Head, Strategy and Operations (Financial Services) at a Financial Services Company - Strivo Labs

Strivo Labs - Our client, a financial services company, is recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Head, Strategy and Operations (Financial Services)

Location: Ikeja, Lagos
Job type: Full-time

Role Overview

• They are searching for a Head of Strategy and Operations.
• The Head, Strategy & Operations is a senior leadership role responsible for driving organisational performance, operational excellence, cross-functional alignment, and strategic execution across all business units.
• The role ensures that the company’s growth ambitions are translated into clear plans, efficient processes, measurable outcomes, and high-performing teams.
• You will work directly with the Executive Leadership Team to shape the company’s strategic direction, optimise operations end-to-end, strengthen business performance, and ensure consistent delivery of value across consumer, agent, distribution, and enterprise channels.

Key Responsibilities
Strategy Development & Execution:

• Lead the development of annual and quarterly strategic plans across all business verticals.
• Translate business goals into actionable roadmaps, KPIs, scorecards, and operational dashboards.
• Drive alignment between business units to ensure cohesive execution of strategic priorities.
• Continuously analyse market trends, customer insights, regulatory developments, and competitive dynamics to inform strategy.
• Facilitate OKR cycles and performance reviews across all departments.

Business Operations & Performance Management:

• Oversee daily operations to ensure efficiency, discipline, and measurable outcomes.
• Identify operational gaps, bottlenecks, and inefficiencies; develop and implement high-impact solutions.
• Build and optimise processes across credit operations, product, engineering, customer support, collections, sales, marketing, and finance.
• Implement strong governance systems, quality standards, and disciplined execution frameworks.

Cross-Functional Leadership:

• Serve as a strategic partner to function leads (Product, Engineering, Credit, Risk, Marketing, Collections, Sales, Finance, HR).
• Ensure smooth coordination across teams to deliver on business goals.
• Lead and mentor a Strategy & Operations team, including business analysts, operations managers, and project managers.
• Drive organisational culture rooted in accountability, transparency, discipline, innovation, and customer-centricity.

Digital Transformation & Automation:

• Collaborate with technology teams to deploy automated workflows, operational dashboards, and digital tools.
• Lead initiatives to digitise end-to-end customer journeys (e.g., onboarding, KYC, loan processing, collections, customer support).
• Work closely with product teams to ensure operational readiness and successful rollouts.

Financial & Commercial Oversight:

• Collaborate with Finance and Business Unit Heads to track revenue, cost, and profitability metrics.
• Review and improve pricing models, unit economics, CAC/LTV, and cost optimisation strategies.
• Support the preparation of board reports, investor updates, and executive presentations.

Project Management & Change Leadership:

• Lead major cross-company projects and strategic initiatives.
• Manage change programmes that improve performance, culture, and operational efficiency.
• Ensure disciplined project execution using proven methodologies (Agile, Lean, PMBOK, etc.).

Requirements
Education & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree or MBA preferred.
• 7–12 years experience in strategy, operations, management consulting, or leadership roles in fast-paced organisations.
• Experience in fintech, digital lending, financial services, consumer finance, telecoms, or B2C/B2B2C/agent networks is highly advantageous.
• Demonstrated success in building high-performing teams and delivering measurable business results.

Technical & Professional Skills:

• Strong analytical and problem-solving ability.
• Expert-level understanding of business operations, process design, and performance management.
• Excellent knowledge of operational KPIs, financial modelling, and data-driven decision making.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to lead complex projects and manage multiple cross-functional priorities.
• Familiarity with digital tools, automation, CRM/ERP systems, and process optimisation.

Leadership Competencies:

• Strategic thinker with strong execution discipline.
• Inspiring leader who builds trust, accountability, and high performance.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to thrive in dynamic, fast-paced environments.
• Detail-oriented yet able to maintain a holistic, organisation-wide view.
• Strong sense of ownership, resilience, and adaptability.

Application Closing Date
Not Specified.