Job description

About NCBA Digital Business

LOOP DFS Limited builds and operates Fintech platforms that help our customers and partners in 6 African markets to process payments and intermediate capital to catalyze purposeful growth. When the business was first set up in 2012 as the Digital Business Division of NCBA Bank, it changed the way people save and access credit. In our first 10 years have inspired the development and growth of new product categories and business models. 

In 2022, NCBA Digital Business was pivoted to operate as a stand alone Fintech company – LOOP DFS Limited.  The business is now embarking onto a new era, beyond a product-centric pipeline business model to a platform business model, to organise and connect ecosystems over a Pan African digital platform; LOOP . 

People who choose to build their careers with us help connect African businesses and consumers to Inspire Greatness in Africa — beyond the constraints of capital and borders.

About the role

The Director role is a senior executive role tasked with providing leadership and overseeing the following group administrative and operational functions of the fintech business:

• Finance, Business Performance, Strategic Planning and Administration: this function is responsible for financial management providing financial insights for value added decision making, planning, reporting, revenue assurance and embedding financial controls and develop confidence and belief in the subsidiary’s vision and strategy for delivering shareholder value. An element of supply chain management, driving seamless Purchase to Pay (P2P) processes across the Loop DFS Group of entities.
• Legal, Regulatory and Compliance Management: this function provides overall legal expertise and support on legal issues relating to the company law; contracts, Intellectual Property; Environment-Social and Governance (‘ESG’) functions; regulatory and legal compliance; and company secretarial activities. The role supports management on issues pertaining to legal and regulatory framework and monitor compliance with legal and regulatory corporate governance requirements.
• Enterprise Data Management: Define, develop and embed the data governance and data management framework that ensures data usability, quality, security and auditability in order to support the achievement of strategic goals. Data management functional scope covers i) Development, execution and supervision of plans, ii) policies, iii) programs and iv) practices that deliver, control, protect and enhance the value of data and information assets throughout their life cycle. It comprises of a set of integrated and interdependent data management capabilities.
• Tax Planning and Compliance Management: through the support of the Group Tax team, drive tax planning activities, by developing and implementing strategic tax planning for all taxes (CIT,EDT, PAYE, VAT, WHT, DST,SD, etc). Maintain effective control procedures over all aspects of the tax process. Manage and facilitate tax audits: preparing proper responses, ensure tax schedules are provided. Obtain support for various internal audits and special tax related projects. Drive adherence to tax laws through periodic compliance audit reviews.

At its core, the role involves supporting and deputizing the CEO and other team leaders in implementing the Loop DFS’ strategies, lead organisational change and communication, drive strategic performance in order to achieve strategic results for sustainable stakeholder value.

Key Responsibilities:

Financial - 30% 

• Support the CEO and functional teams to develop high quality business strategies and plans and ensure their alignment with the Fintech’s and Group’s long-term objectives.
• Support the high-quality investing decisions through robust business case reviews and inputs in order to advance the business and increase profits.
• Develop robust risk monitoring and control framework to lower risk and variability of earned and future enterprise value.
• Oversee all operations and business activities by ensuring desired results and consistency with the overall strategy and mission.
• Implement sound governance processes and principles with a 1st line of defence (1LOD) risk management focus across the finance, project and digital operational functions
• Implement recommendations from the board, risk and internal audit to strengthen controls and compliance.
• Development of appropriate systems and processes in relation to Digital Business Reporting, Treasury & Cash Management, Debt Facilities, Risk Management and audits, tax compliance, insurance, contract management, terms of trade, projects and analysis.
• Working with other units of the fintech business develop a commercialization model that assures superior value capture to the group
• Develop an Integrated and scalable operational framework to optimize allotted OPEX, CAPEX budgets, and manage Write-offs/Litigation, NPL and operational loss levels.
• Accountable for fintech Business Performance monitoring, Project Management, Governance and Reporting requirements in compliance with Legal/ Regulatory and Group Unit policies.
• Working with other units of the fintech business and Group to develop a commercialization model that assures superior value capture to Loop DFS and NCBA Group as a whole.
• Executive champion of data as strategic business asset and driver of revenue at the executive level.
• Improve the top and bottom line revenue through effective governance and use of data, lower the cost of quality and cost of compliance, and improve productivity through access and availability of data.

