West African Partnerships Lead - Segovia

We build products to improve the lives of people in emerging markets by connecting them to global payment networks.

In many of the countries we work in, the majority of people don’t have a bank account, so digital mobile money services like M-Pesa have become a vital part of the financial system. The Segovia payments platform provides a web app and developer API to send money to mobile money networks in 11 countries and counting across Africa. We help non-profits provide assistance to people living in poverty, agricultural firms pay farmers for their crops, and gig economy startups pay workers – and there are many more opportunities for impact.

We recently joined the Crown Agents Bank group and are a small New York/London-based team looking to hire extraordinary people who are excited by our mission and share our values. We offer competitive salary and equity compensation, flexible hours, and great medical, dental, and vision benefits.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

The Role

We are looking for for an ambitious business development lead to grow our network in West Africa. Segovia has built a strong network of partnerships amongst mobile network operators (MNOs) and banks who offer pay out services in the markets we serve. The strength and breadth of our partnerships are the core ingredient that allows Segovia to deliver industry-leading technical integrations, optimized funding/operational timelines, and attractive fee structures to our clients. As West African Partnerships Lead, you will help define and execute the process for partnering with MNOs and banks in focus countries. You will personally engage with senior executives at our partners with the credibility and gravitas necessary to ensure long-term partnerships.

Location

We are ideally looking for a candidate who can be based somewhere in West Africa (and already has the right to work/live there), but it doesn’t have to be Lagos. We have some flexibility and are willing to consider a range of options.

More specifically, you will

• Identify new payment partners to add to Segovia’s network, based on analysis of target markets
• Pitch Segovia as a high potential client for new payment partners
• Serve as senior relationship manager for partners throughout their engagement with Segovia
• Negotiate attractive commercial terms and, when appropriate, design elements of more strategic partnerships
• Regularly engage with partners to maintain their excitement for the commercial opportunities Segovia brings to them
• Coordinate with Segovia’s compliance and operations team on required steps in executing payments through our partners
• Proactively identify risks within Segovia payment network and manage appropriately with partners
• Serve as a leader at Segovia and an active participant in major decisions across the company
• Represent Segovia at industry conferences as a thought leader on emerging market payments
• Help Segovia’s product and engineering team prioritize features that have the highest impact on the quality of Segovia’s integration with our payment partners

We are looking for someone with 

• Experience building and maintaining relationships with payment partners in emerging markets
• Passion for the payments space, with a focus on digital payments in emerging markets
• An entrepreneurial spirit is essential for this role as this will be a hands on position with significant involvement on operations and not just high-level relationship management or process execution.
• Experience in a business development or sales role with meaningful targets achieved
• Experience in fast-growth companies where process had to be adapted to growth, and product offerings / target market segments were evolving quickly.
• Demonstrated ability to set and meet aggressive targets
• Enthusiasm for working in fast-paced, ambitious environment
• Humility and grit. We’re working together for global impact and success; we expect you to prioritize team.
• Exceptional, efficient and versatile verbal & written communication
• Willingness and excitement to travel to emerging markets and international hubs
• A sense of humor

Ideally you also have 

• Knowledge and appreciation of local regulatory considerations in the markets we serve
• Existing relationships with relevant partners built on trust
• Proven record of taking partnerships from identification to close (ideally, for payment partners)
• Reasonable technical knowledge to understand our API product and communicate Segovia’s technical differentiators to payment partners