Job Details

Location: Kigali, Rwanda
Industry: Financial Services / Digital Financial Services
Department: Operations
Reporting To: Chief Executive Officer
Direct Reports: Operations Managers, Customer Service Manager, Branch or Service Centre Managers and Process Improvement Lead
Employment Type: Full-Time
Job Level: Senior Executive

About the Company

Our client is an established financial services institution serving individuals, households, small businesses and community-based customer segments.

The organisation is strengthening its operating model to improve service quality, operational controls, productivity and the consistency of customer experience across its service channels.

As customer expectations and regulatory requirements evolve, the institution is seeking a Director of Operations to lead operational performance, strengthen internal processes and establish a scalable service-delivery model.

Role Purpose

The Director of Operations will oversee the institution’s operational activities, ensuring that services are delivered efficiently, accurately, consistently and in accordance with approved policies and applicable regulatory requirements.

The role will be responsible for operational planning, process management, customer service, operational risk, resource utilisation and service performance.

Working closely with the CEO, Finance, Risk, Compliance, Technology and Commercial teams, the Director will ensure that operational capacity supports business growth without compromising control, service quality or customer trust.

The successful candidate will be expected to improve the relationship between operational efficiency and customer experience while building a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities

1. Operational Strategy and Planning

• Develop an operational strategy aligned with the institution’s business plan and customer-service objectives.
• Translate strategic priorities into annual operating plans, budgets and performance targets.
• Review existing operating structures and identify opportunities to improve efficiency.
• Establish clear operational policies, procedures and service standards.
• Align staffing, infrastructure and operational capacity with anticipated business volumes.
• Develop contingency plans for disruptions affecting critical services.
• Provide the CEO with regular updates on operational performance, risks and improvement priorities.

1. Service Delivery and Customer Experience

• Oversee day-to-day delivery of customer-facing and back-office services.
• Establish service standards covering turnaround times, accuracy, accessibility and issue resolution.
• Monitor customer complaints and identify recurring operational causes.
• Work with Customer Service and Commercial teams to improve the customer journey.
• Ensure that customer requests are handled consistently and within agreed timelines.
• Develop escalation procedures for complex or unresolved service issues.
• Review customer feedback and translate findings into process improvements.
• Ensure operational procedures are accessible and understood by relevant employees.

1. Process Design and Operational Efficiency

• Map and review critical operational processes.
• Identify duplication, delays, control weaknesses and unnecessary administrative steps.
• Lead process-redesign initiatives to improve productivity and service consistency.
• Establish standard operating procedures for critical workflows.
• Develop clear process ownership and accountability.
• Introduce appropriate automation in collaboration with Technology.
• Monitor process performance and implement corrective action where standards are not achieved.
• Ensure operational changes are documented, tested and communicated before implementation.

1. Financial and Transaction Operations

• Oversee operational workflows relating to customer transactions, account servicing, documentation and reconciliations, as applicable to the institution’s products.
• Ensure appropriate segregation of duties and transaction approval controls.
• Work with Finance to improve the accuracy and timeliness of reconciliations and operational reporting.
• Monitor exceptions, processing errors and unresolved discrepancies.
• Establish appropriate controls over records, documentation and customer information.
• Support the timely investigation and resolution of operational discrepancies.
• Ensure critical financial processes are performed according to approved procedures.

1. Operational Risk and Compliance

• Identify and monitor operational risks across service delivery and back-office functions.
• Ensure operational processes comply with internal policies and applicable regulatory requirements.
• Work with Risk and Compliance to implement appropriate controls.
• Maintain incident registers and ensure material issues are escalated.
• Coordinate operational reviews and remediation plans.
• Monitor adherence to policies covering customer information, transaction processing and records management.
• Support internal and external audits by ensuring operational documentation and evidence are maintained.
• Promote a culture in which employees report control weaknesses and operational incidents promptly.

1. Workforce and Resource Management

• Develop staffing plans aligned with operational demand and service standards.
• Establish productivity measures and performance expectations for operational teams.
• Monitor workload distribution, overtime, absenteeism and resource utilisation.
• Identify capability gaps and implement targeted training.
• Build a strong management team with clear responsibilities and decision-making authority.
• Conduct regular performance reviews with direct reports.
• Develop succession plans for critical operational positions.
• Promote collaboration and accountability across operational teams.

1. Technology and Operational Modernisation

• Work with IT and digital teams to identify opportunities for workflow automation.
• Support implementation of systems that improve operational accuracy and visibility.
• Ensure operational teams are involved in technology requirements, user acceptance testing and implementation.
• Monitor adoption of new systems and address process-related barriers.
• Improve management reporting through reliable operational data.
• Ensure technology changes are accompanied by appropriate procedures and employee training.

1. Business Continuity and Operational Resilience

• Establish and maintain continuity plans for critical operational activities.
• Identify single points of failure in staffing, processes, suppliers and systems.
• Ensure recovery procedures are documented and tested.
• Coordinate operational response to significant service interruptions.
• Work with IT and Risk teams to strengthen resilience.
• Ensure customer communication and service recovery processes are defined for major disruptions.

1. Budget and Performance Management

• Develop and manage the operational budget.
• Monitor operating costs and identify opportunities for sustainable savings.
• Establish a dashboard covering service quality, productivity, turnaround times and operational risk.
• Review performance against agreed targets and implement improvement plans.
• Assess the cost and operational impact of proposed changes.
• Ensure efficiency initiatives do not weaken customer protection or internal controls.

4. Key Performance Indicators

• Operational cost as a proportion of relevant business activity.
• Service turnaround times.
• Transaction or processing accuracy.
• Customer complaints and resolution times.
• Service-level achievement.
• Operational incidents and repeat control failures.
• Audit findings and remediation completion.
• Staff productivity and resource utilisation.
• Process automation and efficiency improvements.
• Business continuity readiness.
• Budget performance.
• Customer satisfaction and service consistency.

5. Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, Operations Management, Economics or a related field.
• Postgraduate qualification in Business Administration, Operations or Management is advantageous.
• At least 10 years of relevant operational experience.
• At least five years in a senior operations management role.
• Experience in financial services, banking, cooperative finance, microfinance or another regulated service environment.
• Demonstrated success improving service delivery and operational efficiency.
• Experience designing standard operating procedures and operational controls.
• Strong understanding of operational risk and audit requirements.
• Experience managing teams, budgets and service performance.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving and stakeholder-management skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.

Experience working within Rwanda or comparable East African financial services markets will be advantageous.

6. Leadership Competencies

• Operational discipline.
• Customer-service orientation.
• Risk awareness.
• Process improvement.
• Financial management.
• People leadership.
• Decision-making under pressure.
• Stakeholder collaboration.
• Change management.
• Accountability and execution.

7. First-Year Priorities

1. Conduct a comprehensive operational assessment.
2. Establish baseline measures for service quality, cost, productivity and risk.
3. Review and update critical operating procedures.
4. Implement priority service-improvement initiatives.
5. Strengthen operational reporting and management accountability.
6. Reduce recurring processing errors and service delays.
7. Improve operational resilience and control remediation.
8. Develop an operating model capable of supporting sustainable growth.

8. Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate is a disciplined financial services operations leader who combines strong controls with a practical understanding of customer needs. They will be capable of improving service efficiency while ensuring that operational growth does not create unacceptable financial, regulatory or reputational risks.