Head of Regulatory Affairs

**Who we are**:
Yoco was founded in 2015 and now processes over US$2 billion annually. We’re the payments provider for over 200,000 self-employed, opening commerce for all. We’re breaking down barriers and unlocking economic opportunities that enable people to thrive.

We have over 350 team members globally, operating across international markets, all with a bias for boldness and a passion for simple, progressive solutions. We believe in uniting different people to solve hard problems together.

Our mission of making society more equal takes a variety of people with different backgrounds and points of view so we can keep building solutions that work for and include everyone.

Yoco is growing, and as we grow, we have compelling challenges ahead of us.

Growing means we’re enabling more self-employed people and businesses to thrive daily. It also means that ambitious problem-solvers with big ideas are challenged and stimulated and will thrive at Yoco.

**About the Legal, Risk & Finance team**:
We’re a team of professionals who take our work seriously but try not to take ourselves too seriously. We like to approach things from first principles but also be pragmatic and practical to get things done. We are focused on enabling the business and balancing autonomy and control through business partnership. We lead by example, helping Yoco to achieve its objectives and mature as a best-in-class Fintech business.

**About the role**:
The Head of Regulatory Affairs (Payments) shapes Yoco's regulatory strategy and payments-related compliance initiatives. This senior leader will be a key influencer in payment regulations and represent Yoco in critical regulatory and industry forums.

**What you will be doing**:

- **Payments Regulatory Strategy**:Develop and implement a comprehensive regulatory strategy to comply with payment-related regulations.
- ** Regulatory Engagement & Influence**: Actively engage with regulatory bodies to influence policies and regulations that align with Yoco's strategic objectives, particularly in the payments space.
- ** Compliance Oversight**: Ensure organisation-wide compliance with local, regional, and international payments-related regulations.
- ** Licensing & Accreditation**: Obtain and maintain all necessary licenses and accreditations, both general and specific to payments.
- ** Industry Representation**: Represent Yoco in regulatory and industry forums, such as PASA PCHs, to advocate for beneficial payment regulations and practices.
- ** Stakeholder Relations**: Establish and maintain robust relationships with regulators, payment networks, and industry bodies.
- ** Regulatory Intelligence & Research**: Continuously monitor general and payments-specific regulatory landscapes, interpreting and advising on changes and their impact on Yoco.
- ** Policy & Procedure Development**: Create, implement, and maintain unified policies and procedures that cover all aspects of regulatory compliance, including payments.
- ** Cross-Collaboration**: Act as a centralised advisor for regulatory issues across the Yoco business, ensuring a coherent approach to payment compliance.
- ** Team Development & Training**: Over time, build, manage, and train a high-performance regulatory affairs team equipped to handle general and payments-specific compliance.
- ** Reporting & Audits**: Prepare comprehensive reports on regulatory compliance and oversee internal and external regulatory audits.

**About you**:

- Bachelor’s degree in Law, Business, Finance, or a related field; a postgraduate degree is preferred.
- Professional certification in Regulatory Compliance, specialising in payments, is advantageous.
- Minimum of 15 years experience in regulatory affairs in South Africa, with at least 7 years in a senior role.
- Comprehensive understanding of both the general regulatory landscape and payment-specific regulations.
- Exceptional analytical, interpersonal, and communication skills.
- High level of integrity and professionalism.

**The People We’re Looking For**:
We’re looking for people who want to grow. And as Yoco grows, we hope they stay with us long-term.

Building things that make society more equal is a daunting task. And it’s not for everyone. We never stop pushing, breaking things to rebuild, and challenging ourselves and our teammates. We start over, we constantly evolve — and we do it fast. We know it’s just the right kind of meaningful madness for our visionary human.

So, who are you? You’re someone who resonates with our mission and also our values when it comes to how we work.

You’re a curious problem-solver with a passion for doing good. You’re bright and grounded, experimental and bold. You play open cards and get stuck in. You’re not afraid of change. You close the loop.

At Yoco, we love to laugh, cherish each other’s quirks, and be authentic.

Find out more about who we are here.