FairMoney is building the leading mobile bank for emerging markets. We started with a digital microcredit application on Android, and currently roll out additional financial services (current account, savings, debit card) while expanding the product to Western Africa and South-East Asia.
Job Title: Head of Collection - Strategy, Transformation & Performance
Location: Lagos
Employment Type: Full-time
About the Job
- In alignment with its vision, FairMoney is actively constructing the foremost mobile banking platform and point-of-sale (POS) solution tailored for emerging markets.
- The journey began with the introduction of a digital microcredit application exclusively available on Android and iOS devices.
- Today, FairMoney has significantly expanded its range of services, encompassing a comprehensive suite of financial products, such as current accounts, savings accounts, debit cards, and state-of-the-art POS solutions designed to meet the needs of both merchants and agents. FairMoney thrives on its diverse workforce, bringing together talent from over 27 nationalities.
- This multicultural team drives the company's mission of reshaping financial services for underserved communities.
- To gain deeper insights into FairMoney's pivotal role in reshaping Africa's financial landscape, we invite you to watch informative video.
Job Responsibilities
End-to-End Ownership:
- Full accountability for cash collected, arrears, roll-rates, PAR/NPL, and recovery economics
- Own outcomes, not activities or excuses
- Actively shape upstream inputs (Risk, Product, CX, Tech) to improve downstream collections performance
Strategy & System Design
Design and execute a multi-horizon collections strategy:
- Short-term cash optimisation
- Mid-term recovery improvement
- Long-term customer behaviour change
Build structured approaches to:
- Early vs late-stage collections
- Segmentation-driven treatment strategies
- Behavioural and incentive-based interventions
- Introduce clear experimentation frameworks (control vs test, ROI-driven rollouts)
Data-Led Decision Making
Use data to drive decisions
Partner deeply with Risk and Data Science on:
- Roll-rate optimisation
- Behavioural analytics
- Treatment effectiveness measurement
- Unit economics and ROI of collections actions
- Demand transparent, decision-ready reporting with clear accountability
Team & Bench Strength:
- Build a high-calibre leadership bench within Collections
- Upgrade talent decisively where required
- Develop leaders, not just agents
- Create a culture of accountability, ownership, and continuous improvement
Cross-Functional Leadership:
- Actively influence Product, Risk, Tech, and CX — do not wait for alignment
- Challenge constructively where design or policy decisions harm recoveries
- Be a respected, firm voice at senior leadership and ExCo forums
Customer & Brand Balance:
- Improve collections outcomes without damaging long-term customer value
- Reduce escalations through system fixes, not firefighting
- Balance firmness with fairness through smarter design, not leniency
Time-Bound Success Expectations
First 90 Days (Stabilise & Diagnose):
- Take full ownership of collections performance and escalations
- Establish clear visibility on cash, arrears, roll-rates, and recovery drivers
- Identify and begin fixing the highest-impact structural blockers
- Deliver a credible, data-backed transformation roadmap with priorities and owners
First 6 Months (Deliver Step-Change)
Demonstrate measurable improvement in:
- Cash collected
- Cash-to-arrears and cash-to-instalment ratios
- Late-stage roll-rates
- Implement segmentation-driven treatment strategies at scale
- Reduce escalations and repeat failure points through system and process redesign
- Strengthen leadership bench with clear successors and upgraded capability
- Reset accountability standards and leadership expectations within the team
Requirements
- Minimum of first degree in any related field of study.
- Minimum of 8 years proven experience in Collections with good leadership experience
- Senior leadership experience in collections within lending, fintech, or credit-led businesses
- Proven track record of turning around or materially improving collections performance
- Experience operating in data-rich, fast-moving environments
Mindset & Traits:
- Builder, not caretaker
- Strong personal ownership — "the buck stops with me"
- Comfortable with ambiguity and transformation
- Proactive, commercially minded, and decisive
- Willing to challenge peers and leadership when required
- Low tolerance for excuses; high tolerance for accountability