GM Payments & Financial Services

Job Purpose :
Lead the strategic vision, commercial growth, and partnership management for the Payment & Financial Services (PFS) department. This leadership role acts as the primary executive liaison to financial institutions across Bank Services & Ecosystem, Non-Bank Financial Institutions & Wallets, Lending Ecosystem, and DCB & Utilities (including protection and bill payments). The position oversees the complete financial partnership lifecycle—from sourcing and high-stakes commercial negotiation to paperwork, on-boarding, segment alignment, and performance monitoring—while actively identifying cross-industry financial trends and opportunities to integrate financial services into XLSMART’s telecommunications ecosystem

Main responsibility:
Strategic Leadership & Division Governance : Direct and mentor the PFS team to execute a unified commercial roadmap across banking, digital wallets, lending, direct carrier billing, and utility payments, ensuring alignment with XLSmart’s revenue and financial inclusion objectives.

Front-End Executive Partner Management : Serve as the primary commercial face and relationship owner for major financial institutions, fintechs, payment gateways, and insurance/utility providers. Drive high-impact engagements from initial sourcing to executive-level relationship maintenance.

Commercial Negotiation & Contracting : Lead complex contract negotiations covering revenue-share models, Merchant Discount Rates (MDR), integration fees, and risk-sharing terms. Oversee the end-to-end paperwork, regulatory compliance, and legal closing process to protect margins and secure optimal commercial terms.

Ecosystem Onboarding & Segment Alignment : Orchestrate cross-functional collaboration with internal delivery teams, IT, and segment leads. Ensure smooth partner onboarding and align financial propositions with the right subscriber segments to maximize adoption and transaction volume.

Performance Monitoring & Revenue Growth : Continuously track the financial health, transaction velocity, payment success rates, and non-traditional revenue contribution of the entire PFS portfolio. Implement data-driven optimizations to scale financial transactions and minimize risk exposure.

Cross-Industry Financial Innovation : Actively research, identify, and incubate emerging financial trends, embedded finance models, and cross-industry opportunities (bridging finance and telecommunications) to pioneer new revenue streams and expand XLSMART's financial ecosystem.

Key Output :
Sustainable Financial Revenue & Cost Optimization : Achievement of targeted transactional revenue growth, fee-based income, and a measurable reduction in blended payment processing/MDR costs across XLSmart's digital touchpoints.

High-Value Financial Partnership Portfolio : A robust, active portfolio of successfully negotiated and executed contracts with top-tier banks, digital wallets, lenders, and utility billers.

Accelerated Time-to-Market & Secure Onboarding : Streamlined partner onboarding and seamless cross-functional alignment, ensuring new financial services and payment methods launch rapidly, securely, and in full compliance with regulations.

Pioneering Cross-Industry Roadmap : Identification and conceptual rollout of innovative financial-telecom propositions (such as alternative credit scoring, embedded lending, or device financing) that deepen customer lock-in and expand the telco's financial utility.