Product & Platform Partnerships Manager

Meet Ozow

Ozow is a leading fintech company that's redefining digital payments in South Africa and beyond. We're dedicated to making payments more accessible, secure, and convenient for both businesses and consumers. As a fast‑growing player in the financial technology sector, Ozow fosters a culture of innovation, diversity, and inclusivity. We believe in pushing the boundaries of what's possible and are committed to making a positive impact on the world through our payment solutions.

The Product & Platform Partnerships Manager is responsible for managing and developing the company's relationships with external product and platform partners, i.e. new and existing vendors. The role works closely with Product, Technology, Commercial, and Executive teams to ensure that third‑party partnerships are well governed, commercially effective, and aligned with the company's long‑term business and product strategy. This position will lead the partnership model, providing oversight across multiple products and business processes, and establishing clear governance and decision‑making frameworks for key external relationships.

• Establish and own a centralised view of all external product and infrastructure partners, which includes, but is not limited to, product and platform partners that encompass banking and payment partners, as well as service providers that encompass messaging, compliance, fraud and SaaS partners.
• Drive a consistent partnership management framework across the organisation including vendor selection processes and commercial management.
• Proactively surface risks, dependencies, performance concerns, and concentration exposure.

• Work closely with leadership to:
  • Review the full product stack (Pay‑ins, Pay‑outs, Merchant Services, and future services)
  • Map external dependencies within each department and identify potential bottlenecks
  • Validate ownership, accountability, and escalation paths
• Ensure partnerships are assessed through a product and business strategy lens, not just operational or commercial.
• Translate complex technical or operational partnership issues into clear, decision‑ready insights for leadership.

• Own and facilitate structured monthly partnership meetings with Product leadership and relevant stakeholders.
• Ensure each partner is reviewed consistently, covering:
  • SLA and performance metrics
  • Costs and commercial exposure
  • Contract status and key terms
  • Revenue impact (where applicable)
  • Current issues, risks, or dependencies
  • Strategic fit and roadmap alignment
• Prepare executive‑level summaries and recommendations where escalation or investment decisions are required.

• Maintain a forward‑looking view by ensuring partnerships actively support the company's long‑term business strategy by aligning partner roadmaps, commercial models, and technical capabilities with future product, market, and revenue objectives.
• Identify and evaluate new partnership opportunities that strengthen the product stack or unlock new capabilities.
• Partner with Product and Technology teams to assess:
  • Build vs buy vs partner decisions
  • Long‑term viability and switching costs
  • Strategic alignment with the company's roadmap

• Act as a key connector between:
  • Product & Engineering (technical dependencies, roadmap fit)
  • Commercial & Finance (costs, exposure, revenue impact)
  • Legal & Compliance (contracts, regulatory considerations)
  • Executive leadership (risk, strategy, prioritisation)
• Ensure partnership discussions are joined‑up, informed, and aligned across teams.

• 5+ years' experience in partnerships, product operations, platform strategy, or ecosystem management
• Strong exposure to technical or infrastructure‑led partnerships (e.g. payments, fintech, platforms, APIs, SaaS, messaging, compliance, data)
• Experience working closely with Product and Engineering teams
• Proven ability to operate at both strategic and detail levels
• Experience presenting to or working with senior leadership / C‑suite