Head, Distribution & Digital Channel Growth

Our client is a CBN-licensed, technology-driven financial institution providing accessible digital banking, payments, savings, credit related financial solutions to individuals, merchants, SMEs and businesses. The Bank combines the trust and discipline of regulated banking with the speed and convenience of technology. Its ambition is to build a leading digital financial ecosystem that makes banking simple, accessible, secure and convenient. Job Purpose The Head Distribution and Digital Channel Growth will provide end-to-end leadership for the Bank's physical and digital distribution channels, including agents, merchants, POS terminals, debit cards, digital platforms, branches, service points and strategic channel partnerships. The role will translate the Bank's customer, deposit, transaction and revenue targets into territory plans, distribution requirements, sales programmes and deployment budgets. The role holder will be accountable for network growth, channel adoption, resource utilization, customer acquisition, commercial performance and profitability. Technology and Operations will retain responsibility for platform availability, transaction processing and operational support. The successful candidate will combine strategic planning with disciplined field execution and will use performance data to build a productive, scalable and well-controlled distribution network. Key Responsibilities: Distribution and Channel Strategy • Develop and execute the Bank's integrated distribution, agency banking, digital channel and channel sales strategy. • Translate business objectives into territory, customer acquisition, agent, merchant, POS, card and digital adoption plans. • Prepare annual and medium-term expansion plans, budgets and resource requirements. • Identify priority markets and recommend the most appropriate channel model for each territory. • Assess and recommend locations for branches, service points and other alternative distribution formats. • Ensure that channel plans support the Bank's financial inclusion, deposit mobilization, lending and revenue objectives. Agent Sales and Customer Growth • Drive customer acquisition, activation and repeat usage across the Bank's mobile, web, POS, agent, merchant and other approved digital touchpoints. • Set and deliver monthly, quarterly and annual targets for customers, active users, deposits, transactions, revenue and product uptake. • Develop campaigns that convert registered customers into active and transacting users. • Drive cross-selling of savings, payments, transfers, bill payments, debit cards, credit and other approved products. • Use customer and transaction data to identify acquisition, retention and cross-selling opportunities. • Work with Product and Marketing to develop propositions for individuals, merchants, SMEs and other target segments. Field Sales Leadership • Build and lead a high-performing field sales and channel development team across assigned territories. • Cascade customer, deposit, transaction and revenue targets to team members and territories. • Establish field visit plans, pipeline reviews, sales routines and performance management processes. • Design and manage agent and merchant commission, incentive and recognition programmes. • Coach team members and promote accountability, service quality and execution discipline. Cards Service Points and Distribution Resources • Lead debit card demand planning, distribution, activation and utilization. • Coordinate onboarding kits, signage, marketing materials and other customer acquisition resources. • Align physical distribution investments with market potential and projected commercial returns. • Review location performance and recommend expansion, restructuring or closure where appropriate. Commercial Performance and Analytics • Take responsibility for channel revenue, transaction volumes, deposits, float, operating costs and profitability. • Develop business cases for major distribution investments and monitor return on distribution investment. • Track revenue per active agent or POS, customer acquisition cost, agent activation cost and channel profitability. • Maintain distribution and digital sales dashboards by agent, merchant, POS, product and territory. • Use performance data to optimize locations, deployments, field team allocation, incentives and channel investment. • Provide Management with forecasts, regular performance reports and clear corrective recommendations. Partnerships and Stakeholder Management • Build and manage relationships with super agents, aggregators, merchants, payment service providers and other channel partners. • Negotiate commercially sound arrangements in collaboration with Management, Finance, Legal and Procurement. • Monitor partner performance against contractual obligations, service levels and commercial targets. • Coordinate closely with Product, Technology, Operations, Finance, Treasury, Risk, Compliance, Marketing, Customer Experience, Procurement and Human Resources. • Provide market intelligence and customer feedback to support product development and service improvement. Risk Compliance and Channel Controls • Ensure that agent, merchant, sales and distribution activities comply with CBN requirements and the Bank's internal policies. • Work with Risk and Compliance to enforce KYC, AML/CFT, consumer protection, data privacy and agent due diligence requirements. • Ensure that agents and field teams receive appropriate compliance, fraud prevention and customer service training. • Monitor channel fraud, operational incidents, customer complaints and control breaches and ensure prompt escalation and resolution. • Ensure that growth plans remain within the Bank's approved risk appetite and do not compromise service quality or regulatory compliance. Key Performance Indicators • Agents and merchants recruited, activated, productive and retained • POS deployment, utilization and reduction in idle terminals • Transactions per active agent or POS, including total transaction volume and value • Customer acquisition, activation, monthly active users and repeat usage • Deposits mobilized and product uptake through distribution channels • Channel revenue, revenue per active agent or POS and overall profitability • Debit card issuance, activation and utilization • Geographic coverage and territory penetration • Field sales productivity and achievement of approved targets • Customer and agent acquisition cost and return on distribution investment • Agent float adequacy, retention and reactivation • Service quality, complaints, compliance exceptions and fraud loss indicators Requirements Qualifications and Experience • Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Finance, Economics, Operations Management or a related discipline. • Eight to twelve years of relevant experience, including at least five years in a senior sales, distribution, agency banking or channel management role. • Demonstrable experience in microfinance banking, commercial banking, fintech, payments, telecommunications, FMCG or another large-scale distribution environment. • Proven experience building and managing multi-location agent, merchant, POS or field sales networks. • Strong knowledge of Nigeria's agency banking, digital payments and financial services ecosystem. • A record of delivering customer, transaction, deposit, revenue and profitability targets. • Experience managing field teams, channel partners, budgets and performance programmes. • Sound understanding of agent controls, KYC, regulatory compliance and operational risk. • An MBA or relevant postgraduate or professional qualification is an advantage. Skills and Competencies • Commercial judgement and ownership of channel performance • Distribution strategy and territory planning • Digital financial services and agency banking knowledge • Sales execution and customer acquisition • Data analysis and performance management • Financial analysis and channel profitability management • People leadership and field team management • Partnership development and negotiation • Project management and cross functional coordination • Risk awareness integrity and professional discretion • Clear written verbal and presentation skills • Proficiency in Microsoft Excel PowerPoint Word and relevant dashboard tools