Background

We are the leading payment services company with local know-how in building payments and business tools for Africa. Since 2009, we've empowered tens of thousands of African businesses and entrepreneurs to collect payments online and in person via mobile phones and cards. We back this up with innovative digital tools for ticketing, reservations, reporting, inventory management, merchant credit, APIs, and more.

We make it simple and secure for customers to pay online, at the point of sale, or through the Pesapal Mobile App. Pesapal is regulated by the Central Banks of Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia, and Tanzania. With over 300 employees across five African countries, we are united by our commitment to solving Africa's payment challenges through innovation. Our ambition is to connect one million African businesses to digital payments, e-commerce, and the global financial system by 2030.

Job Summary

Pesapal is seeking two proactive and analytical Risk Executives to strengthen our fraud prevention, transaction monitoring, and operational risk management capabilities.

The successful candidates will play a critical role in protecting the integrity of our payment ecosystem by proactively identifying emerging fraud trends, investigating suspicious transactions, managing chargebacks, and supporting operational risk initiatives. Working closely with Commercial, Merchant Support, Operations, Compliance, Finance, and Technology teams, they will help safeguard our merchants, customers, and business while ensuring regulatory compliance and operational excellence.

What Success Looks Like at Pesapal

1. Deliver Exceptional Results

   Protect the integrity of Pesapal's payment ecosystem by proactively identifying, investigating, and mitigating fraud and operational risks. Deliver timely, accurate investigations, maintain strong chargeback performance, and continuously improve fraud detection capabilities to minimize losses and support business growth.

2. Solve for Our Customers

   Build trust by ensuring our merchants and customers can transact with confidence. Take a proactive approach to identifying and resolving fraud-related issues while balancing effective risk controls with a seamless customer experience.

3. Together, We Do Great Work

   Collaborate closely with Commercial, Merchant Support, Operations, Technology, Compliance, Finance, and Banking Partners to strengthen fraud prevention, improve operational controls, and deliver effective risk management solutions across the business.

4. Own Our Outcomes

   Take accountability for monitoring, investigating, and resolving fraud and operational risk incidents from identification through resolution. Continuously identify opportunities to enhance controls, strengthen processes, and contribute to a secure and resilient payments environment.

Key Responsibilities

Transaction Monitoring & Fraud Prevention

• Monitor transactions across POS, Card Not Present (CNP), online, and other payment channels to identify, investigate, and escalate suspicious or fraudulent activity.
• Review and prioritize fraud alerts generated through transaction monitoring systems.
• Conduct behavioural analysis to identify abnormal merchant and customer transaction patterns.
• Perform daily review, investigation, and disposition of flagged transactions.
• Initiate communication with merchants, customers, financial institutions, and cardholders to verify suspicious transactions.
• Identify, document, and communicate emerging fraud trends, suspicious transaction patterns, and new fraud typologies.
• Recommend fraud rule enhancements to strengthen fraud prevention while minimizing false positives.
• Collaborate closely with Customer Support teams to resolve fraud-related customer inquiries.
• Escalate significant fraud incidents in accordance with internal incident management procedures.

Chargeback Management

• Manage chargebacks throughout the full dispute lifecycle, including Visa Resolve Online (VROL) chargebacks.
• Monitor incoming disputes and allocate investigations appropriately.
• Investigate disputed transactions and coordinate evidence gathering with internal stakeholders.
• Prepare and submit representment documentation within established timelines.
• Process and document chargebacks in accordance with company procedures and card scheme requirements.
• Track chargeback trends and recommend initiatives to reduce dispute volumes and improve recovery rates.

Operational Risk Support

• Support the implementation and monitoring of operational risk controls across business functions.
• Monitor fraud review queues and ensure timely responses and follow-up on outstanding investigations.
• Review new merchant settlement requests, ensuring accuracy, completeness, and identification of potential risk issues.
• Support merchant onboarding and change requests by reviewing risk documentation and business information.
• Maintain accurate investigation records and risk documentation within internal systems.
• Participate in operational risk assessments and recommend process improvements to strengthen internal controls.

Reporting & Analytics

• Prepare periodic fraud, chargeback, and operational risk reports for management.
• Analyse fraud trends and emerging risks to support informed decision-making.
• Recommend enhancements to fraud monitoring rules and operational controls.
• Monitor fraud losses, chargeback performance, and key operational risk indicators.
• Produce dashboards and reports highlighting high-risk accounts, suspicious transactions, and portfolio trends.

