimum 12 years' experience within Payments, Transaction Banking, FinTech, Digital Banking, Treasury Services, or related financial services environments. Proven experience leading Payments businesses with significant commercial and strategic accountability. Strong track record of driving revenue growth, profitability, market expansion, and product innovation. Extensive experience managing Payments product portfolios and associated P&L responsibility. Demonstrated success operating within highly regulated financial services environments. Experience engaging regulators, industry bodies, executive stakeholders, and strategic partners. Proven leadership experience managing large, complex teams and enterprise-wide initiatives. Experience shaping and executing business strategy within complex matrix organisations. Exposure to digital transformation, payment modernisation, and emerging financial technologies. Skills: Deep understanding of the South African payments ecosystem and market infrastructure. Strong knowledge of electronic payments, real-time payments, cross-border payments, card payments, and transactional banking solutions. FinTech and digital payments expertise highly advantageous. Advanced commercial acumen and financial management capability. Strong strategic planning and execution skills. Excellent stakeholder engagement, influencing, and negotiation abilities. Strong understanding of governance, regulatory, compliance, and risk frameworks. Ability to translate strategic objectives into measurable business outcomes. Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills. Exceptional communication and executive presentation abilities. Leadership capability across large, complex, and matrixed environments. For more exciting Actuarial and Analytics vacancies, please visit: I also specialise in recruiting in the following: Actuarial: Life, Short-Term, Health, Pensions, and Quantitative Data & Analytics: Data Scientists, Data Analysts (Python, R, SQL, Machine Learning) Risk: Credit Risk, Market Risk, Model Risk, and Operational Risk Analysts Pricing: Specialists in Insurance and Financial Products AI & Machine Learning: ML Ops, NLP, Predictive Modelling Data Scientists Quantitative: Experts across Banking, Insurance, and FinTech If you have not had any response in two weeks, please consider the vacancy application unsuccessful. Your profile will be kept on our database for any other suitable roles \/ positions. For more information, contact: Zahrah Gani Specialist Recruitment Consultant 🔗