Risk & Internal Control Officer

Our mission We’re making Africa the first cashless continent. In 2017, over half the population in Sub-Saharan Africa had no bank account. That’s for good reason—the fees are too high, the closest branch can be miles away, and nobody takes cards. Without access to financial institutions, people are forced to keep their savings under the mattress. Small business owners rely on lenders who charge extortionate rates. Parents spend hours waiting in line to pay school fees in cash. We’re solving this by building financial services that just work: no account fees, instantly available, and accepted everywhere. In places where electricity, water and roads don’t always work, you can still send money with Wave. In 2017, we launched a mobile app in Senegal for cash deposit, withdrawal, and peer-to-peer and business payments. Now, we have millions of users across 9 countries and are growing fast. Our goal is to make Africa the first cashless continent and that’s where you come in… How you’ll help us achieve it As a Risk and Internal Control Officer, your mission is to safeguard Wave’s operations by proactively identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks across all domains: strategic, operational, financial, technological, and reputational. You will play a critical role in enabling the organization to take controlled risks by designing and implementing robust internal control systems, conducting rigorous fraud and process analysis, and strengthening our risk culture.

With a learner’s mindset and strong analytical skills, you will support Wave’s sustainable growth in Senegal by securing operational resilience, protecting user trust, and guiding leadership in strategic decision-making through data-driven insights and optimized control solutions. This role will report directly to the Risk and Internal Control Lead in Senegal. In this role, you will

• Support the implementation of Wave’s risk management framework, including contributing to the design, deployment, and monitoring of internal control systems tailored to our business environment.

Formation / Diplômes

• Help identify and evaluate risks related to key activities, processes, information systems, production tools, and external events.
• Conduct risk assessments for new products, features, or process changes, in alignment with the company’s scaling strategy.
• Contribute to the development and improvement of risk identification and prioritization systems, including relevant protection mechanisms.

Design and perform preventive and detective controls based on the company’s risk profile and follow up on their effectiveness.

• Assist in promoting a risk-aware culture by supporting awareness campaigns, training, and documentation initiatives across departments.
• Monitor internal reporting and escalation mechanisms to ensure timely detection, investigation, and resolution of risk issues.
• Support periodic reporting on risk and internal control matters, including dashboards and incident summaries.
• Contribute to the anticipation of risk trends, analyze emerging risks, and assess their potential impact on Wave’s operations.
• Assist in preparing documentation and materials for risk committee meetings or communications with external stakeholders (e.g., auditors, partners, or regulators).
• Propose optimized process improvements based on control findings and risk assessments to support better decision-making by leadership.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with operational, finance, compliance, and other teams to align controls and risk mitigation strategies with business priorities.
• Perform ad hoc control reviews or risk investigations as needed by the business. Key details

Localisation

• Location: You’ll work from our office in Senegal and may travel to field locations.
• Work authorization in Senegal.
• This is a Permanent position.
• Our salaries are competitive and calculated using a transparent formula.
• We offer generous health insurance for yourself and your dependents.
• We support working parents – we offer (26 weeks for mothers and 4 weeks for fathers) and subsidized child care when you return to work.
• We help you live your fullest life now- we subsidize gym memberships and fitness classes.
• Airtime reimbursement.
• Free food and a beautiful office space. Requirements
• At least a Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Risk Management, Business, Economics, or a related field.

Expérience

• Minimum 5 years of experience in internal control, permanent control, or internal audit.
• At least 2 years of hands-on experience in risk management activities (risk assessment, risk mapping, mitigation planning, etc.); knowledge of fraud and/or compliance is a plus.
• Strong analytical skills with a proven ability to conduct detailed technical investigations.
• Fluency in French and English, both written and spoken.
• Experience in mobile money operations or the financial services sector is an advantage.
• Prior exposure to international companies or multicultural environments is a strong plus. You might be a good fit if you
• Are results-driven with a proactive « get it done » mindset.
• Bring high emotional and cultural intelligence.
• Thrive in fast-paced, high-pressure environments and can manage multiple priorities.
• Have a strong track record of collaboration across cross-functional teams.
• Are intellectually curious, creative in problem-solving, and view challenges as opportunities to learn.
• Work autonomously, take ownership, and know when to escalate or seek support.
• Default to over-communication to ensure clarity, alignment, and smooth coordination.
• Exercise sound judgment and maintain strict confidentiality when handling sensitive matters.
• Possess sharp analytical skills to assess complex data, spot patterns, and draw actionable insights.
• Propose practical and effective solutions to mitigate risks and address emerging challenges.
• Show adaptability and resilience when priorities or operations shift.
• Uphold the highest standards of ethics and integrity in decision-making.
• Demonstrate strong attention to detail and thoroughness in all control and risk-related tasks.
• Communicate and influence effectively across all levels, from frontline teams to senior leadership. Our team
• We have a rapidly growing in-country team in Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Burkina Faso, The Gambia, Uganda, Niger, Sierra Leone, and Cameroon plus remote team members spread across the world.
• We’re deeply passionate about our mission of bringing radically affordable financial services to the people who need them most.
• We foster autonomy for our employees. You’ll own your projects at every stage, from understanding the problem to monitoring your solution in production.
• We raised the largest Series A in Africa in 2021. Our world-class investors, include Founders Fund, Sequoia Heritage, Stripe, Ribbit Capital, Y Combinator, and Partech Africa.
• We are on Y Combinator’s top companies by revenue.

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