General Manager, Africa

Column; Dubai; Hybrid; AED 440,000 - 551,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading financial technology company is seeking a General Manager for Africa to drive growth for a new banking product. The role involves managing partnerships, developing market strategies, and requires 6+ years of experience in business operations or partnerships. This position can be based in Dubai, offering flexibility and the chance to significantly impact the company's global strategy.

Benefits

Comprehensive health, dental, and vision plans

401k plan with self-directed options

Flexible time-off policy

100% paid parental leave

Childcare reimbursement

Team building events

Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience in business operations or partnerships at a top-tier tech company
• Proven track record of managing partnerships with executive stakeholders
• Ability to assess market opportunities and provide strategic recommendations

Responsibilities

• Lead regional market development with banks across African markets
• Build and maintain key relationships with existing and prospective customers
• Conduct market intelligence to inform regional strategy

Skills

Business operations

Partnerships management

Strategic thinking

Network building

Project management

Job description

About Column

For companies building financial technology and transforming the financial services space, the biggest bottleneck to their growth and innovation is often the underlying banks and infrastructure stack they rely on. We have spent our careers founding and scaling companies like Plaid, Square, Meta, Blend, and Affirm, and have seen this problem firsthand — builders and developers needing to partner with traditional banks, and creating API and abstraction layers over the patchwork that is the bank, its core, and many other vendors. All of this results in a complex (and often expensive) banking supply chain involving a user, fintech, BaaS middleware provider, bank, core and the Federal Reserve.

At Column, we set out to simplify and fix this. We are a bank and a software company built from the ground up, offering builders and developers technology-forward banking solutions that cut out the hundreds of vendors, middleware providers, and abstraction layers. This means a safer, more transparent, and less costly banking supply chain. Come build with us!

The opportunity

As Column’s General Manager for Africa, you will serve as the continental leader for one of our most strategic international expansion initiatives. In this role, you will be responsible for driving 0-to-1 growth for a new banking product, with a particular focus on building and nurturing relationships with prospective partners and customers in select markets on the African continent (with the potential to expand into Middle Eastern and European markets as well). This role combines global expansion strategy, business development with hands-on relationship management, requiring a general business athlete who thrives on networking and executing complex partnerships. This is a unique opportunity to be on the founding team for a new business line, with significant autonomy and direct impact on Column’s global expansion strategy.

This position has the flexibility to be based in Dubai or a key African financial hub (location flexible based on candidate and market priorities), with regular travel throughout the continent and quarterly travel to Column’s headquarters in San Francisco.

What You’ll Do

• Lead regional market development: Own the end-to-end process of identifying, evaluating, and executing on high-value partnerships with banks across a number of African markets (with the potential to expand into Middle Eastern and European markets as well).
• Build and maintain key relationships: Serve as the primary relationship owner for prospective and existing customers, conducting regular in-person meetings, attending local industry events, and managing ongoing partnership development.
• Own partnership execution: Lead complex deal processes from initial outreach through contract signature, working collaboratively with Column’s Legal, Compliance, and Product teams.
• Develop market intelligence: Gather and synthesize insights on local market conditions, regulatory developments, competitive landscape, and customer needs to inform Column’s regional strategy.
• Market expertise and network: Become an expert on the correspondent banking space in our key African markets, and build an extensive network within this space.
• Drive operational excellence: Build scalable processes for onboarding, relationship management, and ongoing support that can be replicated as we expand.

What You’ll Need To Be Successful

• 6+ years of experience in business operations, growth or partnerships in a high-caliber environment; prior experience at a top-tier technology company or management consulting firm preferred
• Track record of successfully managing complex partnerships and high-value deals with executive stakeholders
• Natural networker who thrives on building trust and long-term relationships with senior executives, market experts and decision-makers
• Strong strategic thinking - ability to assess market opportunities, evaluate potential partners, and provide strategic recommendations to senior leadership
• Hyper-organized approach to project management, including coordinating efforts across multiple teams; comfort juggling multiple projects and priorities is critical
• Scrappy, roll-up-your-sleeves attitude - we thrive because we work harder, are more creative, and have zero ego when it comes to getting our hands dirty to build a business

What You'll Get From Us

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision plans, including options that are 100% covered by Column for you and 100% covered for your dependents!
• FSA and HSA account options to enable use of pre-tax money for medical and dependent care expenses
• 401k plan, including self-directed brokerage options
• Flexible time-off policy - take the time off that you want and need to relax and recharge
• 100% paid parental leave, including 16 weeks for birth mothers, 12 weeks for primary caregivers, and 8 weeks for secondary caregivers
• Up to $4,500 in annual reimbursements for backup childcare
• Regular team building events, including annual offsite

If you need assistance or a reasonable accommodation during the application and recruiting process, please reach out to [e-mail].

We participate in the E-Verify program in certain locations as required by law. Learn more about the E-Verify program here.