Customer - 20%

• Manage key relationships with regulators, strategic partners, clients, intermediaries and service providers in the market by ensuring that service to each stakeholder meets their expectations.
• Champion market intelligence to ensure the unit is in tandem with industry trends and adopts operating models that ensure optimization of profit through adequate controls across all products.
• Leverage personal, company and industry networks/contacts to promote Loop DFS and NCBA’s strategic assets and culture with a view to constantly expand our partnership opportunities.
• Enable better analytics for decision making, help refine corporate strategy using insight gained from effective analysis of data.

Internal Business Process - 40%

• Develop policies and procedures relevant to Fintech operations, Loop DFS’ business model to facilitate Customer, Financial and Credit Risk Operational Controls and Management.
• Drive adherence of the digital business’ policies and procedures to ensure alignment and consistency with NCBA Group & fintech’s policies, payment service provider (‘PSPs) procedures and guidelines.
• Ensure active monitoring for regulatory intelligence on developments relevant to the fintech Business.
• Accountable for procedures and controls to assure compliance with applicable regulatory and legal requirements as well as good business practices.
• Establish and oversee formal risk analysis and self-assessments program for various Information systems and processes.
• Support the development and implementation of the strategy for the Legal, regulatory and compliance to assist in the business meeting or exceeding its forward strategy.
• Support the development of strategic operational framework that includes long range and day to day strategic direction for the Digital Business Operations, and the detailed operating plans, while adhering to direction set by Loop DFS and NCBA Board and Business Teams.
• Ensure effective governance of the Credit, Finance and Customer operations and capabilities of the Digital Business in line with the Group & ‘PSP’; ‘DCP’ frameworks and related policies and structures.
• Uphold operational excellence to meet the Audit and Enterprise risk framework of the Group.
• Measure and manage data risk by developing capabilities to measure and predict risk, manage data risk through effective data governance structures.
• Provide executive stewardship by identifying ownership and accountability across the data organisation, champion and implement data management & data privacy strategies and standards and institutionalise data quality management.

Learning and Growth - 10%

• Provide effective leadership and direction to the various departmental heads.
• Managing, developing and facilitating the teams career development goals.
• Set performance objectives for each member in the unit in accordance with the Loop DFS and Group’s objectives.
• Regularly review people performance to trigger feedback and prompt actions to ensure objectives for individuals and team are met and enhance motivation and performance improvements.
• Ensure collaboration amongst the staff with other members of the Department, and with other relevant stakeholders for the purpose of cultivating collective responsibility to achieve business goals.
• Ensure team training and develop clear growth plans.
• Implement appropriate communication systems and forums which will ensure that the staff will be kept informed of the fintech’s business direction, and obtain support and knowledge to perform duties effectively.

Ideal Job Specifications 

Academic:

• MBA in Finance, Strategy or Business Administration
• Bachelor of Commerce, or Finance, or Business related

Professional:

• Active Member/ Fellow of ICPAK / ACCA/CISA/LLB

Desired work experience:

• 15 years’ work experience with at least 10 years in leading and managing Financial and or operational responsibilities of a large company.
• Proficiency in Strategy Formulation and Execution

Technical Competencies 

Commercial Awareness: 

• Identifies opportunities and problems in ambiguous situations that requires complex commercial evaluation. 
• Considers alternative scenarios and applies judgement to help drive great decisions 
• Identifies benchmarking opportunities and seeks new financial analysis techniques for enhanced business decision-making.
• Coaches and embeds commercial knowledge and understanding with business partners to ensure focus on supporting the right initiatives and business decisions.

