Director of M&A and Strategic Partnerships, Fintech

Optasia

The Director of M&A and Strategic Partnerships will lead Optasia's inorganic growth and ecosystem expansion initiatives - identifying, evaluating, and executing acquisitions, investments, and strategic alliances that accelerate the company's growth and strengthen its market position. This role combines strategic vision with hands-on execution and cross-functional coordination. It requires a strong understanding of transaction processes, governance, and stakeholder management, ensuring that each initiative - from M&A to partnerships - is executed with discipline, transparency, and measurable impact.

What you will do

M&A strategy and execution

• Define and deliver Optasia's M&A strategy in alignment with the company's growth and diversification objectives.
• Identify and evaluate acquisition and investment opportunities in fintech, telco, and adjacent digital sectors (e.g., data, payments, embedded finance).
• Lead end-to-end transaction execution - from origination and assessment to due diligence, negotiation, and closing - in coordination with Finance, Legal, and external advisors.
• Manage all internal and external stakeholders throughout the process, ensuring timely alignment and decision-making at each stage.
• Develop investment proposals and materials for Executive Committee and Board approval, clearly articulating the strategic and financial rationale.
• Oversee post-acquisition integration planning, ensuring delivery of synergies and operational alignment.
• Maintain structured governance across the transaction process - including documentation, progress tracking, risk dentification, and clear handovers to operational teams.

Strategic partnerships

• Lead Optasia's global strategic partnership agenda - developing alliances that strengthen the company's commercial reach, product portfolio, and technology ecosystem.
• Identify, structure, and negotiate partnerships with mobile network operators, financial service providers, and technology enablers, ensuring strategic and commercial alignment.
• Define and maintain the partnership strategic roadmap, including prioritization of opportunities and execution timelines.
• Manage SteerCo meetings for key partnerships - setting agendas, consolidating inputs, reporting progress, and ensuring follow-up on agreed actions.
• Coordinate with Commercial, Product, Finance, and Legal teams to translate partnership frameworks into actionable delivery plans and measurable outcomes.
• Track and monitor ongoing strategic engagements to ensure performance, impact, and compliance with agreed milestones.
• Embed clear governance and communication processes to ensure transparency and alignment across internal teams and partners.

Market intelligence and strategic insights

• Continuously monitor market trends, competitor activity, and investment movements across fintech, telco, and adjacent sectors to inform Optasia's M&A and partnership pipeline.
• Build and maintain a structured market and target database, tracking relevant developments, potential acquisition targets, and partnership opportunities.
• Partner with the Strategy and Finance teams to assess opportunities using both strategic and financial criteria.
• Prepare regular updates, reports, and briefing materials for the CSO, CEO, and Board, summarizing progress, risks, and recommendations.
• Maintain strong external networks across investment banks, advisory firms, and industry partners to identify emerging opportunities and insights.

What you will bring

• Minimum 10 years of experience in M&A, corporate development, strategy consulting, or investment banking, ideally within fintech, financial services, or technology.
• Proven experience in leading complex, cross-border transactions and strategic partnerships.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multi-stakeholder processes and coordinate across internal and external teams.
• Experience across emerging markets (Africa, Middle East, Asia) and understanding of local regulatory and commercial environments.
• Track record of managing partnership governance and steering committees.
• Strong strategic and commercial acumen with the ability to link business goals to deal rationale and execution outcomes.
• Excellent stakeholder management, negotiation, and communication skills.
• Highly organized and structured, with strong process discipline and governance mindset.
• Execution-focused and capable of managing multiple concurrent workstreams with tight timelines.
• Collaborative and adaptable, comfortable working in a fast-paced, multicultural environment.
• Executive presence and confidence engaging with senior management and Board members.
• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Business Administration, or Economics; MBA or equivalent postgraduate qualification preferred