From Lagos to Kano to Jigawa, one of Nigeria’s boldest digital banks is expanding its team and the roles on the table are worth a serious look
If you have been watching the Nigerian banking sector and wondering where the next big career move is hiding, Optimus Bank just gave you a very clear answer. The bank has opened applications across a wide range of positions spanning multiple states and functions, and the sheer volume and variety of roles tells you everything you need to know about how aggressively this institution is growing right now.
This is not a single vacancy announcement. This is a bank in active expansion mode, recruiting across Lagos, Kano, and Jigawa simultaneously, at levels ranging from relationship management all the way up to group head and deputy company secretary. If there has ever been a moment to get your foot in the door at Optimus Bank, this is it.
A Quick Word on Why Optimus Bank Matters
For anyone unfamiliar with the name, Optimus Bank is a fully licensed national commercial bank regulated by the Central Bank of Nigeria. It commenced operations in January 2023 after securing its CBN national banking licence in October 2022, making it one of the newer entrants in Nigeria’s commercial banking space. But newer does not mean small or uncertain. The bank holds the same category of national authorisation as names like Ecobank, Sterling Bank, and Stanbic IBTC, and it has been building with clear intent since day one.
Its MD, Dr. Ademola Odeyemi, has described the bank’s foundation as a journey of innovation and a relentless pursuit of excellence, and the institution has backed that up with heavy investment in digital infrastructure. Customers can open an account in under two minutes through the mobile app without ever visiting a branch, which signals exactly the kind of bank this is and the kind of environment you would be working in.
Optimus Bank describes itself as an equal opportunity employer that offers competitive salaries, benefits, and a supportive environment that prioritises employee wellbeing while helping staff gain relevant experience and acquire critical professional skills. Those are the bank’s own words from its careers page, and they matter because they signal institutional intent toward the people who work there.
The Open Positions and Who They Are Looking For
The current hiring round covers a wide range of functions, and depending on where you are in your career, there is likely something here that fits.
For professionals in relationship and business development banking, there are openings for Relationship Manager, Personal Banking in both Kano and Jigawa, as well as a broad Commercial Banking, SME Banking and Personal Banking role also based in Jigawa. These are frontline revenue roles built around client acquisition, portfolio management, and deepening banking relationships.
For those at team lead level, the bank is recruiting Team Lead, Commercial Banking across three locations including Kano, Jigawa, and Lagos, Team Lead, Public Sector in Kano and Jigawa, Team Lead, SME Banking in Kano, Team Lead, Private Banking in Lagos, and Team Lead, Corporate Banking also in Lagos. These roles sit at the intersection of people leadership and business performance, and they are ideal for bankers who have been managing portfolios and are ready to lead a team while doing it.
The senior and group head tier is equally active. Open positions at this level include Group Head, Corporate Banking based in Lagos Mainland, Group Head, SME Banking also in Lagos Mainland, Group Head, Commercial Banking in Lagos Mainland, and Group Head, Personal Banking on Lagos Island. These are strategic leadership roles, and Optimus Bank hiring at this level across multiple verticals simultaneously is a strong signal that the institution is building out serious leadership capacity.
Beyond the commercial banking functions, there are specialist and operations roles also on the table. The bank is hiring a Head, Agency Banking to drive financial inclusion and expand its agent network nationally, a Head, Fraud Risk Management, a Head, Information Risk Management, an E-Business Settlement Officer based in Lagos, and a Head, Branch Operations in Jigawa. There is also a Deputy Company Secretary role open, which sits at the governance and corporate affairs level of the organisation.
Why Joining Now Makes Strategic Sense
Timing matters in a career just as much as skill. Optimus Bank is in its foundational growth phase, which means the people who come in at this stage are not joining a bank where every seat has already been warmed for decades. They are joining an institution that is still structuring itself, still expanding its footprint, and actively needs people who can grow alongside it.
There is a real difference between being employee number five hundred in a bank that has been running for forty years and being one of the early architects of a bank that is only two years into its national journey. The latter comes with more visibility, more ownership over outcomes, and frankly more room to build a reputation that sticks.
The geographic spread of the current openings is also worth noting. Most of the roles are concentrated in Lagos, Kano, and Jigawa, which tells you that Optimus Bank is not just deepening its presence in the commercial capital but pushing into the north with real intent. For banking professionals based in or open to relocating to those markets, the opportunity here is significant.
Now Is the Time to Apply
Roles at this level and in this volume do not stay open for long. Banks that are hiring this aggressively tend to move fast once strong candidates surface, and the window between when an opportunity like this goes public and when the shortlisting begins is shorter than most people expect.
Go through the list, find the role that matches where you are in your career and where you want to go, and apply with your best foot forward. The careers page has the full details for each position including requirements and responsibilities.
Join our Community & inside you get free access to premium Udemy courses, live tech job updates, scholarship and fellowship opportunities, and a community of professionals actually moving forward in their careers.
No fees. No paywalls. No gatekeeping.