Head of Product – Merchant Solutions (SME)

About the role

We are looking for a senior, hands‑on Head of Product to own the end‑to‑end merchant product portfolio for M‑Pesa Africa. You will define strategy, build the roadmap and work directly with merchants, data, engineering and vendor partners to create a unified merchant proposition.

Key responsibilities

• Define the merchant product vision, segmentation and multi‑year roadmap tied to commercial outcomes such as active merchants, usage, revenue and credit attach.
• Own the full merchant stack – acceptance (till, QR, Paybill), merchant apps, portals, notifications, reconciliation and value‑added services.
• Prioritise activation of existing features, run structured experiments on onboarding and engagement, and drive measurable movement.
• Partner with financial services to design working‑capital and credit journeys using transaction data.
• Establish a single merchant identity and common data model across markets.
• Lead vendor selection, contracts and delivery with internal engineering and external partners.
• Build and lead a high‑performing product team and set the product operating rhythm.

Required profile

• 10+ years in product management, with at least 4 years leading product teams or portfolios.
• Deep experience in mobile money, payments or fintech in Africa, preferably with merchant or SME products at scale.
• Proven track record of launching and growing products in Kenya or comparable East African markets.
• Strong understanding of merchant payments economics, acceptance, pricing, settlement and reconciliation.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to influence across complex stakeholder environments.
• Bachelor’s degree in business, economics, engineering, computer science or related field.

Required skills

• SQL