Ellington Microfinance Bank Limited is a Central Bank of Nigeria-licensed financial institution committed to delivering accessible financial services and building efficient, customer-focused banking operations. We are seeking a capable and experienced Head of Operations to provide leadership across our operational functions, strengthen internal processes and controls, and support the Bank’s growth objectives.
We are recruiting to fill the position below:
Job Title: Head of Operations
Location: Lekki, Lagos
Employment Type: Full-time
Role Overview
- The Head of Operations will provide strategic and day-to-day operational leadership, ensuring that the Bank’s processes, systems, people and controls support efficient service delivery, regulatory compliance, business continuity and sustainable growth.
- The successful candidate will work closely with the CEO and other members of Management to improve operational performance, strengthen the control environment, enhance customer experience and ensure that operational capacity keeps pace with the Bank’s business objectives.
Key Responsibilities
Operational Leadership and Strategy:
- Develop and implement operational plans aligned with the Bank’s business strategy and objectives.
- Translate Management’s priorities into measurable operational targets and deliverables.
- Review the Bank’s operating model and recommend improvements to efficiency, scalability and service delivery.
- Monitor operational performance, identify critical issues and ensure timely resolution.
- Advise the CEO and Management on operational priorities, resource requirements and performance improvement opportunities.
Banking Operations and Service Delivery:
- Oversee the Bank’s day-to-day operational activities and ensure efficient, accurate and timely service delivery.
- Establish and maintain appropriate operational procedures, service standards and workflows.
- Monitor transaction processing, reconciliations, documentation, turnaround times and operational productivity.
- Identify operational bottlenecks and implement corrective measures.
- Ensure that operational resources and processes adequately support the Bank’s products, customers and business activities.
Regulatory Compliance, Risk and Internal Controls:
- Ensure that operational activities comply with applicable laws, CBN regulations, regulatory directives and approved internal policies.
- Work closely with Risk, Compliance, Internal Audit and other control functions to maintain an effective operational control environment.
- Identify, assess, document and escalate material operational risks and control deficiencies.
- Coordinate the implementation of corrective actions arising from internal audits, regulatory examinations and other reviews.
- Ensure operational readiness for regulatory inspections and examinations.
- Promote accountability, ethical conduct and operational risk awareness across the Bank.
Customer Experience and Service Excellence:
- Establish and monitor service standards across customer-facing operational processes.
- Improve customer onboarding, account servicing, transaction processing and complaint resolution.
- Monitor service delivery performance and address recurring operational issues.
- Collaborate with relevant teams to improve customer satisfaction and service reliability.
Digital Operations and Process Improvement:
- Identify opportunities to automate processes and improve operational efficiency through technology.
- Collaborate with Technology and relevant business teams to ensure that systems adequately support operational requirements.
- Support the integration of digital banking channels with internal processes and service delivery workflows.
- Monitor process effectiveness and recommend practical improvements.
Financial and Resource Management:
- Monitor operational expenditure and promote responsible resource utilisation.
- Ensure that operational spending remains within approved budgets and delegated authority limits.
- Identify opportunities for cost optimisation without compromising service quality, internal controls or regulatory compliance.
- Provide Management with relevant operational performance, cost and resource utilisation reports.
Business Growth and Commercial Support:
- Work with Business Development, Sales and Relationship Management teams to support customer acquisition and business growth.
- Ensure operational readiness for new products, partnerships, customer segments and business initiatives.
- Develop efficient onboarding and fulfilment processes for new customers and institutional relationships.
- Identify and resolve operational constraints affecting business development and revenue generation.
- Provide operational insights and capacity assessments to support business planning and expansion.
Team Leadership and Performance Management:
- Lead, supervise and develop the Operations team.
- Establish clear performance expectations, key performance indicators and accountability measures.
- Identify skills gaps and implement appropriate training and development initiatives.
- Promote collaboration, professionalism, productivity and continuous improvement.
- Ensure adequate staffing and operational capacity to support the Bank’s business objectives.
Management Reporting and Business Continuity:
- Prepare timely and accurate reports on operational performance, service delivery, risks, controls, costs and improvement initiatives.
- Escalate material operational incidents and issues that may affect the Bank’s customers, reputation, regulatory standing or business continuity.
- Support the development and implementation of business continuity, incident management and operational recovery procedures.
- Participate in Management meetings and other governance meetings as required.
Qualifications and Experience
- A Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Banking and Finance, Economics, Accounting, Management or a related discipline.
- Relevant professional qualifications in banking, management, risk, operations or a related field will be an advantage.
- Substantial experience in banking operations, preferably within a microfinance bank, deposit money bank or other regulated financial institution.
- Demonstrated experience in operational management, process improvement, internal controls and service delivery.
- Sound knowledge of CBN regulatory requirements and the operational obligations of a regulated financial institution.
- Experience leading teams, managing performance and implementing operational policies and procedures.
- Familiarity with digital banking platforms, transaction processing systems, operational reporting and process automation.
Required Competencies:
- Strong operational leadership and decision-making capabilities.
- Excellent analytical, problem-solving and organisational skills.
- Strong understanding of operational risk, internal controls and regulatory compliance.
- Ability to translate business objectives into practical operational plans.
- Strong communication, stakeholder management and team leadership skills.
- High standards of integrity, accountability and professional conduct.
- Ability to manage competing priorities and resolve operational issues effectively.
- A continuous improvement mindset, with a focus on efficiency, service quality and sustainable business performance.