Head, Data and Artificial Intelligence

Kora is a payment infrastructure. We offer plug-and-play payment solutions for businesses to launch a tailored payment experience for their customers.

Our vision, which is at the core of what we do every day, is to create a world void of digital financial barriers across Africa. We are committed to delivering reliable, secure, and easy-to-use digital financial solutions to every single customer with a guarantee that it is improving their lives.

We strongly believe in our ability to find water in the desert and pick the sands in the ocean.

We value positive energy, and clear communication and are committed to building an inclusive environment for people from every background.

About the Role

The Head of Data and Artificial Intelligence will lead the company’s data strategy and artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives, driving innovation and operational excellence through data-driven decision-making. This role will be responsible for designing scalable data systems, ensuring regulatory compliance, and leveraging AI and machine learning to enhance business operations.

The ideal candidate is a strategic thinker with a strong technical background in data architecture, AI, and analytics —particularly within the payments industry in emerging markets. They should also possess strong leadership skills to build and develop a high-performing data team.

What You’ll be Doing

1. Data and AI Strategy and Leadership:
• Define and execute a company-wide data and AI and data strategy that is aligned with business goals.
• Build, mentor, and lead a team of ML engineers, data engineers, data analysts, data scientists, and governance specialists.
• Foster a data-driven and AI-first culture by promoting insights-driven decision-making across teams and 10X growth in our processes and performance.
• Collaborate with executive leadership to align data initiatives with business strategy.
2. Data Architecture and Engineering:
• Oversee the development of scalable data pipelines, infrastructure, and platforms.
• Ensure seamless integration of data across internal systems, payment networks, and external partners.
• Optimise real-time data processing capabilities for fraud detection, transaction monitoring, and risk management.
• Evaluate and adopt modern data storage, processing, and analytics technologies (e.g., cloud platforms, ETL tools, AI frameworks).
3. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning:
• Identify, adapt, adopt, deploy, or develop AI agents to optimise processes.
• Develop and deploy AI models for fraud detection, customer segmentation, credit risk assessment, and other PSP-specific applications.
• Implement AI-driven personalisation for customer interactions, improving engagement and retention.
• Establish robust MLOps practices to streamline model deployment, monitoring, and lifecycle management.
• Ensure AI models comply with ethical guidelines, minimising bias and ensuring fairness in decision-making.
4. Regulatory Compliance and Data/AI Governance:
• Implement data governance policies to comply with local and international regulations (e.g., GDPR, NDPR, Kenya Data Protection Act).
• Ensure data privacy, security, and quality across all business units and regions.
• Work with the Legal and Compliance teams to mitigate risks related to data usage.
5. Business Intelligence and Insights:
• Deliver actionable insights to key stakeholders through dashboards, reports, and advanced analytics.
• Analyse transaction data, payment flows, and customer behaviour to identify trends and business opportunities.
• Improve data accessibility and visualisation across departments to enhance decision-making.
6. Innovation and R&D:
• Stay updated on advancements in AI, machine learning, and data engineering.
• Explore new technologies to improve operational efficiency and customer experience.
• Lead pilot projects to test and deploy innovative AI-driven solutions.
7. Change Management & AI Adoption
• Drive organisation-wide adoption of AI-powered decision-making tools.
• Develop training programs and best practices to upskill employees on AI applications.
• Oversee the integration of AI models into existing business processes with minimal disruption.
8. Budget & Vendor Management:
• Work with the Head of Operations to manage AI and data-related budgets, optimising costs while ensuring high performance.
• Evaluate and recommend third-party vendors, tools, and platforms for AI and data analytics.
9. Cross-Functional Collaboration:
• Work closely with all teams to embed AI and analytics into all business workflows.
• Partner with the Legal, Compliance, and Risk teams to ensure responsible data usage.
• Act as a thought leader, educating internal stakeholders on AI-driven opportunities.

What You’ll Need

You’re qualified if you are/have:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, or a related field.
• An MBA or equivalent business experience is a plus.
• 5+ years of experience in data and AI leadership roles, preferably within fintech or payment processing companies.
• Proven expertise in designing and managing large-scale data platforms and AI-driven systems.
• Deep understanding of the payments ecosystem, including fraud prevention and regulatory compliance in Africa.
• Strong track record of driving AI adoption and change management within an organisation.
• Strong programming skills (Python, SQL, R) and experience with AI/ML frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch, Scikit-learn).
• Proficiency with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and data warehousing tools (Snowflake, BigQuery).
• Experience with data visualisation tools (Tableau, Power BI, Looker).
• Knowledge of data governance and security frameworks.
• Strategic thinker with the ability to communicate complex ideas to non-technical stakeholders.
• Strong leadership and team-building capabilities.
• Exceptional problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to drive change and influence cross-functional teams.

Working hours

Given that we are an all-remote company and hire almost anywhere in the world, we don’t have a location requirement for this role. However, your working hours must coincide with 9:00 am - 5:00 pm WAT for at least 40 hours/week.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Kora is an equal-opportunity employer dedicated to building an inclusive and diverse workforce. All employment decisions are based on qualifications, experience, and business needs. We strongly encourage applications from underrepresented communities and diverse ethnic groups to apply.

Please feel free to inform us if you need any accommodations to facilitate your participation in the recruitment process. Any details you share will be used solely to ensure we can support and accommodate your needs appropriately

If you require more information on our HR Data Privacy, please visit here.

• Health insurance
• Sponsored and tailored training
• Paid parental leave
• Paid time off
• Flexible work style
• Annual performance bonus
• Low-interest loans
• Employee assisted programs
• Day off on your birthday 🎂 🎁 🎉
• Employee resource groups that provide supportive communities within Kora
• Great company culture and the opportunity to work with a highly collaborative team building something great!

Note: We recognize imposter syndrome is real - any candidate who does not perfectly fit every characteristic of this role is still strongly encouraged to apply.