Head, Transaction Monitoring & Resilience Job NCBA

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Job Purpose Statement

The Head of Transaction Monitoring & Resilience is responsible for leading the overall strategy, implementation, and management of the transaction monitoring framework across all Loop DFS markets and platforms. The role detects suspicious activity on Loop DFS platforms, triages cases, and escalates to the MLRO and Fraud functions for investigation and any onward regulatory filings. The role is also accountable for Business Continuity Management, Crisis Management and Operational Resilience across all Loop DFS entities in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. Operating as 1st Line of Defence, the role ensures continuous monitoring coverage, prepares reports for management, audit and regulators as required, and continuously improves detection and resilience capability.

Key Accountabilities (Duties and Responsibilities)

Transaction Surveillance & Behaviour Analytics – 30%

• Detection Framework: Own the transaction monitoring framework across consumer wallet, merchant acquiring (POS & eCommerce), card, and partner-ecosystem flows. Ensure scenario coverage maps to product risk, fraud and AML/CFT typologies relevant to each market.
• Rule & Threshold Optimisation: Direct continuous tuning of detection rules, scoring models and thresholds to balance detection rate against false-positive load. Approve all rule changes and back-test outcomes.
• Behaviour Analytics: Deploy behaviour-led analytics — including AI-assisted detection agents — to surface patterns static rules cannot reach. Position digital peer agents as a scalable AI workforce capability.

Case Triage, Handover & Reporting Support – 15%

• Case Triage: Ensure all alerts are triaged and dispositioned within defined SLAs. Maintain documented disposition rationale and evidentiary records for every case.
• Handover to MLRO & Fraud: Escalate confirmed suspicious activity and fraud cases with a complete case pack. STR/SAR reporting is owned by the MLRO; this role provides detection, evidence and handover.
• Report Preparation: Prepare reports for management, Internal Audit and regulators. Regulatory engagement is led by Risk, Compliance and the MLRO; this role provides underlying data, analysis and narrative.

Business Continuity, Crisis Management & Operational Resilience – 30%

• BCM Framework: Own the Loop DFS BCM framework in line with Group BCM policy, regulatory expectations and international standards. Ensure annual BIA, BCP and DR test cycles are executed and reported across all markets.
• Crisis Management: Lead the Loop DFS Crisis Management protocol; activate and run crisis response during major incidents. Serve as secretary to the Loop DFS BCM Committee.
• BCM Reporting: Prepare BCM reports for management, Internal Audit, Group BCM and regulators. Maintain the central BCM test repository as audit-ready evidence.

Reporting, Risk Control & 1st Line of Defence – 15%

• Management Information: Produce executive and Board-level dashboards on surveillance coverage, alert volumes, case ageing and resilience posture. Maintain a single source of truth for TM&R KRIs.
• Audit Support: Support Internal Audit, external audit and Risk and Compliance engagements on all TM&R matters. Own closure of audit findings within the agreed remediation calendar.
• 1st Line Ownership: Operate as the 1st Line of Defence on transaction surveillance and resilience. Maintain documented swim lanes with the MLRO, Fraud, Risk and Compliance (2nd Line) and Internal Audit (3rd Line).

Team Leadership, Talent & Continuous Improvement – 10%

• Team Build-Out: Lead the staged build-out of the TM&R structure: three Senior Manager direct reports — Transactions & Behaviour Analytics, Case Management & Escalations, and Business Continuity Management — plus their teams across all Loop DFS markets. Total establishment 10 roles.
• Capability Development: Build a high-performing analytics, investigations and resilience capability. Operate a digital-native model where automation and AI agents extend reach rather than headcount.
• Continuous Improvement: Drive zero-touch surveillance, reduce manual triage load, and integrate new data sources, agents and scenarios as the acquiring proposition scales.

Job Specifications

Education & Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline (Finance, Economics, Risk Management, Computer Science, Statistics or related quantitative field).
• Professional certification in AML/CFT (e.g. CAMS, ICA) and/or operational resilience strongly preferred.

Experience

• 10+ years in financial services with deep exposure to AML/CFT, fraud, transaction monitoring or financial crime investigations; at least 5 years in a leadership role.
• Demonstrated experience leading a transaction surveillance or financial crime operations function in a PSP, bank, mobile money operator or large fintech.
• Working knowledge of payments operations across consumer wallet, merchant acquiring (POS & eCommerce), card and partner-ecosystem flows.
• Familiarity with regulatory frameworks governing PSPs and AML/CFT across Loop DFS markets; FATF Recommendations; data protection requirements.
• Experience supporting regulatory and audit engagements — directly or in support of Risk, Compliance, the MLRO or Legal & Regulatory Affairs.
• Strong analytical orientation; able to interpret large datasets, validate detection models and make evidence-based decisions on rule changes.
• Experience deploying or overseeing AI-assisted or automated detection capabilities is a strong advantage.

Technical Competencies

Financial Crime Expertise

• Deep knowledge of AML/CFT and fraud typologies relevant to mobile money, card acquiring, eCommerce and partner-ecosystem flows.
• Strong understanding of FATF Recommendations and regional AML/CFT regulatory frameworks across Loop DFS markets.

Transaction Monitoring & Analytics

• Proficient in configuring, tuning and governing transaction monitoring platforms; tool-agnostic.
• Comfortable with SQL, Python or equivalent for data analytics; able to direct quantitative work without depending entirely on specialists.
• Experience integrating AI/ML detection capability into a surveillance estate.

Operational Resilience & BCM

• Strong working knowledge of recognised BCM, operational resilience and risk and control frameworks applicable to PSPs.
• Experience designing and testing BIAs, BCPs, DR Plans and Crisis Management protocols across multiple jurisdictions.

Audit & Reporting

• Experience supporting regulatory inspections, external audits and Internal Audit engagements.
• Strong written reporting skills for management, audit and regulator-facing submissions.

Strategic Planning & Execution

• Able to translate regulatory and business pressure into multi-year roadmaps.
• Comfortable operating in a digital-native, automation-led model with explicit swim lanes against Engineering, Product, the MLRO, Fraud and 2nd Line Risk & Compliance.

How to Apply

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