Process Optimisation Specialist

Company

Kora is a payment infrastructure. We offer plug-and-play payment solutions for businesses to launch a tailored payment experience for their customers.

Our vision, which is at the core of what we do every day, is to create a world void of digital financial barriers across Africa. We are committed to delivering reliable, secure, and easy-to-use digital financial solutions to every single customer with a guarantee that it is improving their lives.

We strongly believe in our ability to find Water in the Desert and pick the Sands in the Ocean.

We value positive energy, and clear communication and are committed to building an inclusive environment for people from every background.

About the Role

The Process Optimisation Specialist will be responsible for analysing, redesigning, and improving critical operational processes within the company to enhance efficiency, reduce risk, and strengthen resilience. The role focuses on continuous improvement across all the processes in the organisation, including processing, support, disputes, chargebacks, fund recovery, reconciliation, settlement, and partner management processes.

The Specialist will partner with cross-functional teams (especially Risk, Operations, Product, Technology, and Finance) to identify inefficiencies, eliminate inefficiencies, identify optimisation opportunities, maximise optimisation opportunities, implement automation, and ensure that operational processes meet expectations for resilience and reliability.

What you’ll be doing

Process Analysis & Improvement

• Map, document, assess and improve current processes across the organisation.
• Identify bottlenecks, redundancies, and failure points impacting efficiency or resilience.
• Propose redesigns and optimisations that improve speed, reduce cost, and minimise errors.
• Develop and track process KPIs, aligned with Operational Resilience scorecards.

Automation & Technology Enablement

• Work with Technology and Data teams to automate manual and high-risk processes.
• Implement workflow tools, dashboards, and exception handling systems.
• Drive the adoption of process automation in pivotal sections of the company.

Operational Risk Reduction

• Identify process-related risks and implement controls to mitigate them.
• Support the Head of Operational Resilience in embedding and monitoring risk metrics (KRIs) into processes for enhanced optimisation.
• Monitor process compliance with regulatory and scheme mandates for alignment.

Continuous Improvement & Optimisation

• Establish a culture of continuous improvement.
• Conduct root cause analysis of operational incidents, recommend improvements and follow up with implementations.
• Benchmark internal processes against industry best practices globally.

Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement

• Partner with Operations, Finance, Risk, and Technology teams to implement improvements.
• Where necessary, liaise with partners through the partnership team to streamline joint operational processes.
• Support training and knowledge-sharing to ensure adoption of optimised processes.

Requirements:
• Bachelor’s degree (minimum) in Business, Operations, Engineering, Finance, or related field.
• 3–5 years’ experience in process improvement, operational excellence, or payment operations.
• Certifications in Lean Six Sigma, Kaizen, or Business Process Management (BPM) or related.
• Experience in fintech, banking, or the payments industry.
• Strong analytical skills with proficiency in data analysis and visualisation tools.
• Familiarity with systems, platforms, or tools to facilitate workflow efficiency.
• Process mapping & redesign (Familiarity with tools such as Visio, Lucidchart, BPMN, etc.)
• Data-driven decision-making & root cause analysis.
• Knowledge of payment systems and the payment business.
• Strong collaboration and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to balance risk reduction with efficiency optimisation.

Benefits:
• Health insurance
• Sponsored and tailored training
• Paid parental leave
• Paid time-off
• Flexible work style
• Low-interest loans
• Group Life Insurance
• Access to up to four therapy sessions monthly
• Day off on your birthday 🎂 🎁 🎉
• Employee interest groups that provide supportive communities within Kora
• Great company culture and the opportunity to work with a highly collaborative team building something great!

Note: We recognise imposter syndrome is real - any candidate who does not perfectly fit every characteristic of this role is still strongly encouraged to apply.