Training & Stakeholder Engagement

• Deliver fraud awareness and chargeback management training to Commercial and Merchant Support teams.
• Support the delivery of employee fraud awareness initiatives across the organization.
• Partner with internal stakeholders to continuously improve fraud prevention processes and customer experience.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, Economics, Risk Management, Criminology, or a related field.
• Minimum of 4 years' experience in fraud monitoring, transaction monitoring, operational risk, investigations, or financial crime within fintech, banking, payments, or financial services.
• Practical experience managing fraud alerts, chargebacks, and transaction investigations.
• Experience working with card payment schemes, acquiring, or payment processing is highly desirable.
• Knowledge of the regulatory, banking, and payments landscape within the market being applied for (Kenya or Tanzania) is highly desirable.
• Professional certifications will be an added advantage.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong analytical, investigative, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent attention to detail and sound judgement.
• Good understanding of fraud schemes, transaction monitoring, and operational risk frameworks.
• Knowledge of payment systems, chargeback processes, and card scheme regulations.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
• High ethical standards, integrity, and discretion when handling sensitive information.
• Strong stakeholder management and collaboration skills.
• Proficiency in fraud monitoring systems and Microsoft Office applications.

• Monitor transactions across POS, Card Not Present (CNP), online, and other payment channels to identify, investigate, and escalate suspicious or fraudulent activity.
• Review and prioritize fraud alerts generated through transaction monitoring systems.
• Conduct behavioural analysis to identify abnormal merchant and customer transaction patterns.
• Perform daily review, investigation, and disposition of flagged transactions.
• Initiate communication with merchants, customers, financial institutions, and cardholders to verify suspicious transactions.
• Identify, document, and communicate emerging fraud trends, suspicious transaction patterns, and new fraud typologies.
• Recommend fraud rule enhancements to strengthen fraud prevention while minimizing false positives.
• Collaborate closely with Customer Support teams to resolve fraud-related customer inquiries.
• Escalate significant fraud incidents in accordance with internal incident management procedures.
• Manage chargebacks throughout the full dispute lifecycle, including Visa Resolve Online (VROL) chargebacks.
• Monitor incoming disputes and allocate investigations appropriately.
• Investigate disputed transactions and coordinate evidence gathering with internal stakeholders.
• Prepare and submit representment documentation within established timelines.
• Process and document chargebacks in accordance with company procedures and card scheme requirements.
• Track chargeback trends and recommend initiatives to reduce dispute volumes and improve recovery rates.
• Support the implementation and monitoring of operational risk controls across business functions.
• Monitor fraud review queues and ensure timely responses and follow-up on outstanding investigations.
• Review new merchant settlement requests, ensuring accuracy, completeness, and identification of potential risk issues.
• Support merchant onboarding and change requests by reviewing risk documentation and business information.
• Maintain accurate investigation records and risk documentation within internal systems.
• Participate in operational risk assessments and recommend process improvements to strengthen internal controls.
• Prepare periodic fraud, chargeback, and operational risk reports for management.
• Analyse fraud trends and emerging risks to support informed decision-making.
• Recommend enhancements to fraud monitoring rules and operational controls.
• Monitor fraud losses, chargeback performance, and key operational risk indicators.
• Produce dashboards and reports highlighting high-risk accounts, suspicious transactions, and portfolio trends.
• Deliver fraud awareness and chargeback management training to Commercial and Merchant Support teams.
• Support the delivery of employee fraud awareness initiatives across the organization.
• Partner with internal stakeholders to continuously improve fraud prevention processes and customer experience.

• Strong analytical, investigative, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent attention to detail and sound judgement.
• Good understanding of fraud schemes, transaction monitoring, and operational risk frameworks.
• Knowledge of payment systems, chargeback processes, and card scheme regulations.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
• High ethical standards, integrity, and discretion when handling sensitive information.
• Strong stakeholder management and collaboration skills.
• Proficiency in fraud monitoring systems and Microsoft Office applications.

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, Economics, Risk Management, Criminology, or a related field.
• Minimum of 4 years' experience in fraud monitoring, transaction monitoring, operational risk, investigations, or financial crime within fintech, banking, payments, or financial services.
• Practical experience managing fraud alerts, chargebacks, and transaction investigations.
• Experience working with card payment schemes, acquiring, or payment processing is highly desirable.
• Knowledge of the regulatory, banking, and payments landscape within the market being applied for (Kenya or Tanzania) is highly desirable.
• Professional certifications will be an added advantage.