Technical Sales Lead

Ozow, a prominent player in South Africa's rapidly evolving fintech landscape, is seeking a seasoned Technical Sales Lead to join their dynamic team in Cape Town. As a company at the forefront of redefining digital payments, Ozow is committed to making transactions more accessible, secure, and convenient for a wide spectrum of users, from individual consumers to large enterprises. Their culture is built on a foundation of innovation, diversity, and inclusivity, constantly pushing the boundaries of what's possible to create meaningful impact through their cutting-edge payment solutions. This role is instrumental in shaping how Ozow engages with its merchant base, driving growth and fostering deeper relationships within the ecosystem.

About the Role

This is a critical leadership position where you will be the architect of Ozow's approach to its merchant clientele. You will be responsible for defining and refining the company's solution proposition, identifying opportunities for both scalable, repeatable solutions and highly tailored offerings for more intricate merchant needs. A key aspect of this role involves strategically prioritising where solution development efforts should be focused to maximise commercial value. You will act as the crucial bridge between merchant requirements and tangible outcomes, translating complex business needs into clear, actionable commercial and technical solutions, guiding them from initial contact through to successful implementation and delivery.

The Technical Sales Lead will play a pivotal role in several key areas:

• **Solution Design and Delivery:** You will translate merchant needs into well-defined commercial and technical solutions, managing the entire process from initial engagement to a signed and deliverable outcome. This includes collaborating closely with Product and Engineering teams to ensure seamless transitions from solution design to delivery, and to package successful solutions for broader reuse.
• **Commercial and Financial Structuring:** A significant part of your responsibility will be to develop the commercial case for solutions, integrating commercial and financial models with technical designs. This ensures that what is sold is precisely what can be delivered, maintaining client satisfaction and operational efficiency.
• **Relationship Management:** You will be tasked with building and nurturing vital relationships with banks, infrastructure providers, and other key partners. These relationships are the bedrock upon which Ozow's innovative solutions are built. You'll co-develop capabilities and commercial agreements with partners, strategically leveraging these collaborations to unlock value for merchants and create a distinct competitive advantage for Ozow.
• **Revenue Growth and Merchant Acquisition:** Driving revenue growth across both new and existing merchants will be a core objective. This involves actively pursuing the acquisition of enterprise and complex merchants through targeted outreach, leveraging your networks, and engaging in proactive business development. You will also focus on deepening integration and relationships within the existing merchant base to increase revenue per merchant and enhance customer retention.
• **Strategic Alignment and Market Insight:** You will work in close partnership with Sales, Product, and Engineering teams to align the go-to-market strategy for key merchants. Crucially, you will act as a conduit for merchant and partner insights, feeding this valuable feedback directly into product direction. This ensures Ozow’s product roadmap is continually shaped by real-world demand and market needs.
• **Team Leadership:** You will establish and lead the solutions function, focusing on developing the team, refining working methodologies, and creating robust playbooks over time, all while ensuring the achievement of the function’s objectives.

What They're Looking For

Ozow is seeking candidates with a substantial background in the fintech or payments sector. Essential qualifications include:

• A bachelor's degree in a commercial, technical, or related field, with a post-graduate qualification being a distinct advantage.
• A minimum of eight years of experience within the payments, fintech, or enterprise technology space, encompassing roles in solutions, commercial strategy, or partnerships.
• A demonstrable history of successfully designing and selling solutions to large or complex merchants and clients.
• Proven experience in building and managing relationships with banks, platforms, or partners to achieve commercial objectives.
• Both commercial and technical fluency are vital. You should be adept at structuring and pricing deals and possess the credibility to engage effectively with product and engineering teams.
• Experience working collaboratively across different departments and a track record of building or leading teams.
• A strong executive presence and the ability to influence senior stakeholders, both internally and externally.
• A highly commercial mindset, coupled with a strong sense of ownership and accountability.
• While not essential, knowledge of the South African payments landscape would be a significant asset.

In South Africa, roles like this typically command competitive salaries, reflecting the specialised skills and experience required. Employers in this space often include established financial institutions, rapidly growing fintech startups, and technology providers. Career progression can lead to more senior leadership roles within sales, product management, or business development, with opportunities to significantly impact the future of digital payments in the region.

• Bachelor’s degree in a commercial, technical or related field (post-graduate qualification an advantage).
• 8+ years of experience in payments, fintech or enterprise technology, across solutions, commercial or partnerships roles.
• A proven track record of designing and selling solutions to large or complex merchants or clients.
• Experience building and managing bank, platform or partner relationships as a route to commercial outcomes.
• Both commercial and technical fluency, enough to structure and price a deal and to be credible with product and engineering teams.
• Experience working cross-functionally and building or leading a team.
• Strong executive presence and the ability to influence senior internal and external stakeholders.
• Highly commercial, with an ownership mindset and high accountability.
• Knowledge of the South African payments landscape an advantage.