Role Summary

The COO is the operational engine of organizational business, translating the Managing Director's strategy into disciplined, day-to-day execution. This is a deliberately people-centered operations role: we're seeking a leader whose foundation is in Human Resources and organizational development, because scaling a fintech depends as much on how we build teams, culture, and capability as on how we run processes and deliver product.

Working directly under the MD, you'll own internal operations end to end while ensuring organizational is structured, staffed, and motivated to scale — all within a highly regulated financial-services environment.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Leadership

• Translate the MD's strategy into operating plans, targets, and accountable execution across all departments.

• Design and optimize core operational processes, systems, and workflows for efficiency and scale.

• Own operational KPIs, budgets, and resource allocation; report performance directly to the MD.

• Ensure smooth cross-functional coordination between product, engineering, finance, sales, customer support, and compliance.

People & Organizational Strategy (core to this role)

• Serve as the senior architect of Built Ghana's organizational design — defining structure, roles, and reporting lines as we grow.

• Own the full talent lifecycle: workforce planning, recruiting, onboarding, development, retention, and succession.

• Build and protect Built's culture as the team scales.

• Design compensation, incentive, and performance-management frameworks aligned to business goals.

• Lead change management through periods of growth and organizational transition.

• Oversee HR policy, employee relations, and compliance with Ghana's labor laws.

Fintech Operations & Governance

• Partner with Compliance, Risk, and Legal to ensure operations meet regulatory obligations (e.g., data protection, AML, payments/e-money rules) in Ghana.

• Embed strong operational controls, risk management, and business-continuity practices befitting a financial-services company.

Leadership & Team Development

• Directly manage department and functional heads; coach them into stronger leaders.

• Build leadership bench strength and clear development paths across the organization.

• Foster a high-performance, accountable, and inclusive working environment.

Strategic Partnership

• Act as a trusted deputy and thought partner to the Managing Director.

• Contribute to planning, board/investor narratives, and key strategic decisions.

• Represent operations and people strategy to partners, regulators, and stakeholders as needed.

Required Qualifications

• A background rooted in Human Resources / People Operations / Organizational Development — this is essential, not preferred. Candidates should have held HR leadership roles (e.g., HR Manager, Head of People, HR Director) as a foundation for this broader operational mandate.

• Minimum 5 years of progressive leadership experience, including time at a senior or department-head level.

• Track record of building teams, structures, and systems in a growing organization.

• Demonstrated ownership of operational outcomes: budgets, KPIs, cross-functional delivery.

• Strong command of workforce planning, talent management, compensation design, and change management.

• Bachelor's degree in HR, Business, Organizational Psychology, or related field; MBA and/or HR certification (e.g., IHRMP Ghana, SHRM, CIPD) an advantage.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in fintech, financial services, technology, or another regulated, fast-scaling industry.

• Familiarity with Ghana's fintech regulatory and compliance environment (data protection, AML, payments).

• Experience managing a distributed or hybrid workforce.

• Exposure to board-level reporting or investor relations.

• Track record of introducing HR/operations technology and data-driven decision-making.

Key Competencies

• People-first leadership balanced with operational rigor and commercial judgment.

• Systems thinking — connecting people, process, and performance.

• Strong grasp of risk, controls, and governance in a regulated environment.

• Excellent communication and executive presence.

• Comfort with ambiguity and high adaptability in a fast-scaling business.

• High integrity and sound, decisive judgment.

What Success Looks Like (First 12 Months)

• A clear, documented operating rhythm and organizational structure in place.

• Measurable improvement in key people and operational metrics (e.g., retention, hiring speed, delivery timelines, operational efficiency).

• A stronger, better-developed leadership team.

• The Managing Director freed to focus on strategy and growth, confident that internal operations and people are in capable hands.

Compensation & Benefits

• Competitive executive salary: 

• [Health, leave, and other benefits]