Payments Strategy & Integration Lead

SUMMARY:
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POSITION INFO:
About the role Our client is looking for a senior payments specialist to shape strategy, drive bank and scheme engagements, and ensure their payments architecture is scalable, compliant, and commercially sound. Payments here are not just a feature — they are the infrastructure that enables thousands of entrepreneurs to trade and grow every day. You'll thrive in this role if… You love understanding how payments truly work — rails, rules, and flows You translate complexity into clarity and help teams make the right decisions early You hold your own in high-stakes conversations with banks, regulators, and fintech partners You think naturally in trade-offs: speed vs risk, commercial ambition vs scheme rules You bring structure and discipline to messy, multi-stakeholder work and follow through You take ownership seriously when compliance or customer trust is on the line What you'll do Define and evolve the payments integration blueprint across issuing, rapid payments, and store-of-value functionality Lead end-to-end bank and scheme enablement from feasibility through to go-live Provide expert payments input into issuing design, transaction flows, and regulatory constraints Support partner negotiations with feasibility assessments, realistic timelines, and risk analysis Ensure solutions align with bank policies, scheme rules, and regulatory requirements Contribute to audit readiness and act as a trusted advisor on payments risk and controls Skills & knowledge Must come from a fintech company background — direct fintech employment experience is required Strong working knowledge of issuing and rapid payments in the South African context; PayShap exposure highly advantageous Proven ability to scope and define complex external integrations (banks, payment networks, fintech partners) Able to translate scheme and bank requirements into functional specs, process flows, and delivery dependencies Confident engaging with PaiInc, PASA, banks, and fintechs at a senior level Strong influencing capability without formal authority Clear documentation skills: payment flow maps, integration briefs, certification checklists, risk and control requirements Qualifications & experience Relevant tertiary qualification in Business, Commerce, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related field 5+ years in payments, banking integrations, fintech, switching, or processing environments — with at least a portion of this at a fintech company Experience supporting complex payment integrations requiring external certification and scheme compliance Payments-related certifications beneficial but not essential Other requirements Occasional travel for workshops or team alignment Strong hybrid working setup with reliable connectivity