M-Pesa Africa – Senior Officer Data Protection
Nairobi, Kenya
Trending
Job Description
About M-Pesa Africa
At M-Pesa Africa, we’re the heroes that make things happen.
We are a united, energetic and passionate team. A place where leaders coach, teams connect, and everyone is empowered to go further, faster. A place where heroes become superheroes; through growth, opportunity, and the chance to work with the best minds in FinTech.
We are Africa’s largest FinTech providing services to more than 60 million customers and 5 million businesses solutions across Financial Services, Enterprise, Merchant and Retail. We are now well on our way to becoming the preferred digital payment method across the markets that we serve, for both in-store, remote and online payments. With headquarters in both Kenya and South Africa, we serve markets that include Kenya, Tanzania, DRC, Lesotho, Ghana, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Mozambique.
About the Role
The Senior Officer, Data Protection will take ownership of driving M-PESA Africa’s data protection and privacy initiatives. This role is responsible for leading the execution of the Compliance Programmes with a specific focus on embedding privacy by design within the Safe Agile product implementation. The Senior Officer will coordinate compliance monitoring activities, ensuring robust data protection practices are in place and aligned with regulatory requirements. With a high level of accountability, and working closely with the Manager, Risk & Compliance, you will proactively identify and mitigate privacy risks using a risk-based approach, ensuring the organization maintains the highest standards of data protection and privacy throughout its operations.
Responsibilities
- Review and offer advice on data governance, processing activities and/or data breaches for M-pesa Africa;
- Monitor compliance with applicable national and international laws and regulations pertaining to data protection and privacy across the markets we operate in;
- Provide advice on the implementation of appropriate policies and guidelines to establish and maintain data protection compliance;
- Contribute towards establishing a strong culture of data protection across stakeholders through carrying out appropriate training and awareness;
- Identify, evaluate and maintain records of M-PESA Africa’s data processing activities;
- Provide advice and conduct Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs), and Risk and Compliance reviews as required;
- Monitor data management procedures and ensure privacy compliance within M-PESA Africa;
- Share advice and guidelines for implementing privacy by design and privacy by default in all products and systems;
- Ensure that compliance and privacy by design is embedded within the SAFE Agile product implementation framework;
- Implementation of the data protection and Compliance Policies and Procedures across the organization;
- Coordinate data protection and compliance awareness trainings across the organization, and participate in those organized by the group privacy team;
- Carry out monitoring and assurance activities on data protection and compliance programs on a regular basis;
- Report on the state of M-PESA Africa privacy program & compliance with the control management and other policies and regulations governing the organization on a quarterly basis;
- Support to Co-ordinate the data protection and Compliance Champions to ensure a controls and compliance culture is inculcated throughout the organization;
- Driving behavioral change by inculcating a culture of compliance within the organization through engaging and influencing stakeholders.
Qualifications
- A Bachelor’s degree or its equivalent in Law, Business, Engineering, IT, or a related field is required.
- Professional certification in privacy, risk management, or information systems is highly preferred (e.g., CIPP/E, CIPM, CRISC, or ISO 27701).
- A minimum of 4 years of experience in data protection, privacy, risk management, or a related field, with a strong understanding of the relevant regulatory landscape.
- Proven expertise in auditing, compliance, or data protection, with a demonstrated ability to manage complex data privacy projects and initiatives.
- Strong working knowledge and experience with data protection regulations across various markets, including but not limited to GDPR, POPIA, and other regional data protection laws.
- Experience in providing expert advice on data protection matters and conducting Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) to ensure privacy risks are mitigated effectively.
- Ability to conduct comprehensive Risk and Compliance reviews as needed, identifying potential areas for improvement and ensuring regulatory compliance.
- A results-oriented approach, with the ability to work independently and take ownership of key tasks and projects.
- In-depth understanding of fintech and the specific data privacy challenges faced within the sector.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills, with the ability to effectively articulate complex privacy and data protection concepts.
- A collaborative team player who thrives in a dynamic environment and works effectively with others to resolve issues and ensure compliance.
About Us
We are the leading telecommunication company in East Africa. Our purpose is to transform lives by connecting people to people, people to opportunities and people to information. We keep over 42 million customers connected and play a critical role in the society, supporting over one million jobs both directly and indirectly while our total economic value was estimated at KES 362 Billion ($ 3.2 billion) for the 12 months through March 2021. We are listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) and with annual revenues of close to KES 298 Billion ($2.5 billion) as at March 2022. We were founded in 1997 as a fully owned subsidiary of Telkom Kenya before a 40 percent acquisition by Vodafone Group PLC in May 2000, and a public offering of 25 percent shares through the NSE in 2008. Under the management of Vodafone Group PLC, we welcomed Michael Joseph, as our first CEO, a few months later in July of 2000. He led the company’s growth to accommodate 16.71 million subscribers from the previous 20,000, largely owing to innovative products like M-PESA in 2007.
About the Team
We are the leading provider of converged communication solutions in Kenya. In addition to providing a broad range of first-class products and services for Telephony, Broadband Internet and Financial services, Safaricom seeks to uplift the welfare of Kenyans through value-added services and support for community projects. To achieve all this, we are ever-reliant on our competent and dependable staff who make it possible for us to achieve greater heights for our customers.Apply Now
