Director, Shariah-Compliant Finance as a Service (SCF-aaS)

Job Summary:

As Director of Shariah-Compliant Finance as a Service (SCF-aaS), you will scale and own the full P&L of Kifiya’s Islamic-finance PaaS offering. You will define the strategic vision, monetize our AI-driven platform for Shariah-sensitive markets, and ensure every product—from Murabaha to Takaful-linked insurance—meets AAOIFI, IFSB, and local regulatory standards. In partnership with Shariah scholars, IFB institutions, and internal teams, you will drive platform adoption, risk-managed product delivery, and sustainable profitability across a multi-bank ecosystem.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership & Platform Vision

• Define the multi-year growth strategy for SCF-aaS as Kifiya’s Islamic-finance core PaaS business.
• Position SCF-aaS as the market leader in AI-powered, Shariah-compliant digital banking and lending.
• Drive product roadmap innovation—covering Murabaha, Ijarah, Mudarabah, Wakala, and Takaful-linked solutions.

Full P&L Ownership & Financial Stewardship

• Own and manage all revenue streams, cost structures, and commercial targets for the SCF-aaS unit.
• Optimize monetization through usage fees, revenue-sharing models, service bundling, and advisory services.
• Ensure capital efficiency, profitability, and return on investment in AI, infrastructure, and Shariah-governance processes.

Shariah Compliance & Advisory Board Management

• Lead engagement with internal & external Shariah scholars and councils to secure fatwas, certify new products, and manage ongoing compliance.
• Maintain rigorous documentation for Shariah audits, regulatory reviews, and AAOIFI/IFSB filings.
• Liaise with local regulators (e.g., National Bank of Ethiopia’s Islamic Finance Unit) on evolving standards and approvals.

Bank Partner Management & Growth Enablement

• Cultivate strategic relationships with partner banks, MFIs, and Takaful providers, ensuring platform utilization, joint-brand success, and co-market execution.
• Oversee go-to-market planning, branch/channel engagement, and customer origination campaigns for Shariah-compliant products.
• Manage SLAs, contract delivery, and partner satisfaction across all deployments.

Intelligent Credit Decisioning & Risk Oversight

• Supervise the adaptation of AI credit-scoring and fraud-detection engines to Shariah-compliant risk models (e.g., profit-and-loss sharing, collateral-free structures).
• Guide partners on risk-based pricing, provisioning alignment, and ethical financing safeguards.
• Monitor NPL metrics and predictive-model performance, driving continuous model refinement.

Platform Delivery & Technology Coordination

• Align product, engineering, and operations teams to deliver and scale white-labeled Shariah-compliant modules (loans, wallets, Takaful).
• Prioritize interoperability, low-bandwidth optimization, and user experiences sensitive to digital-literacy constraints.

Business Operation Support & Productization

• Develop and package business-operations playbooks for partner banks:
• Shariah-compliant loan origination and documentation workflows
• Collections and late-payment management within Islamic jurisprudence
• Customer education and transparent product narratives
• Serve as the principal operations partner to banks—ensuring compliance, efficiency, and scale.

Team Leadership, Reporting & Optimization

• Lead a multidisciplinary team of product managers, Shariah specialists, credit analysts, and partner-success managers.
• Set and track KPIs (revenue growth, time-to-market, fatwa turnaround, partner NPS), delivering real-time dashboards to senior leadership.
• Foster a culture of accountability, high performance, and continuous improvement.

Education:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s in Islamic Finance, Business Administration, Economics, or a related field.
• Mandatory Shariah certification (e.g., CIFE, AAOIFI, CISI Islamic Finance Certification).

Experience:

• 12+ years in financial services, fintech platforms, or banking transformation—with full P&L responsibility.
• 5+ years specifically in Islamic-finance product leadership, having launched and managed Murabaha, Ijarah, Mudarabah, Wakala, or Takaful products.
• Proven track record managing Shariah advisory boards and engaging with regulatory bodies in Ethiopia or comparable markets.
• Direct experience in multi-bank or B2B PaaS growth, monetization models, and partner ecosystem management.

Skills & Competencies:

• Technical Mastery: Deep understanding of Islamic-finance structures, AAOIFI/IFSB standards, and Shariah governance.
• Financial Acumen: Expert in budgeting, forecasting, revenue modeling, and P&L management for technology-driven platforms.
• Strategic Leadership: Ability to translate market insights into innovative, commercially viable Shariah-compliant offerings.
• Stakeholder Influence: Exceptional at navigating Shariah-board deliberations, regulatory negotiations, and bank partnerships.
• People Management: Proven ability to build, coach, and scale high-performing teams across product, risk, and operations.
• Communication: Clear, persuasive oral and written skills to bridge Shariah, technical, and business audiences.
• Digital & Data-Driven: Familiarity with AI credit-scoring, fraud-detection technologies, and agile product development.