Tech Risk and Operations Manager

Ozow is a leading fintech company redefining digital payments in South Africa and beyond. We’re dedicated to making payments more accessible, secure, and convenient for businesses and consumers alike. 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 cutting-edge payment solutions. 

The Tech Risk & Operations Manager is a critical leadership role within Ozow’s technology organisation, responsible for driving our technical risk posture, coordinating incident response, and serving as a key interface with merchants, banks, and partners on security and operational matters. 
 
This role sits at the intersection of engineering, security, risk, compliance, and operations. You will own the end-to-end lifecycle of technical risk — from identification and prioritisation to mitigation and reporting — and lead the organisation’s incident management processes to ensure rapid, effective resolution and continuous improvement. 
 
As Ozow scales, this role will also become the external technical voice of trust — providing assurance to our clients and partners about the safety, resilience, and reliability of our systems. 

Incident Management & Response 

• →Lead the full lifecycle of incident management across Ozow’s platforms — from detection to resolution. 
• →Coordinate cross-functional teams during Sev-1 and Sev-2 incidents, ensuring timely communication, mitigation, and recovery. 
• →Drive post-incident reviews (RCA) and ensure that corrective actions are identified, prioritised, and delivered. 
• →Maintain a comprehensive incident knowledge base to capture lessons learned and drive proactive improvements. 

Technical Risk Management 

• →Own the technology risk register in collaboration with Security, Infrastructure, Engineering, and Compliance teams. 
• →Continuously assess and prioritise risks across the technology estate — including vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, architectural risks, and third-party dependencies. 
• →Track risk treatment plans, monitor remediation progress, and report on status and trends to senior leadership and the Risk Committee. 
• →Align risk treatment plans with Ozow’s risk appetite and ensure traceability to controls and frameworks. 

Security Posture & External Engagement 

• →Act as a technical liaison for merchants, banks, and partners on security, compliance, and risk matters. 
• →Develop and maintain customer- and partner-facing documentation on Ozow’s security posture, incident management practices, and resilience capabilities. 
• →Support the sales and partnerships teams during due diligence and procurement processes, representing Ozow’s security and risk maturity. 
• →Collaborate with the Security Specialist and CTO to ensure Ozow’s external messaging on security and risk is consistent, credible, and audit-ready. 

Governance & Reporting 

• →Produce regular reports on incidents, vulnerabilities, and risk metrics for executive leadership, the Risk Committee, and auditors. 
• →Ensure the organisation’s readiness for audits and certifications (e.g., PCI DSS, ISO 27001, SARB directives) by coordinating evidence gathering and remediation activities. 
• →Define and track key SLAs and KPIs for incident response, vulnerability closure, and risk mitigation. 
• →Contribute to governance forums and committees, bringing a data-driven view of risk and operational performance. 

Continuous Improvement & Prevention 

• →Work with engineering and infrastructure teams to address systemic causes of incidents and risk. 
• →Identify opportunities for automation and tooling to improve detection, response, and risk visibility. 
• →Contribute to disaster recovery, business continuity, and resilience planning initiatives. 
• →Proactively recommend changes to processes, systems, and architectures to reduce future risk exposure. 

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Security, or a related field. 
• 7+ years of experience in technology operations, incident management, or risk/security management roles. 
• Proven experience managing large-scale technical incidents and coordinating cross-functional response teams. 
• Strong background in risk management frameworks (ISO 27001, NIST, PCI DSS, or similar). 
• Experience working in regulated industries (e.g., fintech, banking, payments) preferred. 
• Familiarity with cloud-native environments, distributed systems, and modern infrastructure practices.  

• 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. 

During the interview process you will meet with the People team, the hiring manager, and relevant CSuite. Be prepared to complete a technical assessment that will showcase your skills.  

Join Ozow and become part of an elite force that challenges the ordinary and achieves the extraordinary. If you're driven to make an impact, embrace challenges, and seek unparalleled opportunities for growth, your journey starts here.

As a fintech company, we prioritize data security, confidentiality, regulatory and compliance. Due to the sensitive nature of our work, we require individuals with a high level of integrity and trustworthiness to ensure adherence to financial regulations and industry standards. Given the sensitive nature of our work, all employees are expected to demonstrate professionalism, accountability, and a commitment to ethical conduct in line with financial regulations and industry standards

Interested in joining our rocket ship?  

To find out more about life at Ozow, head over to our Careers Page here!