Country Director, Botswana

About the role

Ezra is looking for a Country Director to serve as the officially appointed local principal officer for its licensed Fintech operations in Botswana. The role is the principal representative before local regulators and major customers, responsible for operational efficiency, financial prudence and strict adherence to local financial regulations, while driving profitable market expansion and safeguarding compliance. It also leads the local team.

Key responsibilities

• Act as the legally mandated principal officer for the licensed entity, ensuring policies and procedures support the Regulated Institution's strategic objectives.
• Drive market penetration and adoption of the core digital lending solutions: Airtime Credit Services (ACS), Nano and BNPL.
• Take full responsibility for the country P&L, keeping expenditure and income in line with the Board-approved budget and regularly reporting financial status to the Board.
• Oversee local operations so that business processes (eligibility, risk management, loan issuance, recovery, reporting, reconciliation and billing) remain robust, reliable and secure.
• Partner with global product and technology teams to use platform and transactional data to improve and extend products.
• Manage relationships with mobile and digital wallet operators, financial service providers and governmental bodies to grow market share.
• Define clear job descriptions for local staff aligned with regulatory requirements and company operating models, and support local talent and succession plans.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Business Administration, Computer Science or a related field; an MBA is highly preferred.
• At least 10 years of progressive experience in telecom or financial services, including at least 5 years in a senior leadership role (CEO, MD or Country Head) in a regulated FinTech, digital lending, telecom or banking institution in Botswana.
• Deep understanding of the local regulatory and compliance landscape (e.g. NBFIRA, Micro Lending Regulations 2012, Financial Intelligence Act).
• Preferred: strong network in Botswana's financial services, telecom and regulatory sectors, and experience managing a high-volume, data-driven operation.

Required skills

• Demonstrated strategic leadership, communication and analytical ability.
• Ability to thrive under pressure and turn complex regulatory and data-driven challenges into clear, compliant business outcomes.