Chief Technology Officer (CTO) – Africa Operations

Location: Sub-Saharan Africa (Hub) – with regular travel across active markets

Type: Full-Time | Executive Leadership

Reports to: Group CEO / Managing Partners

ABOUT DBV AFRICA

DBV Africa (part of the DRS Capital Group) is a fintech investment and operations group building digital financial services across Sub-Saharan Africa. Through partnerships with local operators, mobile network operators, and payment service providers, we deploy digital lending, payment infrastructure, and financial inclusion products at scale.

We currently operate across multiple Sub-Saharan African markets, with active digital lending and payment operations running, and further markets in the pipeline. We are a fast-moving, lean group that moves at startup speed with institutional backing. We do not hire to fill seats — we hire people who take ownership.

THE ROLE

We are looking for an exceptional Chief Technology Officer to lead technology across all our African markets.

This is a group-level, hands-on leadership role. You will be the single owner of our entire technology footprint — spanning loan management systems, API gateways, mobile money integrations, USSD infrastructure, payment gateway operations, and licensing compliance across multiple markets.

You will represent DBV Africa in technical meetings with our lending technology partners, mobile network operator partners, payment processors, and regulators across each market we operate in.

Critically, you will build the replication engine — a documented, repeatable technology playbook that lets us enter a new SSA market in under 90 days.

If you are a fintech technologist who has built and integrated mobile money lending products in Africa, and you want to own this at the group level across multiple countries, this is your role.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

Architecture & Integration:

• Own end-to-end technical architecture across all active DBV Africa markets

• Oversee Loan Management System (LMS) configuration per market — products, interest rates, credit scoring, portfolio at risk reporting, webhooks

• Manage all mobile money integrations — disbursement and collections flows with MNO partners across each market

• Standardise the API gateway model across markets — authentication, idempotency, payload normalisation, retry logic, tracing

• Oversee credit bureau integrations and KYC provider implementations across markets

• Define USSD session flows and short-code provisioning per market

Documentation & Replication:

• Build and maintain a “Market Entry Technology Playbook” — enabling deployment of the full digital lending stack in a new market within 90 days

• Write BRDs, API specifications, integration diagrams, and data-flow documentation per market

• Produce SOPs for UAT, go-live, rollback, and incident response

• Version-control all gateway configurations, LMS settings, and credit scoring parameters

• Create onboarding documentation for new local technology partners in each market

External Technical Representation:

• Lead technical sessions with our LMS provider on platform capacity, rate limits, SLAs, and scoring engines

• Represent DBV in integration meetings with mobile network operators, payment processors, card scheme partners, and national switch providers

• Own technical due diligence on all new technology and distribution partners

• Engage with central banks, telecommunications regulators, and data protection authorities on technology compliance artefacts across each market

• Drive and participate in UAT sessions across all active markets

Security, Compliance & Data:

• Define and maintain the cybersecurity posture across all markets

• Ensure compliance with data protection regulations, central bank technology requirements, and PSP licensing conditions in each country of operation

• Oversee KYC/AML technology implementation

• Manage data sharing agreements with mobile network operator partners (SFTP, APIs, data warehouses)

• Implement fraud controls: SIM-swap detection, device change flags, velocity limits

Product & Roadmap

• Define digital lending product technology requirements per market and prioritise delivery

• Oversee credit scoring model development (rules-based and data-driven)

• Manage sprint planning and technology delivery timelines

• Drive channel strategy decisions: USSD vs. app vs. WhatsApp

• Own the technology roadmap for the payment service provider and digital lending licence expansion

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Must-Have Experience

• 5+ years in fintech or financial services technology

• Hands-on experience with at least one Loan Management System (integration, configuration, and live operation)

• Mobile money API integration experience — you have connected real disbursement and collections flows with at least one mobile network operator in Africa

• API gateway design and management (authentication, idempotency, tracing, payload normalisation)

• USSD session flow design and implementation

• Strong SQL and database management skills

• Cloud infrastructure experience (Azure, AWS, or GCP)

• Demonstrated ability to write technical documentation that non-technical stakeholders can act on

• Experience managing or coordinating UAT across multi-party integrations

• Comfortable operating in a regulated environment (central bank licensing, data protection, PSP compliance)

Must-Have Mindset

• You have built a replicable fintech product before — you think in playbooks, not bespoke builds

• You are as comfortable in a technical integration session as you are presenting to a board

• You can translate a regulatory requirement into a technical specification

• You take ownership without being told twice

• You are willing to travel to active and pipeline markets across Sub-Saharan Africa

NICE TO HAVE

• Card scheme acquiring or national payment switch integration experience

• Experience with PSP licensing and central bank compliance (any SSA market)

• Credit scoring model development (rules-based or ML-assisted)

• WhatsApp Business API integration

• Accounting system API integration

• Cross-border payment infrastructure (regional payment networks)

• Android or iOS mobile app product management

• Transport or QR payment system experience