Head of Payments

Armstrong Appointments; Sandton; On-site; ZAR 500 000 - 600 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading recruitment consultancy in South Africa seeks a Head of Payments to oversee operational management of the payment ecosystem. The ideal candidate will have 5–7 years of relevant experience, strong knowledge of fraud and risk management, and the ability to lead teams effectively. This is a market-related position aimed at optimizing the payment process across various brands and markets while ensuring compliance and enhancing customer experience.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in iGaming payments is advantageous.
• Minimum 5–7 years in a senior payments role.
• Prior people-leadership experience managing multi-disciplinary teams.

Responsibilities

• Oversee end-to-end payment lifecycle: deposits, withdrawals, chargebacks.
• Ensure high service levels and monitor transaction performance.
• Develop policies for fraud prevention and suspicious transaction monitoring.

Skills

Deep knowledge of KYC/AML/CTF frameworks

Strong analytical and data-driven decision-making ability

Excellent negotiation and vendor management skills

Understanding of payments technology and integrations

Strong communication and stakeholder management skills

Job description

Main job function

The Head of Payments is responsible for strategic leadership and operational management of the payment ecosystem across all brands and markets. The role oversees deposit and withdrawal processes, payment product strategy, PSP relationships, fraud controls, risk management, and compliance alignment to deliver a secure, seamless customer payment experience while optimizing cost and approval rates.

Qualifications

Proven experience in iGaming payments (Advantageous)

• Minimum 5–7 years in a senior payments, fintech, or banking role
• Strong understanding of:
  • card acquiring
  • alternative payments (APMs, wallets, bank transfer)
• Experience with multiple jurisdictions and regulatory environments
• Prior people-leadership experience managing multi-disciplinary teams

Criteria

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and execute the payments strategy aligned with company growth objectives
• Lead and scale the Payments function, including teams across operations, reconciliation, risk, and fraud
• Identify and implement new payment methods to support market expansion
• Optimize payment routing to improve approval rates and reduce processing costs

Payments Operations

• Oversee end-to-end payment lifecycle: deposits, withdrawals, chargebacks, refunds
• Ensure high service levels, SLAs, and response times for payment queries
• Monitor transaction performance and resolve escalated operational issues
• Drive automation and system improvements to improve efficiency

Fraud, Risk & Compliance

• Work closely with Risk, AML, Compliance, and Responsible Gambling teams
• Ensure adherence to KYC/AML, PCI DSS, GDPR, and market-specific regulations
• Develop policies for fraud prevention, chargebacks, and suspicious transaction monitoring
• Maintain strong governance and audit readiness

Vendor & Partner Management

• Manage relationships with Payment Service Providers (PSPs), acquirers, banks, wallets, and alternative payment methods
• Negotiate commercial terms and optimize fee structures
• Track provider performance and implement contingency routing
• Lead onboarding of new vendors and markets, Data, Reporting & Optimization

Customer Experience

• Ensure frictionless payment journeys in all channels and markets
• Reduce withdrawals times through process optimization and automation
• Collaborate with Product and UX teams to improve cashier flows
• Minimize customer complaints and payment-related churn

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Deposit authorization success rates
• Withdrawal turnaround time & SLA compliance
• Chargeback ratio and fraud loss rates
• Payment method uptime & incident resolution
• Cost per transaction / PSP fees
• Customer satisfaction on payment flows

Skills & Competencies

• Deep knowledge of KYC/AML/CTF frameworks
• Strong analytical and data-driven decision-making ability
• Excellent negotiation and vendor management skills
• Understanding of payments technology and integrations (gateways, APIs, routing)
• High level of business acumen and commercial awareness
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills

Personal Attributes

• Detail-oriented, structured, and organized
• Proactive problem solver with a continuous improvement mindset
• Able to work in a fast-paced, highly regulated environment
• Strong ethical and compliance orientation

Remuneration

Market Related

A Consultant will be in touch if you are shortlisted for the position. Please consider your application unsuccessful should you not have been contacted within 2 weeks. We will keep your CV on our database and contact you should you match the criteria of any other vacancies.