Head of Payments (Fintech)

PlaceTalent; Gauteng; On-site; ZAR 1,200,000 - 2,000,000; Full time

Job summary

PlaceTalent in Gauteng seeks an experienced Payments Growth Leader to own the strategy, target merchant segments and drive acquisition, onboarding and revenue growth. You will manage key relationships, lead the payments team and shape the partner roadmap in a rapidly scaling business.

You will influence budgeting, forecasting and strategic objectives while monitoring market developments, regulatory changes and performance metrics to sustain growth.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in payments, fintech, banking or a related commercial field.
• Proven track record growing revenue and acquiring merchants or partners.
• Experience leading teams and building a growing business.
• Strong SA payments market knowledge including card acquiring, EFT, PayShap.
• Experience presenting to executives and boards.

Responsibilities

• Develop and own the payments growth strategy.
• Identify target merchant segments and develop acquisition/retention plans.
• Lead merchant acquisition from pipeline to onboarding.
• Manage key merchant relationships and drive revenue growth.
• Develop and manage partner and channel roadmap.
• Evaluate pricing, cost-to-serve and ROI.
• Lead the payments team through managers and leads.
• Build capability as the business scales.
• Set objectives, performance expectations and succession plans.
• Translate strategy into quarterly objectives and monitor metrics.
• Contribute to budgeting, forecasting and business planning.
• Monitor SA payments market, competitors and regulation.
• Identify opportunities from marketplace, payments and logistics integration.
• Collaborate with Marketing, Finance, Technology and People & Culture.
• Own regulatory, risk, and compliance for payments.
• Manage relationships with banks, acquirers, card schemes.
• Oversee merchant due diligence, fraud, and settlement integrity.
• Ensure uptime, incident management and service delivery.

Skills

Revenue growth

Merchant acquisition

Team leadership

Strategic planning

Cross-functional collaboration

Executive communication

Education

Tertiary qualification in Commerce/Finance/Technology

Postgraduate qualification (advantageous)

Job description

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and own the payments growth strategy.
• Identify target merchant segments and develop strategies to acquire and retain them.
• Lead merchant acquisition from pipeline development and pricing through to onboarding.
• Personally manage and develop key merchant relationships.
• Drive transaction volume, transaction value and revenue growth.
• Develop and manage the partner and channel roadmap.
• Evaluate commercial opportunities, pricing, cost-to-serve and expected returns.
• Lead and develop the payments team through its Operations Manager and Technical Lead.
• Build organisational capability as the business scales.
• Establish clear objectives, performance expectations and succession plans.
• Translate group strategy into practical quarterly objectives.
• Monitor key commercial and operational metrics, including revenue, merchant growth, retention, transaction volumes, payment success rates, uptime and processing costs.
• Contribute to budgeting, forecasting and overall business planning.
• Monitor developments across the South African payments market, competitors and regulatory environment.
• Identify opportunities created through the integration of marketplace, payments and logistics capabilities.
• Work closely with Marketing, Finance, Technology and People & Culture.
• Own regulatory, risk and compliance requirements across the payments business.
• Manage relationships with sponsoring banks, acquirers, card schemes and relevant industry bodies.
• Oversee merchant due diligence, fraud, chargebacks and settlement integrity.
• Ensure strong uptime, incident management and service delivery.

Minimum Requirements

• A tertiary qualification in Commerce, Business, Finance, Economics, Technology or a related field is essential.
• A postgraduate business qualification is advantageous.
• 8+ years' experience in payments, fintech, banking or a closely related commercial environment.
• At least 3 years' experience leading a team or business unit.
• A proven track record of growing revenue and acquiring merchants, clients or strategic partners.
• Experience leading through other managers and building teams within a growing business.
• Strong exposure to the South African payments landscape is highly advantageous, including card acquiring, EFT, PayShap, banking and scheme relationships.
• Experience engaging with executives and boards, including presenting and defending business plans, budgets and performance reporting.