Product Manager (Card Acquiring)

Meet Ozow: 

Ozow is a leading fintech company that's redefining digital payments in South Africa and beyond. We're dedicated to making payments more accessible, secure, and convenient for both businesses and consumers. As a fast-growing player in the financial technology sector, Ozow fosters a culture of innovation, diversity, and inclusivity. We believe in pushing the boundaries of what's possible and are committed to making a positive impact on the world through our payment solutions.  

More about this Ozow fantastic position 

As a Product Manager for Card Acquiring at Ozow, you’ll be at the forefront of driving one of our most strategic product offerings. This role is vital to the continued success and growth of our payment ecosystem. You’ll own the full product lifecycle, from concept and strategy to launch and continuous improvement.

Your primary mission is to deliver exceptional card acquiring services that are innovative, scalable, user-centric, and aligned with both business objectives and customer needs. You’ll work closely with cross-functional teams, including Engineering, UX/UI, Data, Compliance, Marketing, Sales, and Customer Success to ensure the delivery of impactful, compliant, and high-performing payment solutions.

You are an ideal candidate if you have: 

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.

• An MBA or equivalent advanced degree is a strong advantage.

• A minimum of 6 years in product management within the fintech, banking, or payments industry.

• Direct experience in card acquiring, transaction processing and merchant payment systems is essential.

• Strong grasp of payment processing architectures, card network ecosystems (Visa, Mastercard, Amex, etc.), and payment gateway integrations.

• Familiarity with fraud prevention frameworks, such as AVS, CVV checks, 3DS, and rule-based scoring.

• Experience in identifying, analysing, and mitigating fraud in digital payment environments.

• Proficiency with fraud detection tools and systems (e.g., machine learning models, real-time monitoring dashboard.

• Ability to synthesize large data sets into actionable product insights and business cases.

• Strong written and verbal communication abilities.

• Adept at presenting to executives, clients, and cross-functional teams.

• Ability to simplify complex topics and influence decision-making at all levels of the organization.

• A proven track record of leading product initiatives and managing cross-functional teams in an agile, fast-moving environment.

• Strong organizational and prioritization skills, with the ability to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously.

• Passionate about solving real customer problems and creating delightful user experiences.

• Empathetic mindset and a strong desire to advocate for end-users.

• Familiarity with product management and collaboration tools such as Jira.
• Experience using product discovery tools like Figma and Miro.

Your role and responsibilities: 

Market Analysis & Customer Insights

• Conduct ongoing research into market trends, emerging technologies, and the competitive landscape within the card acquiring and broader payments space.

• Engage with customers and partners to gain deep insight into pain points, needs, and desired outcomes.

• Translate insights into actionable product initiatives and opportunities for differentiation.

Product Strategy & Roadmap Development

• Define a compelling long-term vision for Ozow’s card acquiring services.

• Develop a dynamic product roadmap, ensuring alignment with organisational goals, market demands, and technological feasibility.

• Prioritise features, enhancements, and experiments based on data, user value, and strategic impact.

Cross-functional Collaboration

• Work closely with engineering teams to define and deliver clear, technically feasible product requirements.

• Collaborate with UX/UI designers to create seamless, accessible, and user-friendly interfaces.

• Partner with the Marketing and Commercial teams to develop positioning, messaging, and go-to-market strategies that drive user acquisition and engagement.

• Liaise with the Compliance and Legal teams to ensure all solutions meet local and international regulatory standards.

Performance Monitoring & Optimization

• Define clear product success metrics and KPIs (e.g., conversion rate, latency, error rate, transaction success rate).

• Analyze performance data to identify patterns, risks, and opportunities for optimization.

• Use A/B testing, usability studies, and analytics tools to inform improvements and validate decisions.

Compliance & Risk Management

• Stay current with global and local regulations, schemes, and card network rules (e.g., PCI DSS, 3D Secure).

• Collaborate with the Compliance and Risk teams to proactively identify potential threats and ensure regulatory adherence.

• Build products that prioritize security and risk mitigation while maintaining excellent user experience.

Customer Engagement & Support

• Serve as a key advocate for Ozow’s acquiring customers, from small businesses to enterprise clients.

• Regularly interact with customers to gather feedback and ensure the product is delivering value and solving critical business challenges.

• Work with Customer Success and Support teams to ensure feedback loops are in place and continuously acted upon.

Training & Knowledge Sharing

• Design and deliver comprehensive training sessions to educate internal teams on card acquiring processes, tools, and product updates.

• Foster a collaborative environment where insights, data, and best practices are regularly shared across teams.

• Maintain detailed and accessible product documentation for both internal and external stakeholders.

Your skills and competencies: 

• You eagerly embrace change, absorb cross-functional skills, and connect ideas across disciplines to drive fresh thinking and innovation.

• Ability to initiate, develop, maintain and leverage outstanding relationships to influence a wide network, both inside and outside the company.

• A trailblazer who steps up, takes charge, and creates meaningful impact—those driven by performance and purpose to lead from the front and make a real difference every day.

• You thrive in collaboration, embrace inclusion, and bring a genuine curiosity for global cultures—valuing collective success over individual credit.

• Demonstrate strategic foresight, sound judgement, and the ability to make confident decisions under uncertainty, always working toward the best possible outcomes.

• You challenge norms, champion innovation, and constantly seek growth—for themselves, their team, and the solutions they build.

• You are a decisive doer—those who take initiative, follow through with confidence, and ensure results through courageous, hands-on leadership.

• We value optimism, agility, and the strength to persevere under pressure—balancing performance with positivity, even in challenging environments.

• You are driven, proactive individuals who take ownership, face challenges with grit, and consistently push for excellence—not just as participants, but as catalysts for success.