Initiative Lead - USSD & Chatbot at Kolomoni Microfinance Bank

Kolomoni Microfinance Bank is a financial services provider committed to providing customers with unparalleled access to smart, personalized, and convenient banking experiences.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Initiative Lead - USSD & Chatbot

Location: Ibadan, Oyo
Employment Type: Full-time

Job Purpose

• The Initiative Lead - USSD & Chatbot is responsible for managing, enhancing, and scaling Kolomoni’s USSD (*5250#) and AI-driven chatbot platforms.
• These are two of the most accessible and inclusive channels, especially for feature phone users, unbanked customers, and support-heavy interactions.
• This role ensures seamless, secure, and effective user experience across both platforms, enabling customers to access key services such as onboarding, transfers, KYC, savings, airtime, loan requests, bill payments, and customer support without relying on the mobile app.

Key Responsibilities
Channel Strategy & Planning:

• Define and execute a joint roadmap for USSD and Chatbot channels aligned with Kolomoni’s financial inclusion strategy.
• Drive digital access expansion to reach underserved and offline populations.
• Lead development of new service flows on USSD (e.g., loans, savings, wallet top-ups) and support-rich experiences via the Chatbot.

Product Lifecycle Management:

• Serve as business product/process owner for both channels.
• Collaborate with engineering, business analysts, and QA teams to design, test, and roll out features using agile sprints.
• Manage releases and ensure consistent user flow logic across versions.

Customer-Centric Experience Design:

• Design USSD trees and chatbot flows to reduce friction and increase task completion rate.
• Integrate user feedback, behavior data, and customer support insights to refine flow design and reduce drop-off.

Cross-Channel Service Enablement:

• Ensure seamless access to shared services (transfers, onboarding, wallet, bills, loans, etc.) on USSD and chatbot in collaboration with:
  • Channel Manager – Mobile
  • Initiative Leads (Cards, Kolotreat, Savings & Loans)
  • Initiative Leads (onboarding and Rewards)
• Aligning with marketing for USSD codes and chatbot campaigns and awareness.

Technical Operations & Performance:

• Monitor and optimize platform uptime, response speed, and transaction success rates.
• Ensure 2G-compatibility and telco partnership support for *5250# (including whitelisting, DND issues, zero-rating, etc.)
• Own integration with NLP, AI or scripted chatbot tools (e.g., Meta WhatsApp, Telegram, web-based chat).

Governance, Security, and Compliance:

• Collaborate with legal and risk to ensure USSD and chatbot flows comply with NDPR, CBN, AML/KYC guidelines, and anti-fraud requirements.
• Ensure encryption, session management, and failover handling on both platforms.

Additional Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with the Business Transformation Manager/MD to deploy and customize USSD onboarding and chatbot education flows for users in peri-urban and rural areas.
• Design local-language flows (Yoruba) on both *5250# and chatbot (e.g., WhatsApp bot) to enable low-literacy users and enhance trust.
• Support agent-assisted onboarding via USSD, enabling SSAs and market women to activate wallets and perform transactions on behalf of customers.
• Build regional chatbot use cases focused on:
  • Event/activation info (e.g., “Oja-Oba Savings Drive”)
  • Loan eligibility checker for artisans and students
  • KYC and referral status lookup
• Work with marketing and CX to promote USSD awareness using okada vests, radio jingles, and market signage in locations like Dugbe, Gbagi, Apata, and Saki.
• Integrate short code promo codes in Oyo-based campaigns that drive savings, card issuance, and bill payments via USSD or WhatsApp.
• Track drop-off patterns across different LGAs and refine tree/flow logic to improve usability for traders, students, and cooperatives.

Required Qualification and Competencies

• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Business Administration, Statistic or related fields
• 1 - 3 years of experience (preferably in fintech or banking).

Skills:

• Deep understanding of USSD protocols, telco integrations, and short code management.
• Experience designing conversational UX (chatbots, WhatsApp bots, scripted or NLP-based).
• Familiar with regulatory frameworks for digital banking (KYC, AML, CBN policies).
• Strong analytics mindset using tools like Twilio, Botpress, Google Dialogflow, RapidPro, or Freshchat.

Application Closing Date
1st August, 2025.