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JD — Country Head

Owner Classification Review Date Status
People Operations Internal April 2027 Active

Job Description: Country Head

Department: Global Network and Operations
Reports to: Chief Strategy and Network Officer (CSNO)

Role Overview

The Country Head is Simpaisa's senior in-country leader for a licensed operating jurisdiction. This is not a regional sales or business development role - it is a regulatory and operational leadership position that carries formal legal and compliance responsibility for the jurisdiction's licence. The Country Head is named as the responsible officer with the local central bank or financial authority (e.g. State Bank of Pakistan, Bangladesh Bank, Nepal Rastra Bank), which means any change of personnel requires regulator notification and, in most jurisdictions, formal regulatory approval.

Simpaisa operates regulated payment services in Pakistan (SBP PSO/PSP), Bangladesh (Bangladesh Bank), Nepal (Nepal Rastra Bank), UAE (DFSA), Iraq, Egypt, Nigeria, and Central Asia, with approximately 180 employees globally. Each Country Head is the face of Simpaisa in their jurisdiction - responsible for maintaining the licence, managing the regulator relationship, and ensuring local operations run to the standard required by both the regulator and Simpaisa HQ in Dubai.

The Country Head acts as the primary liaison between in-country operations and the Dubai headquarters across commercial, compliance, operations, and regulatory matters. In a crisis or operational incident, the Country Head is named in the escalation path and is expected to coordinate the in-country response while keeping HQ informed in real time.

Key Responsibilities

  • Serve as the named regulatory officer for the jurisdiction's operating licence - maintaining the relationship with the central bank or financial authority, managing correspondence, and attending regulatory meetings, inspections, and reporting cycles.

  • Own local licence compliance: ensure the business operates within all conditions of the licence at all times, including transaction limits, reporting obligations, capital requirements, and any specific conditions imposed by the regulator.

  • Manage the regulator relationship actively and proactively - not just at audit time. Build a constructive, transparent relationship with regulatory staff that supports Simpaisa's long-term licence standing.

  • Lead all in-country operations: staffing, office management, partner and agent network oversight, local banking relationships, and day-to-day business continuity.

  • Act as the primary liaison to Simpaisa HQ (Dubai) for all in-country matters - regulatory developments, operational incidents, commercial performance, and personnel issues. Maintain a regular and structured reporting cadence to the CSNO.

  • Manage local commercial relationships: correspondent banks, settlement partners, distribution agents, mobile money operators, and other in-country network participants.

  • Own the in-country compliance function: AML/CFT programme execution, local KYC/KYB processes, suspicious transaction reporting, and any regulatory-required compliance frameworks specific to the jurisdiction.

  • Lead and develop the in-country team: hiring, performance management, and retention of local staff. Build bench strength for continuity - the current absence of named deputies is a recognised gap and a priority to address.

  • Named in crisis escalation paths: in the event of a significant operational incident, regulatory action, or reputational event, the Country Head coordinates the in-country response and is the first call from HQ.

  • Monitor the local regulatory environment: track changes to payment regulations, central bank policy, government directives, and foreign exchange rules that affect Simpaisa's operations, and brief HQ in advance of changes that require a response.

  • Represent Simpaisa in industry bodies, government forums, and public policy discussions relevant to digital payments and remittance in the jurisdiction.

  • Support corridor growth: work with the CSNO and Commercial teams to identify local opportunities, remove operational barriers to growth, and support the onboarding of new corridors or products into the jurisdiction.

Required Skills and Experience

  • Regulatory affairs: Demonstrated experience as a named regulatory officer or principal officer with a central bank, financial regulator, or equivalent authority. Direct experience managing regulatory relationships, audits, and licence compliance cycles.

  • Payments or remittance operations: Deep knowledge of the local payments landscape - correspondent banking, mobile money, agent networks, settlement mechanics, and foreign exchange. Experience operating within a cross-border remittance or payments business is strongly preferred.

  • AML/CFT compliance: Solid grounding in anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing requirements as applied in the jurisdiction. Familiar with STR/SAR obligations, KYC frameworks, and transaction monitoring.

  • Senior stakeholder management: Comfortable engaging at senior levels with regulators, government officials, banking partners, and international HQ. Skilled at managing relationships under pressure and translating between local context and corporate requirements.

  • People leadership: Experience managing a local team in a multi-national, HQ-led structure. Able to develop talent, manage performance, and build succession depth.

  • Crisis management: Experienced in managing operational or regulatory incidents - knows how to coordinate a response, communicate clearly under pressure, and protect the business's licence and reputation simultaneously.

  • Commercial acumen: Understanding of the unit economics and commercial drivers of a remittance or payments business. Able to contribute to corridor growth strategy beyond the compliance function.

  • Language and cultural fluency: Native or near-native fluency in the primary language of the jurisdiction. Strong professional English for HQ communication and regulatory correspondence.

General Requirements

  • Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Law, Finance, Economics, or a related field. A postgraduate qualification in financial regulation, compliance, or law is an advantage.

  • 10+ years of experience in financial services, payments, or regulated fintech, with at least 3 years in a senior leadership role carrying regulatory responsibility.

  • Demonstrated track record of maintaining a financial services licence in good standing through regulatory change, audits, and operational challenges.

  • Eligible to be registered as a named officer with the relevant regulatory authority in the jurisdiction - no disqualifications, fit-and-proper restrictions, or unresolved regulatory actions.

  • Based in-country or willing to relocate. This is an in-person, in-market leadership role.

What We Offer

  • Competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package benchmarked to the local market, with international fintech positioning.

  • A role with genuine regulatory and operational consequence - the Country Head's decisions directly affect Simpaisa's licence standing, corridor performance, and the financial inclusion outcomes of the communities the business serves.

  • Direct access to and working relationship with Simpaisa Group leadership in Dubai, including the CSNO and CEO, with visibility across a fast-growing cross-border payments network.

  • Opportunity to shape how Simpaisa operates and grows in a strategically important market, with input into product, commercial, and regulatory strategy for the jurisdiction.