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 acquiring 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 enable seamless payments across Africa for businesses, banks and consumers.

Read more about us and our leadership team.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

The Principal Product Owner – Payouts will be responsible for managing the backlog and implementing features for cross-border payout solutions, focusing on inbound remittances into Africa and outbound B2B payments. This role will involve working closely with stakeholders to define requirements, prioritize features, and oversee the execution of payout-related initiatives. The ideal candidate will ensure that payout solutions are efficient, compliant (with local and international regulations), and scalable across multiple markets. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams to scale global payout capabilities, ensuring businesses and individuals can send and receive money efficiently across African markets and beyond.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Requirements Elicitation & Analysis:

Conduct stakeholder interviews and workshops to gather and analyze business requirements for payout features.
Develop context diagrams and process flow maps to visualize current and future state payout processes.
Document user stories, use cases, and acceptance criteria to clearly define feature specifications.
Translate business needs into functional and non-functional requirements for the development team.
Maintain a detailed requirements traceability matrix to ensure alignment between business needs and delivered solutions.

2. Backlog Management & Feature Implementation:

Maintain a well-defined product backlog, ensuring clarity and alignment with business needs.
Update the product roadmap according to changes made by the product manager.
Collaborate with stakeholders to refine user stories, acceptance criteria, and feature specifications.
Work closely with engineering teams to plan and execute sprints, ensuring timely delivery of payout features.
Monitor development progress, address blockers, and adjust priorities as needed to meet business goals.
Break down epics into actionable user stories with clear acceptance criteria.
Ensure comprehensive documentation of features and functionalities to support seamless development and implementation.
Prioritize features and user stories based on business value, technical feasibility, and market needs.
Manage the product backlog, ensuring it is groomed and ready for sprint planning.
Collaborate with stakeholders to refine user stories, acceptance criteria, and feature specifications.

3. Cross-Border Payouts & Market Research

Conduct market research to identify pain points in inbound remittances and outbound B2B payments.
Optimize pay-in and pay-out partnerships, ensuring robust coverage across African markets for bank deposits, mobile money, and cash pickups.
Work with compliance teams to navigate complex regulatory requirements (AML, KYC, FX controls, CFT, etc.) across multiple jurisdictions.

4. Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement

Partner with engineering, compliance, finance, and business teams to deliver high-performing payout solutions.
Establish and maintain relationships with remittance providers, payment aggregators, mobile money operators, and banking partners.
Work with sales and operations teams to support merchants and businesses using B2B outbound payments.

5. Performance Monitoring

Track and report on key payout performance metrics, including success rates, transaction speed, cost per transaction, and customer satisfaction.
Use data analytics and A/B testing to optimize pricing, routing, and transaction processing for high-volume remittances.
Identify and mitigate risks such as fraud, FX volatility, chargebacks, and compliance violations.

6. Compliance and Security

Ensure that all payout products adhere to local and international remittance regulations.
Stay updated with emerging regulatory changes, fintech trends, and cross-border payment innovations.
Work closely with risk teams to develop fraud prevention, AML compliance, and security protocols for large-scale transactions.

SKILLS & COMPETENCIES:

Strong experience in business analysis, requirements elicitation, and process mapping within a payments or fintech environment.
Proven ability to translate business needs into detailed functional and non-functional requirements.
Deep familiarity with cross-border remittance workflows, payment rails (SWIFT, ACH, RTP, mobile money)
Well-versed in API-based integrations.
Understanding of foreign exchange (FX) rates, liquidity management, and settlement processes.
Ability to work with treasury and liquidity teams to optimize cross-border payments and minimize FX exposure.
Knowledge of how pricing, spreads, and transaction costs impact cross-border payment flows.
Ability to collaborate effectively with engineering, compliance, and business teams to drive execution.
Data-oriented approach to monitoring payout performance and improving transaction outcomes.
Strong analytical, problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple priorities.
Ability to create and maintain dashboards.

EDUCATIONAL & EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:

Experience: Minimum of 5+ years in product roles, with a strong focus on inbound/outbound cross-border payments and remittances.
Clear experience working as a business analyst with the ability to elicit requirements, maintain a product backlog, review test, packs, etc.
Education: Bachelor’s degree in business, Computer Science, Finance, or a related field.
Knowledge: Strong familiarity with Africa’s remittance landscape, payout ecosystems, and global payment flows.
Certifications: Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO), Pragmatic Certified Product Manager, or similar certifications are a plus.

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 up 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.