Head of Crypto (Digital Assets)

Who is pawaPay

pawaPay is a pan-African fintech enabling local payment channels used by the mass market to both local and international merchants. We operate in a highly regulated, partner-driven environment and are in scale-up mode, with ambitious growth plans across multiple African markets.

Our vision is to simplify business for companies and consumers in Africa and we do that by ensuring that payments simply work, at scale, despite fragmentation and complexity that exists on the Continent.

Through our payments API we already facilitate over 4 million transactions a day across 20 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.  We are the largest PSP on the Continent for the processing of mobile money payments, and have positioned ourselves well to lead the payment space as it grows over the next decade.

At pawaPay, there is an entrepreneurial spirit coupled with a modern and professional working culture. The fast-paced, ever-changing environment will suit someone who can adapt and think on their feet. In return, you will have the opportunity to work alongside a group of dedicated and smart individuals working towards the same mission. We work as a remote team and have team members in Europe, UK, Africa and Asia

What is the role?

As we enter our next phase of growth, we are expanding our payment rails to include stablecoins as a tier‑1 channel, alongside mobile money and banking.  We are moving beyond experimentation to building live, production-grade stablecoin rails processing real payments.

As the Head of Crypto, you will establish crypto and stablecoins as a tier‑1 payment channel at pawaPay, including:

• Stablecoin product strategy and roadmap
• Partner selection and ecosystem design
• Delivery of live rails and payment flows
• Definition of operating models and SOPs
• Prioritisation of crypto initiatives across the business

You will be the internal and external authority on how crypto works at pawaPay.

Your main duties will include:

Product & Strategy

• Define pawaPay’s stablecoin product vision across collections, payments, and merchant settlement
• Translate crypto capabilities into simple, safe, and scalable payment products
• Ensure crypto integrates cleanly with existing mobile money and banking rails

Partnerships & Ecosystem

• Select and manage partners across:
• Stablecoin issuers
• Blockchains / networks
• On‑ramps and off‑ramps
• Custody, KYC, compliance, and security providers
• Build a resilient, modular ecosystem that can scale across African markets

Hands‑On Delivery

• Work closely with Product and Engineering to deliver live stablecoin rails
• Drive execution - this is not a purely strategic role
• Ensure production readiness, operational clarity, and real transaction throughput

You’ll be well particularly suited to the role if you have: 

• Built or launched stablecoin‑based or crypto payment products
• Worked closely with regulators and compliance teams in regulated environments
• Designed crypto treasury and fund flow models
• Deep understanding of on‑chain vs off‑chain trade‑offs
• Strong grounding in payments or fintech (not purely Web3)
• Exposure to or experience in African markets

This role is focused on delivering production-grade payment rails in regulated environments; candidates with primarily trading-focused experience may not be a fit.

What will set you apart:

• You’re pragmatic, not ideological, about crypto
• You can simplify complexity into safe, scalable products
• You’re comfortable pushing boundaries responsibly
• You move fast and value speed to market
• You have strong written and verbal communication skills
• You bring credibility with partners, regulators, and internal stakeholders
• You take full ownership and accountability

If you are motivated by building real‑world stablecoin payment systems, not hype – and want to shape the future of payments in Africa, this role offers a rare opportunity to do so at scale.

Why pawaPay?

• Help improve financial access in Africa
• Being part of an amazing team that shapes company’s culture as a great place to be
• An ambitious, talented, and diverse team who always has your back
• We grow fast, and you will grow fast with us
• Competitive remuneration
• 35 days of paid leave per year (inclusive of public holidays) and more.