Regional IT Manager

About Wave Mobile Money

Wave's mission is to transform Africa into the first cashless continent. With over half of Sub-Saharan Africa's population unbanked in 2017 due to costly fees and limited access to financial institutions, Wave delivers accessible and affordable financial services. Launched initially in Senegal, Wave now empowers millions of users across 9 countries, enabling cash deposits, withdrawals, and peer-to-peer as well as business payments via its mobile platform.

Role Overview

The Regional IT Manager will lead IT Operations across multiple Wave country sites, including Ivory Coast, Mali, and Burkina Faso. Responsible for ensuring robust and scalable IT infrastructure aligned with business growth, this role guarantees that all teams have reliable tools and resources, while maintaining system uptime and security.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage IT operations regionally, achieving 99.9% uptime for IT services and hardware.
• Serve as principal escalation point for local IT issues, collaborating with on-site IT staff and vendors for prompt resolution.
• Provide employees in the region with necessary IT equipment and tools to perform their tasks effectively.
• Create and update standardized playbooks, policies, and documentation to unify IT processes and guide equipment use.
• Ensure compliance with standardized IT workflows including onboarding, offboarding, infrastructure setup, asset handling, and information security protocols.
• Work alongside Information Security teams to adapt and enforce security policies suitable to each country's operational context.
• Advise IT and leadership teams about regional operational nuances such as purchasing, network infrastructure, and regulations affecting policy implementation.
• Detect resourcing gaps and drive IT recruitment efforts within the managed countries.
• Collaborate with People, Finance, and Operations teams to align IT with broader organizational objectives.
• Oversee vendor contracts, evaluate service agreements, renewals, and vendor performance metrics.
• Analyze technology investments, recommending cost-effective solutions to leadership.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficacy and mitigate risks within IT operations.
• Engage in security reviews, incident responses, and risk evaluations.
• Support identity management initiatives, including multi-factor authentication and endpoint security compliance.
• Exercise informed judgement in escalating security concerns.
• Analyze reports on vendor performance, operational data, and expenses.
• Manage the IT budget for the assigned countries.

Candidate Requirements

• Proficiency in English and French languages.
• At least 5 years’ experience as a Country IT Manager or similar role in dynamic office environments.
• Proven track record managing IT across geographically dispersed teams.
• Expertise in corporate applications such as G Suite.
• Experience with network management technologies like Palo Alto, Cisco, Sophos, or similar.
• Hands-on knowledge with endpoint management platforms (e.g., Jamf, Intune, Bigfix, SCCM) and multiple operating systems including macOS, Windows/Android, and iOS.
• Advanced skills in Excel and Google Sheets.
• Background in telephony infrastructure management.
• Experience leading process improvements and change management.
• Competence in managing complex projects involving multiple stakeholders.
• Familiarity with information security operations management.

Desirable Attributes

• Persistence and determination to successfully complete objectives.
• Ability to create, document, and implement IT policies while staying informed about relevant new regulations.
• Strong communication and coordination skills, with a tendency to over-communicate to ensure clarity.
• Capability to influence stakeholders and foster collaboration to meet IT and organizational targets.
• Experience in managing and growing IT teams.
• Adaptive to shifting priorities and proficient in managing complexities and change.
• Exceptional attention to detail aiming for high-quality standards.
• Proactive process development and implementation with minimal supervision.

Additional Information

• Location: Based in Côte d'Ivoire with frequent regional travel.
• Work authorization for Ivory Coast is mandatory.
• Permanent employment status.
• Competitive and transparent salary structure with biannual performance reviews and bonuses after 6 months' tenure.
• Comprehensive health insurance covering employees and their dependents.
• Support for working parents including 26 weeks maternity and 4 weeks paternity leave plus subsidized childcare post-return.
• Airtime reimbursement benefits.
• Access to free meals and a pleasant office environment.

Our Team and Culture

• Growing office and remote teams across Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Burkina Faso, and other African countries.
• Driven by a strong mission to provide affordable financial services to underserved populations.
• Encourages autonomy where employees manage projects end-to-end.
• Backed by top-tier investors and recognized by Y Combinator for revenue excellence.
• Committed to equal opportunity and cultivating a diverse and inclusive workplace.