Chief Digital Officer (CDO) – Ghana

Job Title: Chief Digital Officer (CDO) – Ghana

Industry: Banking

Location: Ghana

Salary: $75K - $100K + Benefits

Overview

A leading financial institution in West Africa is seeking an accomplished Chief Digital Officer (CDO) to lead the next phase of its digital growth, transformation and innovation agenda.

This is a senior executive leadership role requiring a rare blend of commercial digital banking expertise and strong technical fluency. The successful candidate will provide unified leadership across the commercial and technical dimensions of digital banking, ensuring that digital platforms not only operate effectively but also drive customer acquisition, transaction growth, increased utilisation and sustainable revenue.

The role will have broad responsibility across retail digital banking, electronic channels, payments and corporate/transaction banking solutions, while working closely with Technology, Operations, Risk and other business functions.

The successful candidate does not necessarily need to be the deepest technical specialist across every platform. However, they must possess sufficient technical understanding to engage credibly with technology teams, vendors and partners while demonstrating the commercial leadership required to translate digital capability into measurable business results.

Key Responsibilities

• Define, own and execute the organisation's enterprise digital strategy aligned with overall business objectives and measurable commercial outcomes.
• Provide integrated leadership across the commercial/front-end and technical/back-end dimensions of digital banking.
• Drive customer acquisition, digital adoption, transaction volumes, platform utilisation and revenue generation across digital channels.
• Lead the growth and optimisation of retail digital channels, including mobile and internet banking, cards, ATMs, POS and other electronic banking platforms.
• Provide strategic oversight of corporate and transaction banking digital solutions, including collections, corporate internet banking, APIs, payments and related digital propositions.
• Develop and execute strategies and campaigns that increase customer activity and maximise returns from existing and new digital platforms.
• Own the digital product and service lifecycle from strategy and concept development through implementation, commercialisation, optimisation and continuous improvement.
• Use customer data, analytics and market insights to identify growth opportunities, improve customer experience and inform product and channel strategy.
• Partner effectively with Technology and Operations teams to ensure that digital propositions are technically viable, scalable, resilient and aligned with customer and commercial requirements.
• Engage confidently on the technical and operational aspects of digital platforms, including payments, cards, ATMs, POS, APIs and related banking infrastructure.
• Lead multidisciplinary teams spanning digital business, product, channels, technical support and related functions, ensuring seamless collaboration between front-end commercial teams and back-end delivery teams.
• Build and manage strategic relationships with fintechs, payment providers, technology vendors, telcos and other ecosystem partners.
• Evaluate digital investments and initiatives based on commercial value, customer impact, operational efficiency and return on investment.
• Establish clear KPIs, dashboards and performance frameworks covering revenue, customer acquisition, adoption, utilisation, transaction volumes and service performance.
• Ensure appropriate governance, risk management, regulatory compliance, data protection and information security across digital activities.
• Provide effective reporting and strategic insight to Executive Management and Board-level stakeholders.
• Champion innovation and continuously identify emerging technologies, business models and market opportunities capable of strengthening the organisation's competitive position.

Candidate Profile

• Minimum 10–15 years' progressive experience within banking, financial services, payments or a closely related environment, including significant senior leadership responsibility.
• Demonstrable leadership experience across digital banking, e-business, electronic channels, payments, transaction banking or digital product management.
• Strong commercial orientation with evidence of personally driving customer acquisition, sales, digital adoption, transaction growth and revenue generation.
• Meaningful exposure to retail digital banking and electronic channels, ideally including mobile banking, internet banking, cards, ATMs, POS and/or related payment platforms.
• Exposure to corporate or transaction banking solutions, such as collections, corporate digital banking, APIs and business payment solutions, would be highly advantageous.
• Sufficient technical depth to engage effectively with internal technology teams, platform specialists and external vendors on digital banking infrastructure and delivery.
• Proven ability to bridge business, technology and operations, ensuring commercial teams and technical/support teams operate towards common objectives.
• Track record of leading digital transformation, platform implementation, product development or complex technology-enabled change programmes.
• Strong understanding of digital ecosystems, fintech partnerships, payment infrastructure and emerging financial technologies.
• Strong analytical capability with experience using customer, transaction and performance data to inform strategic and commercial decisions.
• Experience managing multidisciplinary teams and developing high-performing digital capabilities.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, with the credibility to operate effectively with Executive Management and Board-level stakeholders.
• Sound understanding of governance, regulatory, risk, data protection and information security considerations relevant to digital financial services.
• Experience within leading African or emerging-market financial institutions would be highly advantageous.

Candidates currently operating immediately below CDO level who demonstrate exceptional breadth, leadership capability and clear potential to assume enterprise-wide digital responsibility will also be considered.

Ideal Background

The strongest candidates are likely to have developed careers that combine experience across more than one of the following areas:

• Digital Banking / E-Business
• Electronic Channels
• Cards & Payments
• Transaction Banking
• Digital Product Management
• Digital Sales & Business Development
• Technology-enabled Banking Transformation

Of particular interest are leaders who have successfully moved between commercial/customer-facing digital roles and technology/platform-oriented responsibilities, giving them a practical understanding of both sides of the digital banking value chain.

Why Apply

• Opportunity to lead an enterprise-wide digital agenda at executive level.
• Direct influence over digital strategy, commercial growth and customer experience.
• Leadership responsibility spanning both commercial digital banking and technology-enabled delivery.
• Opportunity to build an integrated digital organisation and shape the future direction of a significant African financial institution.
• High-impact mandate with scope to drive innovation, customer growth, revenue and competitive differentiation.