The Senior Domestic Scheme Officer is responsible for the development, maintenance, interpretation, and operational readiness of domestic payment scheme rules and governance frameworks. The role ensures that EthSwitch’s domestic payment services (including Instant Payment System, interoperable QR, bulk payments, e-mandates, bill payments, merchant payments, open API services, and related use cases) are clearly governed, approved, certifiable, and operationally usable by the approved schemes. The Officer translates scheme requirements into practical participant obligations, conformity criteria, and readiness assessments that support product launches and participant activations.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

Scheme Rules Development & Governance

• Lead or support the drafting, review, consultation, and approval processes for domestic scheme rule packages (including but not limited to consumer-presented QR, PISP, bulk payments, and e-mandates).
• Maintain the controlled domestic rulebook repository, rule-applicability matrix, version control, and change-request register.
• Ensure consistency across rulebooks, participation agreements, product documentation, operating procedures, and fee schedules so participants do not receive conflicting instructions.
• Document business rationale, impact assessments, consultation requirements, approval routes, transition periods, and communication plans for every material scheme change.

Product & Use-Case Readiness

• Embed scheme requirements early into business requirements, design, and test preparation for domestic products and platforms (open API ecosystem, central billing, national payment platform merchant services, digital channels, etc.).
• Define participant eligibility, transaction flows, authorization, exception handling, customer notifications, liability, and settlement/reconciliation obligations for each prioritized domestic use case.
• Prepare scheme-readiness assessments and rule-applicability statements for every prioritized domestic product launch.

Participant Conformity & Certification Support

• Define business and scheme-conformity requirements that participants must satisfy for each domestic service.
• Develop use-case certification matrices, admission/activation checklists, and scoped sign-off criteria.
• Support the clearance process so that no new participant or use-case activation proceeds to production without documented scheme-conformity clearance.
• Identify recertification triggers for material changes in rules, products, or participant capabilities.

Operational Safeguards & Exception Frameworks

• Contribute domestic scheme inputs to dispute-policy, settlement/reconciliation, financial-exception, and fraud-reporting frameworks.
• Clarify ownership, evidence requirements, response timelines, escalation paths, and liability rules for domestic payment exceptions.
• Ensure that operational platforms (dispute, reconciliation, fraud) operate within agreed governance frameworks rather than relying solely on technical functionality.

Participant Support & Oversight

• Convert domestic scheme rules into usable implementation guidance (participant handbooks, operational scenarios, FAQs, training materials, and change briefings).
• Monitor participant readiness and recurring rule-related issues; distinguish between unclear rules, weak participant implementation, and technical defects.
• Support monthly management reporting on rulebook status, readiness gaps, participant conformity, material exceptions, and decisions required.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with BA&DT, System Development, QA, Operations, Finance, Legal, Risk,Compliance, and the CPO Office to ensure scheme requirements are implementable and aligned.
• Provide scheme interpretation and advice to internal teams and participants as required.
• Escalate material risks, inconsistencies, or unresolved policy decisions in a timely manner.

Scheme Performance & Monitoring

• Track scheme performance indicators prepare periodic reports and dashboards.
• Identify gaps, risks, and improvement areas in existing scheme rules and processes, recommending corrective actions.
• Support development of scheme pricing/interchange frameworks in collaboration with Finance and Product teams.

Project & Documentation Support

• Support project planning and execution for scheme development initiatives, ensuring timelines, deliverables, and quality standards are met.
• Prepare technical and management presentations, proposals, and reports for the Scheme Development Director and CPO.
• Maintain accurate, up-to-date records of scheme development activities, decisions, and stakeholder communications.

Compliance & Risk

• Ensure scheme development activities comply with applicable national payment system laws, regulations, AML/CFT requirements, and EthSwitch policies.
• Support risk assessments related to new and existing scheme products and recommend mitigation measures.

Key Deliverables

• Drafted and consultation-ready domestic scheme rule packages and addenda.
• Controlled rulebook repository and change-management records.
• Product-by-product scheme-readiness and rule-applicability assessments.
• Participant conformity frameworks and certification matrices.
• Exception-handling and liability matrices for domestic services.
• Participant guidance materials and contribution to monthly scheme-performance reporting.

Education

• BSc/MSc in Computer Science, Software Engineering or related fields of studies

Experiences

• 6/4 years of relevant work experience out of which 2 years in professional positions
• relevant experience in payment systems, card/scheme business, digital financial services, or banking, with demonstrable exposure to scheme/product development with
• Prior experience with a payment scheme rules, partcipant agreements, payment switch, card association, or national payment system body is highly desirable.
• Direct experience with payment scheme rules, participant agreements, or national payment
• Experience working with or within a national switch, central bank, commercial bank, or payment service provider in Ethiopia or a comparable market is highly desirable.
• Demonstrated ability to draft clear, implementable policy or rule documents and to manage multi-stakeholder consultation processes.

Technical & Professional Knowledge

• Solid understanding of domestic payment instruments and rails (account-to-account, QR, bulk, mandates, bill payments, merchant acquiring, open APIs, and payment ecosystem).
• Familiarity with scheme concepts: participation models, liability frameworks, dispute resolution, settlement/reconciliation, certification, and change management.
• Knowledge of relevant Ethiopian regulatory requirements (NBE directives and payment system regulations) is an advantage.
• Ability to translate business and operational requirements into precise scheme obligations.

Core Competencies

• Strong analytical and structured writing skills.
• Ability to manage multiple parallel work streams under time pressure.
• High attention to detail and version control discipline.
• Stakeholder management and facilitation skills (internal and external).
• Sound judgment on risk, liability, and governance issues.
• Collaborative mindset with the ability to work effectively across technical, operational, legal, and commercial functions.
• Integrity and ability to maintain independence in rule interpretation.

External Vacancy No. EVA/0826