PalmPay

Senior Risk Control Specialist

Posted 2 Days Ago

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Dar es Salaam, Kinondoni, Dar es Salaam

In-Office

Mid level

Fintech • Payments • Financial Services

The Role

The Senior Risk Control Specialist will identify and implement risk controls across the organization, ensuring compliance and strengthening control environments in a fintech setting.

Summary Generated by Built In

PalmPay is a Pan-African fintech company currently operating in Ghana, Nigeria and expanding to other markets in Tanzania. We’re reinventing the payments experience by making it easy and reliable for everyone to transfer money, pay bills and shop online. We are seeking a detail-oriented and proactive Senior Risk Control Specialist who will lead efforts in identifying, designing, implementing and monitoring key risk controls across the organisation (banking/fintech). This role ensures the business operates within its risk appetite, complies with regulatory requirements, and continually strengthens its control environment.
Key Responsibilities

Risk Identification & Assessment
- Identify current and emerging risks (operational, credit, market, liquidity, technology, regulatory, fraud) across business units/products/processes.
- Facilitate and/or lead Risk & Control Self Assessments (RCSAs) for new products, services, or business lines.
- Maintain risk registers, key risk indicators (KRIs) and key control indicators (KCIs).
- Conduct root cause analysis for incidents, control failures or near‑misses
Control Design, Implementation & Monitoring
- Design or recommend controls (preventive, detective, corrective) to address risk exposures, ensure they are embedded in business processes.
- Monitor control effectiveness: measure, test, report on control performance and gaps.
- Collaborate with business, product, operations, IT, compliance and risk teams to ensure controls are appropriately designed, resourced and executed.
- Support remediation of control deficiencies: develop action plans, track remediation progress, escalate matters when required.
Governance, Reporting & Metrics
- Prepare and provide regular (monthly/quarterly) risk and control reporting to senior management, risk committees, regulatory bodies.
- Maintain documentation of controls, policies, procedures, process maps and assurance programmes.
- Support internal audit, external audit and regulatory examinations: provide data, documentation, evidence of control execution.
Risk Culture, Training & Advisory
- Promote a robust risk culture across the organisation: raise awareness, provide training, embed control mindset into business units.
- Serve as a risk‑control advisor to stakeholders: interpret regulatory requirements, coordinate with compliance/legal/operations.
- Keep up‑to‑date with regulatory changes, emerging risks (e.g., fintech, payments, cyber, third‑party) and advise on control enhancements.
Strategic Initiatives and Continuous Improvement
- Participate in, or lead, strategic risk/control initiatives: e.g., new product launches, business model changes, digital transformation.
- Identify process inefficiencies or control gaps and propose improvements, automation, or redesign to make controls more efficient and effective.

Key Qualifications & Experience

Bachelor’s degree (Finance, Accounting, Business, Risk Management, or related). Master’s or professional qualification (e.g., FRM, CFA, CISA) preferred.
Typically 3 to 5 years of risk management, internal audit, operations risk, control testing or related experience — in the banking or fintech setting.
Good understanding of risk management frameworks (ERM), control frameworks, RCSA, issue/incident management, control testing.
Familiarity with regulatory requirements relevant to banks/fintechs (e.g., Basel frameworks, operational risk guidelines, payments regulation, data protection).
Analytical mindset: able to interpret data/KRIs, draw insights, communicate with senior stakeholders.
Strong verbal and written communication skills; ability to work collaboratively across business and control functions.
Experience with process mapping, business process management and change implementation.
(Optional/Desirable) Experience in payments/fintech environment, digital product risk, third‑party/vendor risk.

Key Competencies & Behaviours

Integrity, ethical mindset, high attention to detail.
Proactive, curious, able to challenge and influence business stakeholders.
Resilience to manage issues, control deficiencies, deadlines, and deliver in dynamic environments.
Ability to prioritise multiple tasks and work under pressure.
Continuous improvement mindset: looking for opportunities to enhance controls, automate, simplify.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Number of RCSA workshops completed / controls designed & implemented.
Control effectiveness metrics: control testing pass rate, number of control gaps, time to remediation.
Incident/issue resolution timelines, recurrence of same root causes.
Accuracy/timeliness of risk & control reporting.
Risk awareness/training completion rates across business.
Reduction of loss/fines due to control failures (if applicable).