Senior Manager : Compliance

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:
Role Summary: As a Senior Manager, Compliance at Cellulant, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring regulatory compliance and AML/CFT risk management across Cellulant’s expansive operations in Africa and beyond. With a focus on maintaining integrity and adherence to relevant local laws, regulations and international best practices and standards, you will develop, implement and oversee robust compliance programs tailored to the diverse regulatory landscape of each operational country. 

Key Responsibilities:

• Stakeholder Management: Excellent communication, leadership, and stakeholder management skills to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams, business unit leads, technology leads.
• Strategic Thinking: Ability to align compliance initiatives with the organization's strategic objectives and drive company-wide strategic initiatives within the compliance team, ensuring alignment and commitment from all team members.
• Leadership and Team Management: Experience in managing compliance teams to maximum efficiency and effectiveness, providing leadership, mentorship, and guidance to team members to achieve set objectives and drive continuous improvement.
• Ethical Conduct: Upholding ethical standards and integrity in all compliance activities, ensuring adherence to legal and regulatory requirements, and promoting a culture of ethical behavior within the organization.
• Conduct thorough regulatory assessments and monitor changes in legislation, regulations and industry guidelines across all operating countries.
• Collaborate with other leaders within the company, including legal, operations, risk management, Audit, to provide compliance guidance and support for new product launches, partnerships and business initiatives.
• Develop and implement comprehensive compliance policies, procedures and controls aligned with regulatory requirements and industry best practices across all operational countries.
• Lead the Compliance evaluation program of the company and ensure escalation and closure of agreed remediation plans.
• In conjunction with other team leaders, coordinate regulatory audits and ensure prompt closure of observations / findings.
• Lead compliance training program to educate employees on regulatory requirements, AML/CFT obligations, ethical standards and compliance requirements specific to our Business activities.
• Oversee compliance monitoring and reporting activities, including transaction monitoring, customer due diligence and suspicious activity investigations, to identify and mitigate potential compliance risks.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with regulatory bodies, industry associations and other relevant stakeholders to stay informed about emerging
• trends, regulatory developments, and best practices in the payment service industry.
• Oversee the prompt submission of AML/CFT-related regulatory reports and returns to relevant authorities.
• Serve as a primary point of contact for regulatory enquiries, audits, and examinations, liaising with regulatory authorities and external auditors as necessary to ensure compliance transparency and cooperation
• Lead the AML/CFT investigation and de-risking of services, customers that may expose the company to unacceptable risks, in line with the company’s risk appetite
• Responsible for reporting suspicious activities or transactions to relevant authorities
• Serve as a primary point of contact for incidents reported or escalated to the Compliance team - including whistleblower reports, code of conduct, Conflict of Interest, etc
• Lead Compliance initiatives aimed at simplifying existing process and procedures including the use of automation, AI, whilst also ensure compliance and without compromising the efficiency and effectiveness of the processes
• Lead the implementation and optimization of AML/CFT compliance controls and tools
• Collaborate with the Product and Technology team leads to ensure AML/CFT tools are working optimally by conducting periodic quality checks and escalating anomalies
• Carryout any other functions that may be assigned to you by your Chief Risk / Compliance Officer
• Provide periodic MI to Executive Management and Board of Directors on status of Compliance, new Risks and action items aimed at mitigating the risks.
• Drive Company Strategic initiatives within the team and ensure alignment by all members of the team
• Manage the Compliance Team to maximum efficiency and effectiveness to achieve set objectives.

Educational and Experience Requirements:

• A Bachelor's degree in Law, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field
• Member of relevant professional bodies (such as ACCA, CIN, ACFE, ACAMS, ACA, etc)
• A master's degree or Professional Certifications such as DCP, CAFCA, ICA, CAMS
• Extensive experience (7+ years) in compliance management within the financial service, with a focus on Payments, Fintech, Remittance and banking operations in multiple jurisdictions especially within Africa
• In Depth knowledge of regulatory requirements and AML/CFT regulations as it relates to Payment Services, Remittance and digital financial services in Africa and beyond
• Strong understanding of payment systems, money transmission regulations and risk management principles applicable to the payments industry
• Proven track record of developing and implementing effective compliance programs, policies, and controls in a multi-country environment
• Excellent communication, leadership, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate effectively across diverse teams and cultures.
• Analytical mindset with strong problem-solving abilities and attention to detail in regulatory interpretation and compliance assessment.
• Ability to work independently and thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced environment with a high degree of autonomy and accountability 
  
• Member of relevant professional bodies (such as ACCA, CIN, ACFE, ACAMS, ACA, etc)

Experience that will count in your favor:

• Member of relevant professional bodies (such as ACCA, CIN, ACFE, ACAMS, ACA, etc)

Nice to have experience:

• Excellent Communication Skills
• Excellent Interpersonal skills
• Ability to handle tasks at a given time
• Problem-solving

Skills:

• Presentation skills, Interpersonal skills, and Analytical skills

Personal attributes:

• Integrity

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, individualized 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.

At Cellulant, your contribution is rewarded competitively. We use clear career levels and role titles, and benchmark our base pay against data and a well-established internal process. Your actual salary will reflect your experience, skills, impact and the scope of the role, as well as our business needs and prevailing market conditions.