Description

About Ghazanfar Pay; Ghazanfar Pay is a subsidiary of Ghazanfar Bank, established as an Electronic Money Institution to deliver secure, innovative, and inclusive digital financial services across Afghanistan. Ghazanfar Pay will operate mobile wallets, digital payments, agent banking, merchant acquiring, and system integrations with national payment infrastructures. To support this strategic initiative, Ghazanfar Pay seeks a highly capable Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to lead the design, implementation, security, and continuous evolution of its digital and core EMI technology ecosystem. The CTO will be responsible for building a resilient, scalable, and compliant technology environment that enables operational excellence, regulatory compliance, interoperability, and rapid product innovation, while ensuring appropriate operational independence from the parent bank and alignment with its overall governance framework. Job Summary: The CTO is responsible for defining and executing Ghazanfar Pay’s overall technology vision and architecture. This includes oversight of the EMI platform, mobile applications, switching and integration layers, cybersecurity frameworks, data management, and technology operations. The CTO will ensure that Ghazanfar Pay’s technology infrastructure is secure, scalable, interoperable, and compliant with EMI regulations and industry best practices. The role is critical in enabling product innovation, transaction reliability, operational resilience, and business continuity in a fragile and high-risk operating environment. Job Description: A. Technology Strategy & Architecture • Develop and execute the overall technology strategy aligned with Ghazanfar Pay’s business objectives and regulatory requirements. • Design and maintain enterprise architecture covering Ghazanfar pay platforms, mobile applications, middleware, switching, APIs, and data layers. • Ensure scalability, modularity, and high availability of all technology systems. • Lead technology roadmaps for new product enablement, system upgrades, and digital transformation initiatives. • Ensure interoperability with national payment systems, APS, switches, telecom partners, and banking platforms. • Establish technology governance frameworks, standards, and documentation. B. Core Platforms & Application Management • Oversee implementation, configuration, and lifecycle management of Ghazanfar pay systems, wallet platforms, and transaction engines. • Ensure stability, performance, and resilience of mobile apps, portals, and backend services. • Lead integration of merchant systems, agent platforms, billers, and third-party fintech solutions. • Manage change management, version upgrades, and release cycles. • Ensure strong QA, UAT, and production deployment processes. • Support rapid and secure rollout of new digital products and features. C. Cybersecurity, Infrastructure & Data Protection • Establish and enforce comprehensive cybersecurity frameworks aligned with regulatory and international standards. • Oversee security architecture, access controls, encryption, network protection, and endpoint security. • Lead implementation of SOC monitoring, vulnerability management, and incident response mechanisms. • Ensure compliance with data protection, privacy, and consumer information security requirements. • Conduct regular penetration testing, system audits, and disaster recovery drills. • Develop and maintain business continuity and disaster recovery systems. D. Systems Operations & Reliability • Ensure 24/7 system availability, monitoring, and performance optimization. • Oversee transaction processing efficiency, uptime management, and system health dashboards. • Establish SLAs and performance frameworks for internal systems and third-party vendors. • Implement automated monitoring, alerting, and failover mechanisms. • Lead root cause analysis and continuous system improvement initiatives. • Ensure operational readiness for high transaction volumes and national-scale services. E. Vendor, Integration & Innovation Management • Lead technology vendor selection, contracting, performance monitoring, and risk assessments. • Manage system integrators, cloud/service providers, telecom partners, and fintech collaborators. • Oversee API ecosystems and secure partner connectivity frameworks. • Identify emerging technologies to enhance efficiency, security, and service delivery. • Promote innovation in payments, AI-enabled operations, digital identity, and analytics. • Ensure cost-effective, future-proof technology investments. F. Regulatory, Risk & Compliance Enablement • Work closely with Compliance, Risk, and Internal Audit to embed regulatory controls into system design. • Ensure platforms support AML/CFT monitoring, transaction surveillance, and regulatory reporting. • Facilitate system readiness for Central Bank inspections and audits. • Maintain documentation of system controls, data flows, and security governance. • Ensure traceability, audit logs, and regulatory reporting capabilities are fully embedded. G. Data, Analytics & Digital Enablement • Lead data architecture, warehousing, and analytics platforms. • Enable real-time dashboards for management, operations, compliance, and risk monitoring. • Promote data-driven decision-making and customer insight capabilities. • Oversee AI, automation, and digital optimization initiatives. • Ensure data quality, availability, and integrity across systems. H. People, Capability & Performance Management • Build, lead, and mentor a high-performing technology and digital team. • Establish continuous learning and certification programs. • Define clear KPIs, performance dashboards, and service accountability frameworks. • Promote a culture of innovation, resilience, cybersecurity awareness, and operational discipline. • Ensure succession planning and local capacity development. • Enforce ethical, professional, and secure technology practices.