About Cellulant
Cellulant is a pioneering B2B payments technology company based in Africa that powers payment processing for thousands of businesses. Through a single, simple connection, our payment platform - Tingg - enables businesses to disburse funds and manage their offline or online collections while allowing their customers to pay via mobile money, local and international cards or direct bank payments.
With local acquisition in over 30 markets and supporting 300+ payment methods, Cellulant processes over 240 million transactions annually for market leaders in various sectors such as Airlines, Telecoms, E-commerce, Ride-Hailing, Retail and Remittances.
Our Story:
Since our founding in 2003, Cellulant has evolved from a digital content provider into a leading payments platform with a presence in 35 African countries. For more than 20 years, we've built a robust network that integrates multiple payment methods, addressing the unique challenges of Africa’s diverse payment landscape.
We began selling ringtones as a digital content business and quickly realised the need for a more streamlined way to manage payments. This realisation led us to develop a platform that initially allowed customers to check their bank balances and eventually evolved into a comprehensive payment solution. Our journey has seen us partner with more than 1000 businesses, including some of the largest banks and mobile money providers on the continent.
Throughout the years, we've continuously adapted and grown, leveraging our experiences to simplify payments for businesses and consumers alike. Today, Cellulant powers online and offline payment processing, allowing businesses to collect payments, send payouts, and accelerate business growth. We’re the payment fabric that makes interoperability possible and stitches Africa together for the global economy.
Our Vision:
To create a connected world where businesses move money as easily as they share ideas.
Read more about us and our leadership team .
Reports to: Vice President, Business Operations
Location: Flexible across Africa or GMT ±3 time zone
Function: Business Operations – Service Delivery
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.
Who You Are
- Merchant-Obsessed: You care deeply about merchant outcomes and build operational models that elevate their experience.
- Data-Led Decision Maker: You thrive on performance metrics, dashboards, and process visibility.
- Builder & Optimizer: You enjoy creating scalable processes, improving inefficient ones, and championing operational innovation.
- Collaborative Leader: You work well with cross-functional teams and communicate with clarity, urgency, and respect.
- Pragmatic & Hands-On: You’re not afraid to get into the operational trenches when needed — but know how to delegate and empower your team.
WHY WORK FOR US?
At Cellulant, transforming payments in Africa isn't just a job; it is our mission. We believe by simplifying the way people pay and get paid; we are accelerating businesses, opening markets, bridging wealth gaps and connecting Africa to the global economy.
Some exciting things about us...
- We have an Extensive Footprint: We have an office presence in over 10 countries, and our products serve 35 countries across Africa with a global workforce of about 300 employees.
- We believe that innovation is at the Heart of Fintech: Thousands of companies use our technology to deliver seamless payment experiences. Our customers range from various sectors such as Airlines, Telecoms, E-commerce, Ride-Hailing, Retail, to Remittances.
- We Support a Diverse and Inclusive Workforce: We focus on the growth and development of our employees through well-developed, individualised career paths ensuring you reach your full potential in a supportive and delivery-oriented environment.
- We Put our Employees First: We offer market-related compensation, generous personal time off and, markets permitting, medical and life insurance benefits.
- We Seek Collaborative Builders: At Cellulant, we believe that great ideas happen when we come together. We, therefore, nurture a collaborative work environment that challenges, engages and empowers each person to contribute to the growth and success of the business.
- We Solve for Africa’s Digital Economy: We’re solving payment challenges on the continent to create opportunities and accelerate economic growth for all of Africa.
