Chief Innovation Officer In a leading financial services company
PricewaterhouseCooper (PwC) - Our client is a leading financial services company with numerous branches across Nigeria. They are poised to be the country’s dominant market leader with the largest endorsement in the public and private sectors of the country.
They are recruiting to fill the position below:
Job Title: Chief Innovation Officer
Reference Number: 130-PEO01109
Location: Lagos
Department: People & Change Nigeria
Job type: Permanent
Roles & Responsibilities
Innovation Strategy & Execution:
- Develop the innovation masterplan for the organisation and drive its implementation
- Lead the organisation to become innovation-driven by setting the innovation agenda and implementing same across the various systems
- Champion and develop creative thinking in employees and find ways to nurture innovative thinking across all areas of the company.
- Formulates effective new ideas and innovative strategies for product development, marketing, branding, or business opportunities
- Strategise with product development teams to transform general ideas into workable solutions that contribute to the organization’s bottom line
- Analyse existing practices to isolate areas requiring improvement
- Evaluate innovation advancement and fine-tune the pace or direction of new projects in accordance
Technology Strategy Development & Implementation:
- Lead technology and digital innovation strategy development and implementation plans, to achieve the company’s mission; set strategic objectives and measurable goals
- Explore new digital products that could measure, analyse and drive audiences to new solutions
- Build strong relationships with technology vendors and develop first-to-market digital innovation that aligns with the organization’s goals and initiatives
- Create a digital innovation approach with the appropriate processes, tools and metrics to support new growth opportunities
- Support and guide innovation of new digital products for the organisation to increase commercial revenues
- Build and manage key technology and digital stakeholder relationships including a network of leaders and decision-makers in the local community - partners, government bodies, providers, media etc
- Drive the spin-off of a digital organisation as another income stream to the organisation. This spin-off company will develop and sell digital product/services
Management & Business Continuity:
- Set and implement the vision and strategy for the division in alignment with the corporate goals
- Develop and manage the budget for the division
- Provide oversight for the development and maintenance of the Incident & Business Continuity plan for IT and to implement measures designed to safeguard the Information Technology and Management needs of the Foundation in the event of major incidents or disasters
- Establish a knowledge management system to capture, store, transfer and retrieve work done within the division for posterity and business continuity
- Support the preparation for and response to audits and ensure that any audit findings are appropriately responded to and remediated
People Management:
- Lead a team of passionate, talented and diverse people, empowering and championing the organisation’s unique culture
- Ensure team cohesiveness and effectiveness within the department. Ensure seamless interphase with the processes and teams of other departments
- Provide support necessary to achieve high employee engagement within the department
- Provide development support and equip team members with the knowledge and skills required to perform their job effectively
- Provide direction and clarity of responsibilities for team members, communicating information accurately and promptly as required
Requirements
Qualification & Experience:
- A first Degree in Information Technology, Computer Systems, Electrical / Electronic Engineering, Applied physics, Computer Science or a related discipline
- Master's Degree or MBA would be an added advantage
- Relevant professional qualification e.g. ITIL
- Minimum of 18 years relevant experience and at least 5 years of relevant work experience in an African/Nigerian market
- Over 5 years’ experience in general management experience across the various IT and digital disciplines
- Experience in the Financial Services industry and understanding of the Consumer Lending space will be preferred
- Experience working in an entrepreneurial context and/or with SMEs
- Experience in direct consumer businesses and services; experience in a dynamic operational environment; ability to solve complex problems as they occur
- Outstanding knowledge of various IT systems especially Fintech with passionate interest in using innovation and technology to transform the financial services industry and fuel growth as well as ability to embrace technology to scale impact
- Knowledge of Information Risk Management and System Security
- Knowledge of operational principles and practices, regulatory environment and policies.
Skills & Competencies:
- Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Analytical Skills
- Process Design, Implementation and Review
- In-depth Knowledge of Consumer Lending
- Strategy Development and Execution
- Research & Analytical skills
- Project & Budget Management
- Database Management
- Business Data Analytics
- Good Knowledge of Technology (Lending and CRM applications)
- Vendor & Partner Management
- Resource Management
- Self-Assured, Confident and Assertive
- Good Leadership and People Management skills
- Excellent Interpersonal skills
- Stakeholder Management
- Effective Communication Skills
- Positive, solutions and impact-oriented attitude
- Drive for excellence
- Data-driven decision-making approach
- Change Management
- Willing to take calculated risks.