Senior Principal Product Owner - Payouts

ABOUT CELLULANT

Cellulant is a leading Pan African payments company that provides locally relevant and alternative payment methods for global, regional and local merchants. We provide a single API payments platform - Tingg - that enables businesses to collect payments online and offline while allowing anyone to pay from their mobile money, local and international cards, or directly from their bank.

OUR STORY

Founded in 2003, Cellulant has more than 18 years of experience in providing locally relevant payment solutions for businesses and their consumers.

Our evolution over the years, from a digital content business to mobile banking and now to payments has allowed us to build strong relationships and partnerships. We’ve taken our years of experience and assets acquired over the years to provide a payments platform in the continent that focuses on driving merchant business and digital payments for local, regional and global merchants in the continent, and digitizing both online and offline payments.

Since 2003, the Cellulant team has learned, adapted and leveraged their experiences to pivot the business to become the leading payments provider in the continent.

You can read more about us and our Group leaders and Country Champions.

JOB TITLE:

Senior Principal Product Owner- Payouts

This role is location agnostic; however, a candidate’s home time zone will be relevant to success in the role (GMT –1 to +3 preferred).

JOB DESCRIPTION:

As the Senior Principal Product Owner, you will spearhead the Payouts product team.Your responsibilities include crafting a clear product vision, conducting market analysis to capture customer needs and trends, and defining the product roadmap.

You will work closely with cross-functional teams to ensure seamless development and launch of innovative payout solutions that enhance customer satisfaction and business growth.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Strategic Product Visioning and Roadmap:
   • Develop a detailed, long-term vision for Payout products that align with Cellulant’s strategic goals and market opportunities.
   • Create a multi-year product roadmap, prioritising features based on customer needs, competitive advantage, and potential revenue impact.
   • Lead regular roadmap reviews and updates to adapt to changing market conditions and feedback from key stakeholders​.
2. Market Research and Customer Insights:
   • Conduct in-depth market analysis to identify and understand evolving trends, competitor strategies, and regulatory changes affecting payout solutions.
   • Implement ongoing customer feedback mechanisms, such as surveys and user testing, to gather direct insights from end-users about their experiences and expectations.
   • Analyse customer usage data to identify pain points and areas for improvement, ensuring product development is led by user-centric data insights​
3. Cross-functional Collaboration:
   • Serve as the chief liaison among technical teams (engineering and IT), design teams, business operations, marketing, and external partners to ensure alignment and cooperation throughout the product development process.
   • Organise and lead cross-functional meetings to foster team synergy, ensuring all departments are informed and engaged with the product's progress and strategic direction.
   • Coordinate with finance and legal teams to ensure product solutions are cost-effective and comply with all regulatory requirements​.
4. Performance Management:
   • Establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) such as customer acquisition cost, retention rates, and overall user satisfaction to gauge product performance.
   • Regularly present performance reports to executive teams and stakeholders, providing insights and strategic recommendations based on data analytics.
   • Implement A/B testing and other experimental methods to refine products, enhance user experience, and optimise operational efficiency​
5. Compliance and Security Oversight:
   • Oversee the integration of the latest security protocols and ensure all payout products meet the highest standards of data protection and privacy laws.
   • Stay abreast of new regulatory developments affecting payment solutions globally and particularly in African markets, adapting product features to maintain compliance.
   • Coordinate audits and risk assessments with the compliance team to preemptively address potential security vulnerabilities.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE:

• A minimum of 8 years of experience, with at least 4 years in payment product roles.
  
• Advanced degrees in business, technology, or related fields are preferred, highlighting a solid foundation in both theoretical and practical aspects of product management and development.
• Deep understanding and experience working on remittances and cross-border payments both international and Africa, including regulatory frameworks and industry trends.
  
• Knowledge of the African payments landscape.
• Certifications: Relevant certifications might include Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO), Pragmatic Certified Product Manager, or similar credentials that emphasise expertise in product development and agile methodologies.

SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES PREFERRED:

• Expertise in financial technologies and payment systems, with a strong understanding of digital payment gateways and security protocols.
• Strong leadership skills, with the ability to manage and inspire a team of product managers.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, essential for coordinating with multiple teams and reporting to executive leadership.
• Strong number crunching capabilities with the ability to navigate and use data analysis tools to drive a data driven approach to insights and recommendations
• A strategic mindset capable of balancing various perspectives and making informed decisions that align with business goals.