Strategic Thinking:  

• Considers the long-term implications of current activities and aligns short term objectives with long-term strategic goals and formulates clear and practical steps to meet these objectives. Demonstrates a detailed understanding of the Digital bank’s strategic direction.
• Highly skilled in recognising patterns in data that reveal potential for value creation and creative insight into strategic issues and opportunities that open up new possibilities for the business.
• Demonstrates a deep understanding of areas of real competitive advantage across the business. 
• Communicates a coherent view of key changes in the future operating environment and consistently challenges the business to respond. 
• Supports the business to select the best value alternative. 
• Challenges stakeholders/business leaders to align current actions with medium and long-term implications

Financial & General Management:  

• Knowledge of Banking Operations: Well round knowledge of the Bank’s operations and processes and excellent knowledge of Bank policies and procedures.
• Knowledge of digital operations: well round knowledge of digital banking operations,  Technology Skills: Knowledge of Audit Techniques, Computerized accounting and financial systems, banking applications and spreadsheets. 
• Project management skills; Rigorous with respect for good governance and procedures, intolerant of poor quality. 
• Compliance and Regulatory Framework: Top notch understanding of the regulatory issues, reporting and operational requirement as provided by CBK, BOT, BOU, KRA, URA, TRA, KBA, etc.

Leadership:  

• Leadership Skills: Team Building and ability to train, develop and mentor staff; Presents new challenges and opportunities to the team to enable them to demonstrate and achieve their full potential; encourages and inspires team learning. 
• Interpersonal Skills: Ability to lead, build and influence motivated teams. 
• Negotiation Skills: Must be a good negotiator, particularly in changing behaviour and work practices but always Win/Win.
• Innovative: Creative and adaptive to change. A team player who is supportive of other’s ideas and innovations, collaborates in a culture of knowledge-sharing and team learning to strengthen the organisation’s work. 
• Reliable: Ability to take responsibility and exercise it well. A flexible and “hands on” approach. 

Communication:  

• Promotes a free flow of information throughout the organisation (upward, downward and across).  
• Communicates effectively to a wide variety of audiences at all organisational level. 
• Presents a compelling rationale to support one’s position and manage the expectations of key stakeholders. 
• Strong communication skills: well developed oral and report-writing skills; the ability to present ideas and financial processes with conviction. 

Selling the Vision: 

• Vividly communicating a compelling view of the future state in a way that helps others understand and feel how business outcomes will be different when the vision and values become a reality. 

Raises the Bar: 

• Establishes challenging goals that continuously raise expectations of performance in line with the strategy; creates a team performance culture of continuous improvement and development.  

Fostering Collaboration:

• Working effectively and cooperatively with others; establishing and maintaining good working relationships to facilitate the accomplishment of work goals; actively participating as a member of a team to move the team toward the completion of goals; acts as a positive role model. 

Coaching & Developing Others:  

• Providing feedback, instruction, and development guidance to help others excel in their current or future job responsibilities; planning and supporting the development of individual’s skills and abilities. 

Empowerment & Delegation: 

• Sharing authority and responsibilities with others to move decision making and accountability downward through the organization, enable individuals to stretch their capabilities, and accomplish the business unit’s strategic priorities. 

Building Organisational Talent:  

• Establishing systems and processes to attract, develop, engage, and retain talented individuals; providing challenging and stretch tasks and assignments; holding frequent development discussions; constructing compelling talent development plans and executing them. 

Business Savvy/Acumen:  

• Demonstrates a keen understanding of basic business operations and the organizational levers that drive profitable growth; Understands the operating environment, the customers, competition, and how their strategies and tactics work in the marketplace; applies knowledge to develop and execute strategies and tactics to drive business results. 

Driving for Results:

• Driving high standards for individual, team, and organizational accomplishment; tenaciously working to meet or exceed challenging goals; deriving satisfaction from goal achievement and continuous improvement.

How to apply

NCBA is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, tribe, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, gender identity or expression, or any other basis protected by local, state, or national law. Hence, persons of all gender, race, sex, orientation, age, and identity are encouraged to apply.  

Shortlist (www.shortlist.net) is our exclusive recruitment partner for this role. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the position is closed, though early applications are strongly encouraged. If you believe you meet the attributes and skills above, please apply on the job link.