Head of Transactional Banking at Equity Bank

Equity Bank is a leading Financial Services Institution operating in Kenya. Our diversified business spans banking, insurance, technology and social enterprises, enabling us to deliver integrated solutions that drive inclusive growth on a scale. Our business model is anchored on a distinctive Tri-Engine framework— Social, Economic and Sustainability, which systematically strengthens value-chains, empowers communities and delivers long-term social and economic impact.

Our purpose, “Transforming lives, giving dignity, and expanding opportunities for wealth creation,” guides our strategic decision. We are driven by a bold vision “to be the champion of the socio-economic prosperity of the people of Africa,” and this ambition is embedded in our culture through our core values of professionalism, integrity, creativity and innovation, teamwork, unity of purpose, respect and effective corporate governance (PICTURE).

Our growth and impact agenda is clearly defined and operationalized through the Africa Recovery and Resilience Plan (ARRP), which serves as the strategic blueprint for sustainable expansion and long-term value creation across the continent.

Job Purpose:

Equity Bank is seeking an accomplished and commercially astute Head of Transactional Banking to lead and scale the Bank’s enterprise-wide transactional ecosystem across Retail, SME, Corporate, Institutional and Public Sector segments.

Reporting into executive leadership, this role will provide strategic direction and oversight for the Bank’s Payments, Cash Management, Merchant Acquiring, ATM and Agency Banking platforms, driving sustainable growth in non-funded income, digital adoption, operational efficiency and excellent customer experience.

Both as a platform owner and revenue leader, the role holder will champion innovative, scalable transactional solutions that power the Bank’s customer value proposition, strengthen client engagement, and position the Bank as a market leader in integrated transaction banking services.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership

• Design and execute the Bank’s enterprise-wide Transactional Banking strategy, ensuring strong alignment with overall corporate objectives, growth priorities and customer value propositions.

• Champion innovation and digital transformation across payments, cash management, and distribution channels to enhance scalability, efficiency, and market competitiveness.

• Position Equity Bank as a market leader in payments and transaction banking, leveraging technology, partnerships and customer insights to deliver differentiated solutions.

Enterprise Segment Enablement

• Design and deliver scalable transactional solutions that unlock growth across key customer segments, including:

  • Retail transaction growth and digital payments adoption

  • SME merchant acquiring, collections and working capital solutions

  • Corporate and institutional cash management platforms

  • Public sector collections, disbursements and treasury flows

• Partner with Segment Heads and Relationship Teams to strengthen client relationships through transaction-led value propositions and integrated banking solutions.

Payments & Cash Management

• Lead the development, commercialization, and scaling of best-in-class transaction banking solutions, including:

  • Corporate cash management platforms

  • Bulk payments and digital collections infrastructure

  • Liquidity and treasury management services

• Oversee seamless integration with national and international payment schemes, ensuring interoperability, security, and operational excellence.

Channels Leadership (ATM & Agency Banking)

• Provide strategic oversight of the ATM network, driving optimal coverage, uptime reliability and performance efficiency.

• Scale and strengthen Agency Banking, enhancing agent network growth, liquidity management and compliance governance.

• Optimize the Bank’s channel mix to improve accessibility, customer experience and cost-to-serve across the distribution ecosystem.

Merchant Acquiring & Digital Acceptance

• Lead the Bank’s merchant acquiring strategy, accelerating merchant onboarding and point-of-sale (POS) deployment across key sectors.

• Grow merchant revenue and transaction volumes through innovative payment acceptance solutions.

• Strengthen strategic partnerships with card schemes, fintech partners and payment technology providers.

• Expand e-commerce and digital acceptance capabilities, enabling businesses to thrive in the digital economy.

Financial Stewardship & Risk Management

• Own and drive the Transactional Banking P&L, delivering sustainable growth in fee and commission income.

• Strengthen revenue generation through transaction-led banking, deepening wallet share across all customer segments.

• Ensure full regulatory compliance and robust governance, aligning operations with applicable banking and payment regulations.

• Enhance fraud prevention, operational risk management, and internal controls, safeguarding the integrity and resilience of the Bank’s transactional platforms.

Education and Qualification

• Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant field such as Finance, Banking & Finance, Business Administration, Economics, Accounting, Commerce or Information Systems/Technology.

• Master’s Degree in MBA (Master of Business Administration), Finance / Financial Engineering, Strategic Management, Digital Finance or Financial Technology (FinTech) is highly preferred.

• Professional Qualifications / Certifications in Payments & Transaction Banking Certifications, Risk & Compliance, General Banking / Leadership, Project & Change Management etc

• 12–15 years of progressive banking experience, with a strong track record in transaction banking, payments, or digital financial services.

• Minimum 7 years in senior leadership positions, demonstrating the ability to lead high-performing teams and drive enterprise-wide transactional initiatives.

• Proven experience managing P&L and delivering sustainable revenue growth across multiple transaction banking products and channels.

• Deep expertise in regulatory frameworks, payment systems, and operational risk management within banking and digital financial services.

• Experience serving diverse customer segments (Retail, SME, Corporate, Institutional, and Public Sector) is highly desirable.

Key Technical Skills & Leadership Competencies

• Transaction Banking Strategy Development

• Payments And Cash Management Expertise

• Digital Banking and Payments Platforms Management

• Merchant Acquiring and Payment Acceptance Solutions

• Financial And Commercial Acumen (P&L Management)

• Data Analytics and Performance Management

• Regulatory Compliance and Risk Management

• Strategic Leadership and Vision Setting

• Stakeholder Engagement and Partnership Management

• Change Leadership and Digital Transformation Management

Core Accountabilities

A. Enterprise Transactional Strategy & Revenue Growth

• Develop and execute a bank-wide transactional banking strategy.

• Drive growth in non-funded income (fees & commissions).

• Define and evolve the payments, cash management, ATM, agency, and merchant roadmap.

B. P&L Ownership

• Own full Transactional Banking P&L.

• Manage pricing frameworks (MDR, fees, commissions).

• Optimize cost-to-serve across channels.

• Deliver budget and profitability targets.

C. Segment Enablement (Retail, SME, Corporate, Public Sector)

• Provide transactional solutions enabling all segments to grow deposits and relationships.

• Develop segment-specific payment and cash management propositions.

• Drive wallets share and ecosystem participation.

D. Channels & Distribution Oversight

• ATM network strategy, uptime, and cash optimization.

• Agency banking footprint, liquidity management, and governance.

• Merchant POS/QR expansion and performance.

• Channel performance analytics and optimization.

E. Payments & Cash Management Platform Ownership

• Lead integration with national switches and global schemes.

• Drive API enablement and host-to-host integrations.

• Ensure STP (straight-through processing) optimization.

• Commercialize new solutions

F. Risk, Compliance & Governance

• Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements across jurisdictions.

• Strengthen fraud management across ATM, agents, merchants.

• Maintain audit readiness and internal control robustness.

G. Stakeholder & Ecosystem Leadership

• Manage relationships with regulators, card schemes, fintechs, aggregators, and vendors.

• Collaborate with IT, Risk, Operations, Retail, and Corporate Banking teams.

• Represent the bank in industry forums.

Key Deliverables

• Growth in Transactional Revenue & Non-Funded Income (NFI)

• Transaction Volume and Value Growth

• Digital Adoption and Migration

• Merchant Acquiring Expansion

• Agency and Distribution Channel Expansion

• Corporate Cash Management Penetration

• Channel Network Performance and Reliability (99% uptime)

• Customer Experience and Service Quality

• Operational Efficiency and Cost Optimization

• Risk, Compliance, and Fraud Management