Head of Product (CH1193)

Capital H Staffing and Advisory Solutions; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 1 200 000 - 1 800 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading business in the payments industry is seeking a Head of Product to define and execute the product vision and roadmap. In this high-impact role, you will lead cross-functional teams to deliver innovative payment solutions while ensuring compliance and operational efficiency. The ideal candidate has significant experience in fintech, strong stakeholder management skills, and a passion for delivering customer-centric products. This is an opportunity to make a real impact at scale.

Qualifications

• 8–10+ years’ experience in Product Management, with 3–5 years in a senior role.
• Proven track record in fintech or payments industry.
• Experience managing product strategy at portfolio level.

Responsibilities

• Define and own the product vision and roadmap.
• Manage the full product lifecycle.
• Lead and mentor product teams.

Skills

Product Management

Stakeholder Management

Data-Driven Decision-Making

Agile Methodologies

Commercial Acumen

Education

Bachelor’s degree in relevant field

Postgraduate qualification (e.g. MBA)

Job description

Our client, a leading business within the payments industry, is looking for a customer‑centric Head of Product to join its dynamic team. The main purpose of this role is to take responsibility for defining and executing the overall product vision and roadmap for the products and services that customers rely on daily, as well as the performance thereof.

The Head of Product is the voice of the customer, deeply understanding their needs and translating them into innovative solutions that deliver a world‑class user experience. This is a high‑impact, senior leadership role that will collaborate with all teams across the organisation, as well as external stakeholders such as billers (merchants), payment networks and solution providers, to ensure the development and management of industry‑leading, omnichannel bill payment and collections products.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and own the overall product vision, strategy and roadmap for all payment and bill‑presentment products (retail POS, digital, mobile and banking channels).
• Manage the full product lifecycle: discovery, design, build, launch, optimise and, where appropriate, retire products.
• Lead and mentor a high‑performing product team, establishing best‑practice product management frameworks and agile ways of working.
• Use data, customer and market insights to prioritise initiatives and optimise customer journeys for billers, partners and end‑consumers.
• Work closely with Engineering to ensure scalable, secure and resilient delivery of product initiatives.
• Partner with Commercial, Business Development and Marketing on go‑to‑market, pricing and positioning.
• Ensure all products comply with relevant regulatory, risk and scheme requirements and embed appropriate controls.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Information Systems, Finance, Business/Marketing or related field; a postgraduate qualification (e.g. MBA) is advantageous.
• 8–10+ years’ Product Management experience, including at least 3–5 years in a senior/head‑of‑product capacity.
• Proven track record in fintech / payments / banking, ideally with exposure to bill payments, collections and omnichannel payment journeys (cash, card, Instant EFT, QR, USSD, mobile, e‑commerce).
• Demonstrable experience managing portfolio‑level product strategy and leading cross‑functional delivery at scale.
• Solid experience working with agile development teams and modern software delivery practices.
• Strong commercial acumen, analytical capability and data‑driven decision‑making.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, comfortable engaging at Exco level and with technical teams.

If you have a passion for building market‑leading payment products and leading teams to deliver real impact at scale, please submit your CV and a brief summary of your relevant experience for confidential consideration.

General

• We are committed to fair and inclusive hiring. All suitably qualified applicants are welcome to apply.
• Preference may be given in line with our client’s Employment Equity plan and applicable legislation.
• Applicants must have the legal right to work in South Africa at the time of application.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. If you do not hear from us within 30 days, please consider your application unsuccessful.
• Please include your current remuneration (CTC), salary expectation, and notice period (optional but helpful for screening).
• By applying, you consent to the processing of your personal information for recruitment purposes in accordance with POPIA.