Fina Trust Microfinance Bank, a member of LOLC Group with corporate Head Office in Colombo - Sri Lanka, is one of Nigeria’s foremost Microfinance Banks. Its operating license was secured from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in September 2009 as a Microfinance Bank. Fina Trust Microfinance Bank has built a resounding success on excellent service delivery in a uniquely customer friendly environment through professional staff, leveraging on world-class technology. A continuous investment in information technology and in people sets the bank apart from others.
Role Context
- we are entering a critical execution phase of its 3‑Year IT & Digital Transformation Roadmap. The strategy is defined. The investments are approved. The expectation now is clinical delivery.
- We are seeking a Senior IT business leader—not a theorist—who has the professional weight, regulatory confidence, and technical maturity to execute, enforce, and stabilizea complex digital environment within a regulated financial institution.
- This role shifts deliberately from architect to operator and finisher.
- Success will be measured not by vision decks, but by systems live, projects completed, audits passed, and uptime maintained.
Primary Objective: Roadmap Execution & Delivery
- The Head of IT / CISO is accountable for the end‑to‑end execution of Fina Trust’s existing 3‑Year IT Roadmap, ensuring all milestones are deliveredon time, within budget, securely, and without disruption to active banking operations.
Key Performance Areas (KPAs)
Roadmap Governance & Accountability:
- Translate the approved 3‑year roadmap intoquarterly and monthly delivery sprints
- Provideclear, business‑focused progress reportingto EXCO
- Proactively identify and resolve technical, regulatory, or vendor risks before they impact timelines
- Ensure that priority initiatives (digital on boarding, app enhancements, infrastructure upgrades) are never stalled by administrative or internal bottlenecks
Agile Operational Excellence:
- Serve as theultimate escalation pointfor Scrum teams and technology partners
- Remove delivery impediments to maintain consistent deployment velocity
- Maintainminimum 99.9% uptimeacross all core and digital banking platforms
- Ensure that speed of delivery does not compromisesecurity, stability, or customer experience
Security, Risk & Compliance Enforcement:
- Function as the Bank’sCISO, embedding security and privacy controls into all roadmap initiatives from inception
- Ensure strict adherence toData Protection and Privacy regulationsand Central Bank requirements
- Maintain continuous audit‑readiness, with clean outcomes across internal, external, and regulatory audits
Business & Stakeholder Alignment:
- Act as a senior internal negotiator, aligning IT delivery with the evolving needs of Credit, Operations, and Commercial functions
- Hold third‑party vendors to strict SLA performance, initiating corrective action or replacement where delivery is at risk
- Communicate complex IT risks, delays, and achievements in commercial, business‑impact languagesuitable for board‑level discussions
Required Qualifications & Professional Credentials
Education:
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Software Engineering, or related field
- MSc or MBA strongly preferred (demonstrated business and executive‑level maturity)
Mandatory Certification:
- CISM (Certified Information Security Manager)or
- CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional)
Project & Delivery Credentials (Required/Advantageous):
- Certified Scrum Master (CSM)or equivalent Agile certification (PMI‑ACP)
- PMP or PRINCE2strongly advantageous for infrastructure and CAPEX governance
Highly Desirable Credentials;
- CISA(Certified Information Systems Auditor)
- ITIL Foundation or higher
Experience Requirements:
- 10–12 years total IT experience, with minimum 5 years in senior leadership(Head of IT, IT Manager, CISO, or equivalent)
- Proven experience with in Financial Services, Microfinance, or Fintech
- Direct responsibility for IT operations supporting:
- Alive digital onboarding platform
- A significant active customer base
- Demonstrated success delivering at least one full‑cycle core banking or digital transformation project—from procurement to stable, high‑uptime production
- Hands‑on exposure dealing with financial regulators and regulatory audits
The Ideal Profile:
- This role is not for a career technologist seeking safety or predictability.
- The successful candidate is a business leader who uses technology as a weapon for scale and efficiency, is comfortable with personal accountability for uptime, and has a proven reputation as a finisher—someone who takes complex initiatives from“almost there”tostable, secure, and fully operational.