Head of Product

Head of Product - Platforms Kuda is a money app for Africans on a mission to make financial services accessible, affordable and rewarding for every African on the planet. We are a diverse team building an inclusive money app that Africans would love. We deliver money transfers, smart budgeting and instant access to credit through digital devices. We have raised over $90 million from institutional investors and are rolling out our services globally from offices in Nigeria, South Africa, and the UK. Role Overview The Head of Product, Platform will lead the Platform tribe at Kuda, overseeing Core Banking, Payments & Cards, and Internal Tooling. This tribe powers the reliability, scalability, and compliance of Kuda\'s infrastructure — enabling all product tribes to deliver customer-facing innovation. You will own the tribe\'s strategy, roadmap, and delivery, ensuring that platform investments translate into measurable business efficiency, regulatory readiness, and improved delivery velocity across the organisation. Key Responsibilities Define and own the Platform tribe strategy and roadmap, integrating business goals, regulatory needs, and market dynamics Prioritise investments that improve system reliability, cost efficiency, and scalability while enabling new business opportunities Set and communicate SMART goals (OKRs) to align teams and stakeholders Lead tribe planning and QBRs, managing alignment and dependencies across tribes Champion thin-slice, iterative delivery with measurable impact Provide proactive visibility to leadership and stakeholders on roadmap progress, risks, and key decisions Establish standards for system reliability, uptime, and performance, tracking SLA targets Ensure compliance with card scheme rules, payment regulations, and data protection requirements Drive automation and tooling that reduce operational friction and enhance efficiency Use financial analytics to optimise ROI, cost-to-serve, and scalability Analyse vendor costs, transaction volumes, reconciliation gaps, and efficiency gains to inform priorities Apply cohort analysis to identify internal adoption trends and guide smarter platform investment Hire, coach, and develop Product Managers with strong infrastructure and financial services instincts Influence stakeholders by simplifying complex technical concepts into clear business narratives Foster an inclusive, collaborative culture where teams feel empowered to contribute and own outcomes Lead structural enhancements to Kuda\'s infrastructure that benefit multiple business areas Oversee transformation initiatives in core processes (ledger, payments, tooling) to increase efficiency Act as a role model for learning, continuous improvement, and accountability Day-to-Day Collaboration With BLO (Platform): align on efficiency, uptime, and cost-reduction objectives With DM/TLs: plan capacity, define SLAs, and deliver roadmap initiatives With Other Tribes: manage dependencies for payment flows, ledger, and tooling access With Risk, Compliance, Legal, Finance: ensure audit readiness, reconciliation integrity, and regulatory compliance With Vendors: manage partnerships, SLAs, and integrations with card schemes, processors, and banking providers Requirements 7+ years in Product Management, with 4+ years leading payments, cards, or core banking infrastructure products Proven track record in building reliable, compliant financial platforms Strong knowledge of local payment rails, card schemes, and core banking systems Experience managing vendors and partners at scale Data-driven decision-maker with financial modelling and ROI analysis experience Excellent communication and influencing skills, able to simplify complex concepts Experienced in mentoring Product Managers and building high-performing teams Nice to Have Experience in Nigerian or emerging market financial infrastructure Familiarity with CBN regulations, scheme certifications, ISO20022 Background in internal tooling or financial operations automation Benefits At Kuda, our people are the heart of our business, so we prioritize your welfare. We offer competitive benefits in areas including: A great and upbeat work environment with a multinational team Pension Career development & growth Competitive annual leave plus bank holidays Competitive paid time off (Parental, Moving day, Birthday, Study leave, etc) Group life insurance Medical insurance Well-being package (Wedding, Compassionate leave, etc) Perkbox Employee wellness app Award-winning L&D training Hybrid in-office schedule EEO Statement Kuda are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and anyone seeking employment at Kuda is considered based on merit, qualifications, competence and talent. We do not discriminate based on colour, religion, race, national origin, sexual orientation, ancestry, citizenship, sex, marital or family status, disability, gender, or any other legally protected status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know. #J-18808-Ljbffr