Accounting Lead - West Africa Region

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, Africa and Asia.

As the In-Country Accountant – West Africa, you will act as the named finance representative for pawaPay’s regulated entities in selected West African markets.Reporting to the Senior Finance Manager, this role combines hands-on transactional finance responsibilities with regulatory-facing accountability. You will be responsible for ensuring that local entities meet all statutory, tax, and Central Bank reporting requirements, and you will serve as the primary in-country finance contact for regulators where required.

This is a fully autonomous role requiring a mature finance professional who is comfortable operating independently, managing both detailed day-to-day accounting tasks and higher-level financial statement preparation and regulatory reporting.

This role is open only to candidates currently based in Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, or Burkina Faso.

Your main duties will include:

• Familiarising yourself with the business model and the key revenue and cost lines
• Acting as the named finance contact for the Central Bank and other local regulatory authorities in relevant West African jurisdictions
• Supporting the preparation and submission of regulatory returns and compliance reporting required under PSP licensing frameworks
• Support the month-end close process for West African companies, including preparation of schedules and supporting information for review
• Preparing local statutory financial statements and ensuring readiness for regulatory or statutory reviews
  Assist in timely bank and mobile money reconciliations, ensuring transactions are accurately recorded and variances are investigated and resolved
• Assist with local tax and regulatory compliance by working closely with external accounting and tax advisors in each West African market to understand filing requirements, deadlines, and documentation needs
• Maintain proper documentation to support statutory, regulatory, and tax filings across West African jurisdictions
• Assist in monitoring financial processes and internal controls, escalating issues and contributing ideas for process improvements where appropriate
• Support payroll processing activities, including reconciliation of payroll reports and assisting with statutory deductions and tax compliance
• Assist with the preparation of year-end financial statements and provide supporting schedules for audits and statutory reviews
• Carry out day-to-day bookkeeping activities, ensuring records are complete, accurate, and up to date.
  
  

What is required of the ideal candidate?

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance or a related field
• Fully qualified CPA (or equivalent recognised professional accounting qualification) is required
  
• Experience with month-end close, bookkeeping, and tax and regulatory filings
• Experience preparing statutory financial statements and managing compliance across multiple jurisdictions is strongly preferred
• Comfort operating independently as the sole or lead finance representative in-country
  
• Experience of working with external auditors
• Strong IT literacy skills, particularly working with Google Sheets
• Strong skills in presentation of financial data and information
• Strong sense of autonomy and responsibility in executing tasks
• Experience in tax and regulatory requirements within payments or fintech across Africa is considered an advantage
• Strong communication and presentation skills
• Strong decision-making and problem-solving skills
• Ability to cultivate strong relationships across functions as well as with external stakeholders
• Fluency in English and French (written and spoken) is essential. 

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.