Meet Ozow
Ozow is a leading fintech company that’s redefining digital payments in South Africa and beyond. We’re dedicated to making payments more accessible, secure, and convenient for both businesses and consumers. As a fast-growing player in the financial technology space, Ozow fosters a culture of innovation, curiosity, and collaboration.
We believe in pushing the boundaries of what’s possible and are committed to making a meaningful impact through cutting-edge payment solutions and technology-driven efficiency.
About the Role
We’re on the lookout for a Strategy and Operations Specialist to partner directly with our CEO. This is a high-impact role suited for a curious, analytical thinker who thrives on transforming data and insights into strategic action.
You’ll play a key part in shaping company strategy, improving operational performance, and preparing executive materials for decision-making. Your work will span across market research, business case development, operational analysis, and supporting strategic presentations at board and partnership levels.
What You’ll Do
- Market & Competitor Research
- Research competitors, industry products, core metrics, and valuations to support strategic decision-making.
- Identify new market opportunities and emerging fintech trends across Africa and beyond.
- Deliver clear, data-backed insights that help refine product positioning and growth strategy.
- Strategic Insights & Executive Reporting
- Translate complex analysis into clear narratives and visuals that influence leadership decisions.
- Create concise strategy decks and dashboards summarizing company performance, key metrics (e.g., transaction volume, merchant growth, unit economics), and market trends.
- Present regular updates on business health, competitive positioning, and strategic opportunities.
- Support the CEO in preparing for board meetings, discussions with internal stakeholders as well as external partners with comprehensive briefing materials.
- Business Case Development
- Build detailed business cases to assess product readiness for market, ROI potential, and operational impact.
- Model financial and performance outcomes to support investment or product launch decisions.
- Evaluate partnerships, expansion, and automation initiatives from a strategic value perspective.
- Strategic Planning Support
- Support the CEO and leadership team in annual strategic planning and business reviews.
- Translate business objectives into measurable goals and strategic initiatives.
- Model different strategic scenarios (e.g., market expansion, pricing adjustments, new product investments).
- Tools, Data & Automation
- Partner with data in using Power BI and other analytics tools to track KPIs, trends, and performance indicators.
- Partner with data and amongst other teams to drive the use of AI and automation for improved decision-making and efficiency.
- Ad Hoc Projects & Strategic Ownership
- Contribute to ad hoc cross-functional projects that advance Ozow’s strategic priorities.
- Take ownership or act as the project champion for selected initiatives, ensuring alignment with company goals and timely execution.
- Collaborate across teams to drive delivery, track impact, and communicate progress to senior stakeholders and the CEO.
- Operational Tracking
- Monitor the progress of key strategic and operational deliverables.
- Partner with teams, where required, to identify blockers and drive resolution.
What You’ll Bring
- Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Economics, Business, Investment Management, or a related field (required).
- Strong research and analytical skills with the ability to interpret complex data and financial models.
- Proficiency in Power BI, Excel, PowerPoint, and other business intelligence tools.
- Solid understanding of financial and operational metrics relevant to fintech and digital payments.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, especially in presenting data-driven insights to senior leadership.
- Experience (or internship) in fintech, consulting, or financial services is advantageous.
You’ll Succeed in This Role If You:
- Are naturally curious and enjoy exploring new markets, technologies, and business models.
- Combine data fluency with strategic thinking and clear communication.
- Thrive in a fast-paced, high-growth environment with direct CEO visibility.
- Are proactive, detail-oriented, and eager to learn across disciplines.
- Value impact — using data, strategy, and execution to move the business forward.
Your skills and competencies
- You eagerly embrace change, absorb cross-functional skills, and connect ideas across disciplines to drive fresh thinking and innovation.
- Ability to initiate, develop, maintain and leverage outstanding relationships to influence a wide network, both inside and outside the company.
- A trailblazer who steps up, takes charge, and creates meaningful impact—those driven by performance and purpose to lead from the front and make a real difference every day.
- You thrive in collaboration, embrace inclusion, and bring a genuine curiosity for global cultures—valuing collective success over individual credit.
- Demonstrate strategic foresight, sound judgement, and the ability to make confident decisions under uncertainty, always working toward the best possible outcomes.
- You challenge norms, champion innovation, and constantly seek growth—for themselves, their team, and the solutions they build.
- You are a decisive doer—those who take initiative, follow through with confidence, and ensure results through courageous, hands-on leadership.
- We value optimism, agility, and the strength to persevere under pressure—balancing performance with positivity, even in challenging environments.
- You are driven, proactive individuals who take ownership, face challenges with grit, and consistently push for excellence—not just as participants, but as catalysts for success.
Interview process
During the interview process you will meet with the People team, the hiring manager, and relevant CSuite. Be prepared to complete a technical assessment that will showcase your skills.
In office perks
- Healthy breakfast, lunches and snacks
- Monthly team connects
- On-site Barista
- Birthday Leave
Perks for South African based employees
- Medical aid subsidy
- Group Risk Insurance
- Generous paid annual leave
- Birthday leave
- Learning and Development opportunities
- Mentorship programme
- Quarterly team building
- Community initiatives
- Access to cutting edge technology - Ozow Tech Stack
Our Employee Value Proposition
Join Ozow and become part of an elite force that challenges the ordinary and achieves the extraordinary. If you're driven to make an impact, embrace challenges, and seek unparalleled opportunities for growth, your journey starts here.
Compliance
As a fintech company, we prioritize data security, confidentiality, regulatory and compliance. Due to the sensitive nature of our work, we require individuals with a high level of integrity and trustworthiness to ensure adherence to financial regulations and industry standards. Given the sensitive nature of our work, all employees are expected to demonstrate professionalism, accountability, and a commitment to ethical conduct in line with financial regulations and industry standards
Ready to be exceptional? Apply now!
Keen to know more?
Interested in joining our rocket ship?
To find out more about life at Ozow, head over to our Careers Page here!
Top Skills
What We Do
Ozow is the future of payment as we know it. An oh-so (or Ozow) easy, automated and ultra-secure EFT solution that helps customers pay in just a few seconds, merchants can initiate Ozow payments through a variety of payment platforms, such as SMS, eCommerce, eBilling, QR Code and instore Point-of-Sale (POS). Through Ozow’s precise and secure system (that reduces the risk of charge-backs), merchants get real-time payments with instant transaction notifications and automated bank reconciliations. As no card is required for payment, their products are also more widely available, resulting in less abandoned carts, increased sales and more happy customers. Furthermore, merchants enjoy transaction fees as low as 1,5%, with no monthly costs, setup fees, or minimum charges, enabling them to save their money. As an added bonus, merchants processing up to R1m per month can use Ozow for free in their first year, no strings attached. Ozow is committed to financial inclusion on a continent where many people are disenfranchised by a lack of payments options. Furthermore, Ozow is committed to making it affordable for smaller businesses to take their trade to a wider audience, and to ensure that if traditional payment methods are unavailable, merchants don’t suffer. To date, Ozow has processed over a billion transactions, and has processed a combined value exceeding R5 billion. Ozow is bringing commerce to a wider audience, promoting financial inclusion and innovating for our customers. Paying with us is Ozow easy, Ozow fast and Ozow trusted
