Financial Services Partnerships Manager, Southern Africa, Fintech - Johannesburg at Optasia

• We are seeking enthusiastic professionals, with energy, who are result driven and have can-do attitude, who want to be part of a team of likeminded individuals who deliver solutions in an innovative and exciting environment.  
• The FSP Manager – Southern Africa plays a critical role in managing and growing Optasia’s partnerships with financial institutions across designated markets in the Southern Africa region. This role ensures seamless integration, operational alignment, and strategic collaboration between Optasia and its Financial Services Provider (FSP) partners, primarily banks and like-minded financial services institutions. 

What you will do 

• Partnership Management 
• Serve as the primary point of contact for assigned FSPs 
• Build and maintain strong relationships with partner institutions 
• Coordinate joint planning, performance reviews, and strategic alignment 
• Operational Coordination 
• Oversee day-to-day operations between Optasia and the FSP 
• Ensure timely execution of commercial agreements and service-level commitments 
• Monitor KPIs and resolve operational issues in collaboration with internal teams 
• Project Implementation 
• Lead onboarding and launch activities for new products or markets 
• Coordinate cross-functional teams (legal, compliance, tech, product) to meet FSP requirements 
• Track implementation timelines and ensure delivery against milestones 
• Compliance & Documentation 
• Support KYC, regulatory, and contractual documentation processes 
• Ensure all partner activities comply with internal and external standards 
• Reporting & Analysis 
• Provide regular updates on partner performance and market dynamics 
• Identify growth opportunities and recommend improvements to commercial model 

What you will bring 

• Strong liquidity and understanding of treasury management 
• Previous experience as a Relationship manager in corporate or commercial banking is a plus 
• Strong understanding of digital financial services, banking, or fintech ecosystems 
• Excellent relationship management and stakeholder engagement skills 
• Project management experience with cross-functional coordination 
• Analytical mindset with ability to interpret performance data 

Your key attributes 

• Strong desire for exploring, evaluating and understanding in depth old and new technologies 
• Passion for learning new technologies and eagerness to collaborate with other creative minds 
• Excellent judgment, organizational and problem-solving skills 
• Ability to hit tight deadlines and work under pressure and strict attention to detail 
• Excellent communication skills and team working mentality  
• Experience in working with secure code development guidelines and coding practices (i.e. OWASP, NIST)