Country Manager

The Country Manager will facilitate CRNCY Group’s market entry and building the operation from the ground up. This role is accountable for ensuring licensing & regulatory readiness, team hiring and leadership, establishing relationships with 3rd party entities such as banks, payment processors, collection attorneys & agencies.  Once operations have been launched, CM will direct all work performed and will fully manage all areas of operation in the country. Accountable for overall operational productivity, efficiency, compliance, and effective management ensuring customer satisfaction to meet goals set by the company. 

Primary Duties and Responsibilities: 

Launch & Regulatory Readiness 

Facilitate tax/employer registrations, salary deduction status with the government, source adequate insurance. 

Manage regulatory licensing end-to-end; coordinate timely responses to regulator queries with HQ. 

Align start-up and operational launch activities across local and HQ stakeholders. 

Banking, Payments 

Liaise with local banks to open required bank accounts; facilitate set-up of signatories and dual controls. 

Work with IT team to establish integration capabilities for loan funding, online bill pay, card/merchant (e-commerce), and disbursement/repayment workflows. 

Liaise and facilitate integration with 3rd party processors to expand the suite of payment options for customers. 

Collections Ecosystem (Extrajudicial & Judicial) 

Contract and manage third-party collection agencies and attorneys; define SLAs, evidence packs, and escalation paths; align workflows with the Credit & Collections. 

Working closely with HQ Collections, maintain tight control on the collections process to ensure delinquency and default rates do not exceed acceptable levels. 

External Stakeholder Management 

Maintain senior relationships with regulators, banks, ecosystem partners, community leaders, and media; coordinate engagement with HQ stakeholders. 

Operational Start-Up 

Ensure accurate translation of policies, procedures, and training; stand up training plans for go-live.  

Work closely with Credit team to localize credit policy/decisioning; calibrate scorecards and decision engine guardrails. 

Stand up branch/site (lease, security, cash controls) and SOPs for onboarding, disbursal, refunds, and complaints. 

Work with Marketing/local designer so the branch meets corporate standards. 

Ensure instant-translation and telecom/IVR readiness, coordinate Contact Center support for Cyber processes. 

Team Building & Leadership 

Hire, onboard, and coach core teams across sales, operations, customer service, underwriting, and collections; set clear KPIs. 

Set targets and cadences; uphold a customer-centric, ethical culture; lead by example. 

Ensure full compliance with company policies and operational procedures. 

Oversee customer service and sales, drive performance to meet and exceed revenue & active customer growth targets. 

Maintain open, timely communication; escalate issues as needed; ensure system malfunctions are resolved promptly. 

Protect customer/business confidentiality and ensure compliance with company policies. 

Uphold high operational standards to foster a productive and positive working environment for employees. 

Collaborate with the management team to set, implement, and enforce policies, procedures, and systems, while ensuring operational efficiency and productivity. 

Identify areas for improvement and recommend corrective actions to overcome challenges and capitalize on growth opportunities. 

Build community relationships and brand visibility; share best practices and market insights with management team. 

Growth & Partnerships 

Execute go-to-market working closely with Marketing: establish community presence, develop partner channels, drive local brand activation. 

Drive first-time loan growth, approval rates, conversion, and active-customer expansion 

Identify opportunities to quickly gain and increase market share. 

Bring forward new product and value proposition opportunities. 

Results Tracking and Reporting 

Monitor operational performance; provide regular management updates; surface issues and opportunities promptly. 

Any other operational and management duties may be assigned from time to time. 

Professional Qualification Requirements:  

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.  The requirements that follow are representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities required.  

Education  

Master’s Degree preferred. A minimum of Bachelor’s Degree in business management or related field and 5 years’ experience in similar field. 

Work Experience 

5+ years’ management experience in money lending/financial services. 

Demonstrated experience launching or scaling fintech/consumer credit/retail operations. 

Strong knowledge of local regulations, payments, and collections practices. 

Track record growing teams from zero to scale (country launch or turnaround preferred). 

(Equivalent combination of education with work experience will be considered.) 

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities 

Ability to build and start up a business  

Digital & Tech literacy  

Communication & Reporting  

Strategic Planning & Execution  

Leadership & Team Management 

Financial Acumen 

Fluent in English 

Attitude and Behaviours 

Self-Starter  

Accountable & Results Oriented  

Adaptable & Resilient  

Client Centric  

Ethical & Transparent