Cybersecurity Officer – West Africa

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. What is the role? As Cybersecurity Officer for West Africa, you will be responsible for executing PawaPay's cybersecurity programme across the region. Working closely with and reporting to the Head of Cybersecurity, you will implement the company's global security strategy and advise where necessary the local context across both Francophone and Anglophone West African markets. This is a hands-on execution role. You will be the regional face of cybersecurity at PawaPay executing day-to-day security operations, supporting regulatory engagement, managing local risk, and ensuring that group security policies and practices are consistently applied across all regional activities. You will also be the primary security point of contact for the region. Responsibilities will include Execute PawaPay's cybersecurity programme across West African operations in line with the organization’s adopted cybersecurity strategy and standards. Conduct regular risk assessments and vulnerability reviews and provide mitigation recommendations in line with the organization’s frameworks. Monitor, detect and respond to security threats and incidents, escalating to the Head of Cybersecurity as appropriate. Support regulatory and compliance engagements with central banks, regulators, cybersecurity and data protection authorities across Francophone and Anglophone West Africa. Ensure regional adherence to and localisation of PawaPay's information security policies, standards and frameworks. Act as the regional security point of contact for internal teams including Engineering, Operations and Regulatory teams providing day-to-day guidance and support. Coordinate and support penetration testing, security audits and third-party assessments in the region ensuring timely closure of findings. Drive security awareness and training initiatives across the organisation in the region. You Are a Perfect Fit If You Have 4+ years of experience in information security or cybersecurity, ideally within fintech, telecommunication or regulated financial services. Professional fluency in both English and French (written and spoken). This is a mandatory requirement given our Francophone West Africa operations Extensive knowledge of security frameworks and standards Hands-on experience with threat monitoring, incident response and vulnerability management Familiarity with mobile money ecosystems, payment infrastructure or API-driven platforms. Experience engaging with regulators, central banks or data protection authorities in West Africa. Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Cybersecurity, Computer Science, or a related field. Relevant certifications are an advantage: CEH,CISSP, CISA or equivalent Strong communication skills — able to translate technical risks into clear language for non-technical stakeholders Self-starter with the ability to operate independently, take ownership and deliver in a fast-paced, distributed team environment 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.