The role of Senior Payments Product Manager at XLink is a critical function within the product organisation, enabling the delivery and execution of our payments strategy while supporting innovation and growth.
This role focuses on shaping and managing XLink's payments product portfolio, ensuring that solutions are marketrelevant, compliant, and commercially viable. The Senior Payments Product Manager will take ownership of endto-end product management — from defining requirements, collaborating with partners, and ensuring regulatory alignment, to overseeing launches and managing the performance of live products.
The Senior Payments Product Manager will play a key role in translating strategic vision into tangible outcomes. This includes driving product enhancements, coordinating with internal teams and external stakeholders, and ensuring that our products meet the evolving needs of banks, FinTechs, and merchants.
In today's rapidly evolving regulatory and customer landscape, the role demands a balance of product insight, operational rigour, and a strong understanding of payments ecosystems. Success in this role ensures that XLink delivers secure, compliant, and innovative payment experiences, while sustaining trust and supporting the company's mission to expand financial access and drive digital transformation across Africa.
Product Execution and Delivery
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Translate business and strategic direction into clear product requirements, user stories, and acceptance criteria.
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Own the delivery of payments solutions across both domestic and cross-border use cases, ensuring timely and high-quality launches.
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Manage the lifecycle of assigned products, including enhancements, optimisation, and retirement.
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Benchmark against market competitors and payment schemes to identify gaps and opportunities.
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Coordinate with technology partners, banks, and vendors to deliver integrations successfully.
Payments and Regulatory Alignment
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Maintain strong knowledge of domestic payment rails (e.g. card acquiring, EFT/ACH, instant payments), cross-border settlement networks, and merchant acquiring models.
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Ensure compliance with relevant regulations, including exchange control, ADLA requirements, and card network rules.
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Support the implementation of fraud detection and prevention measures.
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Monitor industry trends, client needs, and regulatory changes to inform product improvements and roadmap priorities.
Client Engagement and Commercial Support
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Participate in client meetings with sales and account teams to position XLink's payments solutions.
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Act as a product subject-matter expert in client discussions, helping translate business problems into product opportunities.
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Support the sales team with product materials, demos, and solution positioning.
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Build trusted relationships with clients by understanding their needs and feeding insights back into product development.
Growth and Strategic Contribution
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Develop the capability to shape product strategy over time, moving from delivery focus into more strategic product leadership.
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Provide input into partnership opportunities, solution positioning, and ecosystem growth initiatives.
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Work closely with the CIO and senior leadership to align product execution with long-term business objectives.
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Mentor junior team members where applicable, fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement.
Measurement and Reporting
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Track and report on product metrics such as adoption, usage, revenue, and cost efficiency.
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Use data and analytics to drive continuous product improvements.
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Prepare regular product performance reports for the CIO and senior stakeholders.
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Contribute to case studies and internal collateral that showcase product impact.
Qualifications
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Bachelor’s degree in business, technology, or related field
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Strong product management capability: requirements gathering, backlog ownership, roadmap execution, and lifecycle management.
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A minimum of 5 years of experience in product management or related roles, with a background in the payments, technology, or secure communications industry.
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Execution-focused but ambitious to grow into a strategic, client-facing role
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Exceptional strategic thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.
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Deep understanding of market dynamics, customer needs, and industry trends.
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Excellent communication and presentation skills.
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Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment
