Multiple Positions

VACANCIES
Background

The COMESA Clearing House (CCH) is an institution of COMESA which facilitates settlement of cross border trade and services among member states. It was established in 1984 (as the PTA Clearing House), under the PTA Treaty signed in 1981. However, with the liberalisation of current accounts and the repeal of exchange control restrictions, the need for CCH to restructure its services to be more relevant to this liberalised market setting, was identified by COMESA Governors of Central Banks.

The Clearing House was thus mandated, by its Central Bank Governors, the Ministers of Finance, the Council of Ministers and COMESA Heads of State and Government, to design and implement, among other facilities, a Payments System designed to reduce costs of regional transactions in a liberalised foreign exchange regime. The Clearing House thus introduced the Regional Payment and Settlement System – REPSS – which allows Member States to transfer funds more easily within COMESA. The facility is built on open standards and is also accessible to Non-Member States. REPSS is run by CCH, headquartered in Harare, Zimbabwe.

CCH is currently implementing the regional Digital Retail Payments Platform (DRPP), an alternative set of payment rails designed to enable real-time cross border payments across the region. Funded by the Gates Foundation, this initiative aims to establish low-cost, interoperable, digital financial services infrastructure that incorporates measures to reduce fraud risks. Its development has followed a structured path, encompassing a regulatory-focused approach, design of a business model, and now advancing into the current technical establishment and operation.

The Tazama Financial Crime Detection System is a critical safeguard to strengthen regional financial oversight and compliance within the DRPP, ensuring the security, integrity, and trustworthiness of digital transactions by embedding key risk mitigation measures. It enhances the platform’s resilience by providing fraud detection, real-time monitoring, transaction authentication, and regulatory compliance mechanisms. This is particularly vital for protecting end users, who often face heightened risks of fraud, cyber threats, and financial exploitation in digital financial ecosystems.

Applications are invited from suitably qualified and experienced professionals from COMESA Member States for the following positions, under the Fraud Risk Management System (FRMS), funded by the Gates Foundation and managed by the COMESA Clearing House. These are full-time roles.

S/N NAME OF VACANT POSTS NO. OF POSTS
1 Project Manager 1
2 Risk and Compliance Officer 1
3 Customer Relationship Officer 1
JOB DESCRIPTION ONE (1): Project Manager

Job Title: Project Manager
Duty Station: Zimbabwe / Remote. May require travel within COMESA
Professional Fee: USD 102,000 per annum (all inclusive)

A. JOB PURPOSE

To ensure a successful rollout and long-term sustainability, CCH requires a dedicated Project Manager to manage the end-to-end implementation and lead the operationalization of the system. This role is critical to ensuring that Tazama is not only deployed effectively but also embedded into DRPP’s day-to-day operations with the right structures, processes, and governance for long-term success.

The Project Manager will be responsible for:

Managing the technical and functional implementation of Tazama within the DRPP.

Coordinating multiple stakeholders – including CCH Leadership, system integrators, financial institutions, regulators, and vendors.

Establishing operational structures (processes, teams, governance, reporting, and support) so that CCH can independently sustain and expand the system post-implementation.

B. MAIN DUTIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES
Implementation Management

Develop a comprehensive implementation roadmap aligned to PMBOK standards.

Lead all phases of delivery: requirements confirmation, system configuration, integration with member states and banks, testing (SIT, UAT, performance), training, and cutover.

Coordinate vendor deliverables (e.g. local System Integrators) and ensure contractual obligations are met.

Track dependencies across multiple workstreams (infrastructure, integration, onboarding, and compliance).

Maintain risk log, issue log, and escalation processes to ensure timely resolution.

Operationalization

Define the operating model for Tazama at CCH: roles, responsibilities, and decision-making structures.

Establish support processes including incident management, change control, monitoring, and disaster recovery.

Oversee creation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), knowledge bases, and runbooks for CCH staff.

Coordinate and deliver training programs for CCH technical teams, analysts, and member states.

Design and implement a governance model (CCH cadence, reporting structures, escalation protocols).

Develop and execute a transition plan for moving from vendor-supported implementation to CCH-led operations.

Stakeholder Engagement

Serve as the single point of contact for CCH Secretariat, implementation partners, and financial institutions.

Align priorities across diverse stakeholders including regulators, central banks, and commercial financial institutions.

Facilitate workshops and progress meetings.

Track stakeholder commitments and follow through to completion.

Ensure transparent and consistent communication with all parties.

Reporting & Compliance

Deliver weekly and monthly progress reports to CCH leadership.

Maintain real-time visibility of project progress using appropriate project tracking tools (e.g., Asana or GitHub Kanbans).

Track KPIs: implementation milestones, budget adherence, onboarding timelines, and operational readiness.

Ensure compliance with COMESA regulatory frameworks and financial crime monitoring standards.

Prepare post-implementation reviews and operational performance reports.

Key Deliverables

Detailed CCH Project Plan (scope, milestones, dependencies, budget).

Governance Documents: RACI matrix, risk register, communication plan, escalation matrix.

Onboarding Framework for member states and financial institutions.

Operational SOPs & Runbooks for CCH staff.

Training Curriculum for system administrators, analysts, and operators.

Operational Readiness Plan covering staffing, tools, support, monitoring, and incident management.

Sustainability Framework for long-term CCH ownership of Tazama.

Cutover & Go-Live Plan, including rollback and contingency procedures.

Data Migration & Reconciliation Plan covering source-to-target mappings and validation rules.

Benefits Realisation & Monitoring Framework with KPIs, baselines, and post-go-live tracking.

C. MINIMUM ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Master’s degree in Project Management, Business Administration, Banking, Economics, Information Systems, or related field.

Professional certifications (e.g., PMP, Prince2) or Risk Management are an advantage.

10+ years in Project Management, with 5+ years in financial services technology implementation.

Experience in enterprise-scale system deployments (compliance, fraud detection, or transaction monitoring).

Familiarity with regulatory and financial crime frameworks.

Proven success in regional or multi-country initiatives.

Excellent communication and negotiation skills.

Must be a national of a COMESA Member State.

D. SCOPE OF AUTHORITY

Authority to coordinate across vendors and external stakeholders.

Accountable for project delivery, operational readiness, and sustainability.

E. COMPETENCIES

Proven project management experience in ICT or risk-related systems.

Understanding of fraud risk management and AML/CFT regulations.

Strong analytical, communication, and leadership skills.

Experience with APIs, ISO 20022, and integration management.

Proficiency with delivery tools (Jira/Asana, MS Project, Confluence).

F. LANGUAGES

Fluency in English; working knowledge of French and/or Arabic an advantage.

G. PERIOD OF APPOINTMENT

1 year.

JOB DESCRIPTION TWO (2): Risk and Compliance Officer

Job Title: Risk and Compliance Officer
Duty Station: Zimbabwe / Remote. May require travel within COMESA
Professional Fee: USD 90,000 per annum (all inclusive)

JOB DESCRIPTION THREE (3): Customer Relationship Officer

Job Title: Customer Relationship Officer
Duty Station: Zimbabwe / Remote. May require travel within COMESA
Professional Fee: USD 90,000 per annum (all inclusive)

CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATION

Applications, including a detailed Curriculum Vitae, should be emailed to the Executive Secretary of COMESA Clearing House,
4 Purbeck Close, Highlands, Harare, Zimbabwe.
Email: info@comesach.org

Deadline: Friday, 31st October 2025.
Applications received after this date will not be considered.