Director of Security Operations

Skills

About the Role

You'll act as both a strategic advisor and a hands-on operational leader, safeguarding Wave's people, operations, and assets across more than nine markets, including Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. You'll manage and train security leaders and consultants in each country while responding to a wide range of crisis scenarios, from civil unrest and terrorist activity to traffic accidents, theft, and armed violence. You'll translate Wave's risk appetite into practical security frameworks that protect employees and enable rapid business growth, even in volatile contexts. You'll build trust-based relationships with country teams, executive leadership, and external partners, positioning security as an enabling function rather than a barrier. You'll design security systems and processes while staying hands-on during critical incidents that require immediate leadership and decisive action. Expect to travel extensively, 30-50% of the time, across West and Central Africa.

Requirements

• 8-12+ years in security, risk, or resilience leadership, with at least 5 years directly managing security operations across multiple high risk countries or regions
• Experience in mobile money, fintech, international development, telecommunications, or financial services across Africa strongly preferred
• Excellent written and verbal communications
• Extensive experience operating in high-risk, volatile environments such as conflict zones, post-conflict regions, or areas with terrorism, organized crime, or civil unrest
• Proven track record leading, mentoring, and developing distributed security teams across geographically dispersed locations and diverse cultural contexts
• Demonstrated experience leading crisis response efforts, including evacuations, hostage situations, armed conflict, or major security incidents
• Strong knowledge of security landscapes across West and Central Africa, including local networks and relationships with authorities, regulators, and partners
• Fluent in English, French fluency preferred

Responsibilities

• Translate Wave's risk appetite and tolerance into clear, actionable security frameworks, standards, and operating models across all markets
• Ensure each operating market has a clear Crisis Management plan tailored to the local context, including training, comms, and tooling
• Serve as Wave's primary crisis response leader for security incidents across all markets, providing 24/7 on-call support
• Lead response to critical incidents including terrorist activity, armed conflict, civil unrest, kidnapping threats, violent crime, and natural disasters
• Establish and maintain crisis response protocols, evacuation procedures, and emergency communication systems
• Build and maintain business continuity plans that ensure Wave can operate safely during periods of instability
• Lead, mentor, and develop security managers and security staff in each of Wave's operating markets
• Build trust-based relationships with country leadership, local teams, and partners
• Foster a security-conscious culture across Wave
• Ensure physical security measures are in place for offices, cash operations, and service points
• Set global standards for secure cash handling, movement, and storage practices
• Enforce consistent and audited security protocols for staff travel, field deployments, and high-risk activities
• Develop tools and systems for tracking security incidents, analyzing patterns, and measuring effectiveness with the Engineering Security team
• Serve as Wave's primary point of contact with security consultants

Benefits

• Equity package
• Health insurance for yourself and your dependents
• 26 weeks of parental leave for mothers and 4 weeks for fathers
• Subsidized child care