M-Pesa Africa: Executive Head of Product - Digital

M-Pesa is a pioneering fintech business and global market leader in mobile money. Starting from 2007 as a convenient means by which the unbanked and underbanked could make digital payments, M-Pesa has now grown to offer over 60 million active customers Financial Services, Enterprise, Merchant and Retail solutions. We are proud of our work in enabling the digital economy in our markets, and in driving financial inclusion.

M-Pesa Africa is the largest FinTech providing services to more than 60 million customers and 5 million businesses solutions across Financial Services, Enterprise, Merchant and Retail. We are now well on our way to becoming the preferred digital payment method across the markets that we serve, for both in-store, remote and online payments. With headquarters in both Nairobi and Johannesburg, we serve markets that include Kenya, Tanzania, DRC, Lesotho, Ghana, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Mozambique.

We are a united, energetic and passionate team. A place where leaders coach, teams connect, and everyone is empowered to go further, faster. A place where heroes become superheroes; through growth, opportunity, and the chance to work with the best minds in FinTech.

Role Purpose

The Executive Head of Product – Digital will be responsible for championing the digital transformation of M-Pesa as we prepare for millions of our customers and merchants to transition from feature phones to smartphones. This includes bringing the voice of the customer, industry trends and design thinking to the M-Pesa app and actively engaging and influencing key internal and external stakeholders. You will be the “linchpin” between the engineering teams and the business.

Your responsibilities will include:

Champion App Product Strategy & Execution

• Own the vision for the consumer fintech app across 7 Markets
• Leading 80+ people across Engineering, UX and Product to achieve product delivery
• Drive the roadmap, incorporate industry and customer research to create a transformative product
• Be a customer advocate, drive superior customer experience via UI/UX,  define customer journeys based on customer need, define acceptance criteria for every customer journey
• Master product backlog: prioritize for business impact and superior customer experience
• Rally product creation colleagues to drive timely results – developers, business analysts, architects, delivery managers, operations support, etc. 

Spearhead Partnerships to Drive Innovation

• Define partnership strategy for the app including loyalty and rewards to drive engagement
• Drive business development with relevant 3rd parties, negotiate key commercial and product terms and support legal on contracting across 7 markets

Build "trusted advisor" relationship with business leaders across M-Pesa markets

• Co-develop launch and go to market plans with local product managers to drive uptake and engagement
• Offer strategic support on the digital strategy and business case Strong knowledge of mobile money,
• fintech and financial services
• Drive commercial rationalisation of the service roadmaps balancing requirements from multiple markets

Core competencies, knowledge and experience

• Strong knowledge of mobile money, fintech and financial services
• Experience with emerging market consumers, and multicultural sensitivity 
• Keen understanding of digital product lifecycle & software/mobile development
• Experience with Agile/Lean management
• Analytical bent of mind, structured thinker with strong business acumen
• Results-driven self-starter
• Solid influencing and negotiation skills

The ideal candidate for this role will have:

Education & Experience

• >8  years of professional experience with at least 5 years of digital product management at a fintech, bank or other relevant digital business
• Bachelor’s degree required, a Master’s degree in a related field preferred
• Certification in Scaled Agile Framework
• Contagious passion for, and commitment to driving mobile money growth and Innovation  

Closing date for Applications: 3 October 2026.

The base location for this role is, Vodacom Midrand Campus.  

The Company's approved Employment Equity Plan and Targets will be considered as part of the recruitment process. As an Equal Opportunities employer, we actively encourage and welcome people with various disabilities to apply.

Vodacom is committed to an organisational culture that recognises, appreciates and values diversity & inclusion.