Cybersecurity Officer – West Africa

Who is PawaPay PawaPay is a pan-African fintech enabling local payment channels used by the mass market to both local and international merchants. We operate in a highly regulated, partner-driven environment and are in scale-up mode, with ambitious growth plans across multiple African markets. Our vision is to simplify business for companies and consumers in Africa and we do that by ensuring that payments simply work, at scale, despite fragmentation and complexity that exists on the Continent.

Through our payments API we already facilitate over 4 million transactions a day across 20 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. We are the largest PSP on the Continent for the processing of mobile money payments, and have positioned ourselves well to lead the payment space as it grows over the next decade. At PawaPay, there is an entrepreneurial spirit coupled with a modern and professional working culture.

The fast-paced, ever-changing environment will suit someone who can adapt and think on their feet. In return, you will have the opportunity to work alongside a group of dedicated and smart individuals working towards the same mission. We work as a remote team and have team members in Europe, Africa and Asia.

The Role As Cybersecurity Officer for West Africa, you will be responsible for executing PawaPay's cybersecurity programme across the region. Reporting to the Head of Cybersecurity, you will serve as PawaPay's primary cybersecurity representative across Francophone and Anglophone West Africa.

Requirements

and operational practices are effectively applied within the regional context. This is a hands-on operational role requiring someone who is equally comfortable discussing technical security issues with Engineering teams as they are supporting regulators, auditors and business stakeholders. You will own day-to-day regional cybersecurity activities, coordinate security operations, drive remediation of security risks and audit findings, and ensure cybersecurity remains embedded within the way pawaPay operates across West Africa.

Salary: USD 30,000–45,000 per annum , depending on experience, skills and location.

where appropriate. Act as the primary cybersecurity point of contact across West Africa, providing practical guidance to internal stakeholders and building trusted relationships across technical and non-technical teams. Coordinate third-party security assessments, penetration tests and security reviews, ensuring findings are tracked through to completion.

Deliver regional security awareness initiatives and promote a strong security culture across the business. Monitor the evolving cybersecurity and regulatory landscape across West Africa, identifying emerging risks and recommending appropriate improvements.

Key Responsibilities

Execute PawaPay's cybersecurity programme across West African operations in line with the company's global cybersecurity strategy and standards. Conduct security risk assessments, vulnerability reviews and security control assessments, ensuring risks are prioritised and practical remediation plans are implemented. Coordinate regional security incident response activities, working closely with Engineering and Operations teams to investigate, contain and remediate security issues.

Drive timely remediation of vulnerabilities, penetration test findings, audit actions and security risks by working cross-functionally with Engineering, Product, Operations and Compliance teams. Support regulatory engagements, security audits and compliance reviews with central banks, regulators, cybersecurity authorities and data protection authorities across Francophone and Anglophone West Africa.