About the company
FairMoney is a pioneering mobile banking institution specializing in extending credit to emerging markets. Established in 2017, the company currently operates primarily within Nigeria, and it has secured nearly €50 million in funding from renowned global investors, including Tiger Global, DST, and Flourish Ventures.
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.
The State Head(Regional Lead) is accountable for driving merchant and business lending growth across the state, with full ownership of loan book expansion, portfolio quality, and revenue performance. The role provides strategic and operational leadership over all lending activities within the region, using offline payment solutions as a transaction enabler to support credit visibility, utilization, and repayment. The Regional Head leads high-performing commercial teams and ensures disciplined execution against aggressive growth targets.
Key Responsibilities
Regional Business & Merchant Lending Leadership (Primary Focus)
- Own and deliver state-wide merchant and SME lending targets, including loan volume, value, yield, and portfolio growth.
- Define and execute regional lending strategies aligned with company-wide growth and risk objectives.
- Drive large-scale loan origination across priority merchant sectors such as Health & Beauty, Electronics, Auto Parts, pharmacies, FMCG distributors, Hospitality, Retail chains and others.
- Maintain oversight of portfolio performance, ensuring strong repayment behavior, controlled delinquency, and sustainable growth.
- Provide strategic direction on ticket sizing, sector focus, and risk appetite based on regional market dynamics.
- Leadership, People & Performance Management Lead and manage Relationship Managers, Senior Relationship Managers, and field sales teams across the state.
- Set clear performance expectations and ensure consistent achievement of lending, revenue, and transaction KPIs.
- Build a strong sales and portfolio management culture focused on loan book quality, accountability, and execution excellence.
- Coach and develop team leads to improve loan sales effectiveness, portfolio discipline, and merchant engagement.
Strategic Merchant Relationships & Partnerships
- Own and manage strategic, high-value, and enterprise merchant relationships within the region.
- Use senior-level engagement to unlock large-ticket lending opportunities, repeat borrowing cycles, and long-term partnerships.
- Represent the company in key external engagements, partnerships, and stakeholder interactions within the state.
Offline Payment Acquiring.
- Ensure strong adoption and usage of offline payment solutions (POS) across lending merchants to drive transaction visibility.
- Leverage transaction data to improve credit decision, monitoring, and early risk detection.
- Oversee merchant activity trends and ensure proactive intervention where transaction declines pose credit risk.
Risk, Governance & Market Intelligence.
- Ensure compliance with internal credit policies, regulatory guidelines, and risk frameworks.
- Work closely with Credit, Risk, and Collections teams to proactively manage portfolio health.
- Monitor competitor activity, market trends, and sector risks, providing insights to senior leadership.
- Escalate early warning signals and drive corrective actions to protect the loan book.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Business Administration, Economics, or a related discipline.
- 10–15 years of experience in business/merchant lending, SME banking, or fintech credit, with regional leadership exposure.
- Proven track record of scaling large loan books while maintaining strong portfolio quality.
- Strong understanding of cash flow-based lending, credit risk management, and portfolio optimization.
- Demonstrated experience leading multi-layered commercial teams.
- Strong commercial judgment, strategic thinking, and execution capability.
- Excellent stakeholder management, negotiation, and leadership skills.
- Highly performance-driven with a strong ownership mindset.
Benefits
- Private Health Insurance
- Performance Bonus
- Pension Plan
- Training & Development
Recruitment Process:
- A screening call with a member of the recruitment team for 30 minutes.
- Technical interview with the hiring manager for 30 to 60 minutes.
