API & Developer Marketplace Lead at Safaricom

Company: SAFARICOM
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Job Title: API & Developer Marketplace Lead
Industry: Telecommunications, Fintech, Digital Platforms, API Management, Financial Services
Job Type: Full-Time
Department: Financial Services / Technology / Digital Platforms

Job Overview

Safaricom is recruiting an experienced API & Developer Marketplace Lead to drive platform innovation, developer ecosystem growth, API monetization, and fintech platform scalability. This strategic leadership role is ideal for professionals with expertise in API product management, cloud platforms, fintech ecosystems, digital transformation, platform monetization, DevSecOps, enterprise architecture, agile delivery, and B2B digital ecosystems.

The successful candidate will lead the development of scalable API exposure strategies while building a thriving developer marketplace ecosystem that accelerates third-party integrations, enterprise partnerships, and revenue growth.

This opportunity is highly suitable for professionals seeking API product manager jobs, fintech leadership careers, developer platform jobs, cloud platform management roles, digital ecosystem strategy jobs, enterprise technology leadership opportunities, platform monetization careers, and API marketplace management positions.

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API & Developer Marketplace Lead Jobs in Nairobi

As the API & Developer Marketplace Lead, you will play a key role in helping Safaricom evolve from traditional product-centric services into a platform-powered fintech ecosystem that enables secure integrations across payments, lending, insurance, wealth management, mobile financial services, digital commerce, and enterprise technology solutions.

This role requires expertise in API governance, microservices architecture, platform scalability, fintech APIs, developer experience (DX), cloud-native technologies, digital payments, enterprise partnerships, DevSecOps practices, platform reliability, and commercial technology strategy.

Key Job Responsibilities

Platform Strategy & API Exposure Architecture

• Define and implement Safaricom’s API exposure and platform strategy aligned with financial services growth objectives.
• Translate fintech business priorities into scalable, interoperable API architectures.
• Support integrations across:
  • Payments
  • Credit & Lending
  • Insurance
  • Wealth Management
  • Enterprise Financial Services
• Ensure platform scalability, interoperability, reliability, and security.

Candidates with experience in enterprise API architecture, cloud-native systems, platform engineering, API gateway management, and fintech infrastructure are strongly encouraged to apply.

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API Productization & Lifecycle Governance

• Lead API productization strategies and lifecycle management.
• Establish standards for:
  • API versioning
  • Backward compatibility
  • Deprecation policies
  • Performance monitoring
  • Security governance
• Ensure enterprise-grade documentation, testing environments, and sandbox support.
• Rationalize API portfolios to eliminate duplication and improve platform efficiency.

Developer Marketplace Growth & Ecosystem Enablement

• Build and scale Safaricom’s Developer Marketplace ecosystem.
• Improve developer experience (DX) through:
  • Self-service onboarding
  • API documentation
  • Structured support systems
  • Technical enablement
• Drive third-party developer adoption, partner integrations, and enterprise API consumption.
• Monitor ecosystem engagement metrics and marketplace performance.

Monetization Governance for API Exposure

• Develop API monetization models and commercial frameworks.
• Define:
  • API pricing strategies
  • Usage-based models
  • Revenue-sharing mechanisms
  • Platform monetization guardrails
• Align platform monetization with revenue growth and EBITDA performance objectives.

Agile API Squads & DevSecOps Alignment

• Align engineering and API squads with agile development principles.
• Promote DevSecOps best practices for secure and scalable deployments.
• Improve:
  • API performance
  • Incident management
  • Reliability engineering
  • Continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD)
• Support platform resilience and high service availability.

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Leadership & Talent Development

• Lead a high-performing multidisciplinary technology team.
• Promote:
  • Agile ways of working
  • Innovation culture
  • OKR-driven performance
  • Cross-functional collaboration
• Mentor teams through structured capability development programs.
• Build succession plans and strengthen organizational capability.

Governance & Delivery Management

• Lead empowered agile squads using clearly defined:
  • Decision frameworks
  • Accountability structures
  • Sprint reviews
  • Escalation protocols
• Balance innovation speed with:
  • Security compliance
  • Financial governance
  • Regulatory requirements
  • Operational resilience

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Success in this role will be measured through:

Revenue & Commercial Growth

• API-driven revenue contribution target of 5%+ of Financial Services revenue
• 10%+ Year-on-Year growth in developer marketplace revenue
• API monetization performance and integration profitability

Ecosystem Growth Metrics

• Achieve 10,000+ active third-party and enterprise integrations
• 15% YoY API transaction growth
• 80%+ partner retention rate
• Reduce onboarding time to 48 hours or less

Platform Reliability & Quality

• Maintain 99%+ API platform uptime
• Achieve under 2 hours MTTR for high-priority incidents
• Ensure all fintech products are API-enabled at launch
• Maintain zero critical production security vulnerabilities

Education Requirements

Applicants should possess:

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in:
  • Computer Science
  • Software Engineering
  • Information Systems
  • Business Technology
  • Technology Management
  • Or related disciplines

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s Degree (MBA) in:
  • Business Administration
  • Technology Management
  • Digital Platforms
  • Innovation Management
  • Or related fields

Professional certifications in cloud computing, enterprise architecture, agile project management, API management, cybersecurity, DevOps, fintech systems, or platform engineering will be an added advantage.

Experience Requirements

To qualify for this role, candidates should have:

• 10–12 years of experience in:
  • Digital platforms
  • API product management
  • Fintech ecosystems
  • Developer marketplace strategy
  • Enterprise technology leadership
  • Platform monetization
  • Digital ecosystem growth

Applicants should also demonstrate:

• Experience leading enterprise API strategies
• Strong understanding of microservices architecture and cloud-native systems
• Experience in regulated financial services or fintech environments
• Proven success building developer ecosystems and B2B platform adoption programs
• Strong commercial acumen and stakeholder management capabilities

Required Skills & Competencies

Successful candidates should possess:

• API Product Management
• Platform Monetization
• Developer Experience (DX)
• Cloud Computing & Microservices
• Agile Delivery Methodologies
• DevSecOps Practices
• Fintech Platform Strategy
• Ecosystem Growth Management
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Executive Communication
• Strategic Thinking
• Product Commercialization
• Revenue Growth Strategy
• Platform Governance
• Risk & Compliance Management

Salary & Benefits

Salary: Competitive Executive Compensation Package (Based on Experience & Internal Structure)

Benefits may include:

• Performance incentives
• Executive leadership opportunities
• Medical insurance
• Pension and retirement benefits
• Professional certification support
• Learning and leadership programs
• Career progression in a leading fintech ecosystem
• Exposure to large-scale digital innovation initiatives

Training & Career Development

Safaricom provides growth opportunities through:

• Fintech leadership programs
• API architecture and platform strategy training
• Agile leadership coaching
• Cloud-native systems development
• DevSecOps and cybersecurity learning
• Digital transformation programs
• Innovation and ecosystem management workshops

This opportunity is ideal for professionals pursuing careers in API leadership, fintech strategy, digital product management, enterprise platform development, technology transformation, cloud ecosystems, B2B technology partnerships, and digital financial services leadership.

Why Join Safaricom?

By joining Safaricom, you will:

• Work at the forefront of fintech and digital platform innovation
• Lead high-impact API and developer ecosystem initiatives
• Influence digital financial services growth across Africa
• Drive platform monetization and ecosystem expansion
• Be part of a technology-driven organization transforming lives through connectivity and innovation

Apply now to shape the future of APIs, fintech ecosystems, and digital platform growth at Safaricom Kenya.