Chief Operating Officer

A leading fintech innovator is transforming financial access across Africa through its diverse portfolio of subsidiaries, including credit solutions, money transfer services, insurance, asset tracking, and payment technology. With a mission to create Africa's most advanced digital bank, they are dedicated to fostering equitable and sustainable wealth creation by delivering seamless digital financial services tailored to the continent's needs.

Job Description:

Our client is seeking a Chief Operating Officer to lead and oversee the operations of the Shared Service Centre (SSC) for the Group, ensuring quality delivery, the efficiency of the centre, scalability, compliance, and alignment with the company's strategic goals of automation and decentralisation. The COO will spearhead efforts to standardise and automate processes across various functions, including finance, HR, procurement, risk, governance, legal, and IT, delivering high-quality fully automated services and fostering continuous improvement in a multinational environment.

• Develop and execute the SSC strategy to support organizational objectives and achieve service excellence.
  
• Plan and manage the transition and centralization of processes from various business units into the SSC, ensuring seamless implementation and minimal disruption.
  
• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team to deliver exceptional service across functions.
  
• Ensure the continuous review of the Quality Assurance System, quality data, policies, procedures, and processes.
  
• Build and maintain strong relationships with internal stakeholders to understand business needs and ensure alignment with SSC deliverables to enhance network effects of our fintech ecosystem.
  
• Drive AI implementation for fully automated process initiatives to enhance efficiency, productivity, and cost savings, enabling the shared services to be used by millions in line with enhancing the fintech's ecosystem network effects.
  
• Ensure compliance with all relevant regulatory, legal, and international quality standards (ISO, SOC).
  
• Lead negotiation and manage contracts with all external service providers on behalf of the Group.
  
• Monitor performance metrics (KPI and SLA) and report on SSC operations to the Executive Committee.
  
• Participate actively, along with the leadership team and various internal stakeholders, in M&A activities to ensure seamless integration and alignment with Group objectives.
  
• Contribute to the regular identification and reporting of risks. Inform the Group CFO and Executive Committee of risks and mitigation strategies.
  
• Proactively identify and implement opportunities to improve the sustainability of the organization's funding, service offerings, and activities.
  

Strategic Leadership

• Design and implement a shared services operating model aligned with the company's growth and innovation strategy of automation and decentralisation to enhance the groups network effects.
  
• Drive transformation through process automation, AI agentic integrations, and service excellence.
  

Service Delivery

• Oversee end-to-end service delivery of back-office functions including accounts payable/receivable, payroll, onboarding/off boarding, vendor management, and internal support desks.
  
• Implement service level agreements (SLAs), performance metrics, and customer satisfaction benchmarks.
  

Technology & Automation

• Partner with AI and Product teams to drive automation of all services using AI agentic systems, and the fintech platforms.
  
• Identify and implement technology solutions that streamline internal operations, and the outsourcing of the shared services functions to enhance the groups ecosystem and network effects.
  
  

Governance & Compliance

• Ensure adherence to financial, legal, and regulatory policies across shared services.
  
• Maintain robust internal controls and risk management procedures.
  
• Devise governance methods for incremental decentralisation as automation efforts near 100% enabling the shared services function to operate as a DAO serving millions with zero human intervention.
  

Team Leadership

• Build and mentor a high-performing team across multiple geographies.
  
• Foster a start-up culture of lean experimentation, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
  

Stakeholder Management

• Act as the bridge between business units and service delivery teams to ensure expectations are met and exceeded.
  
• Collaborate with senior leadership to align services with company-wide priorities.
  

What it takes to succeed:

• Bachelor's degree in business administration, Finance, or a related field; MBA or other advanced degree is preferred.
  
• Proven track record in leading shared service centres or similar operational roles within a multinational company (min. 10 years) and or a digital transformational leadership role.
  
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to inspire and motivate teams in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
  
• Expertise in process optimization, change management, and performance improvement strategies. Understanding agentic AI frameworks is an added advantage
  
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to manage stakeholder relationships effectively.
  
• Good understanding of regulatory requirements of the financial sector, compliance standards, and industry best practices.
  
• Familiarity with ERP and AI tools and technologies that enhance SSC efficiency, such as Microsoft or Google systems.
  
• 10+ years of experience in shared services, operations, or digital transformation leadership roles, preferably within FinTech, E-commerce or SAAS companies.
  
• Proven track record of leading multi-functional teams and scaling shared services in high-growth environments.
  
• Strong knowledge of financial operations, HR systems, IT service management, and process automation. Understanding of AI agentic frameworks is an added advantage
  
• Exceptional leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
  
• Strong data-driven decision-making abilities and familiarity with KPI, OKR and SLA frameworks.