In India, Whatsapp’s roots are growing deeper.
Whatsapp’s parent company Facebook has employees in Hyderabad and Mumbai offices, yet the messaging app itself wasn’t as bullish on hiring in India—until now.
The company is looking to fill the position of an India head, according to an April 10 job posting on Facebook as well as Whatsapp’s own website. “WhatsApp is seeking an exceptional individual to lead our efforts in India including products for people and businesses along with our interest in peer to peer payments,” the company said in its listing.
Whatsapp is looking for someone with “product experience as well as a track record of success leading partnerships and business development in India.”
Payments a key matter
WhatsApp, India’s most popular messaging service with over 200 million active monthly users, rolled out its UPI-based payments feature in India’s crowded digital payments market in February 2018. UPI, or Unified Payments Interface, allows users to make intra-bank transfers easily using a virtual ID.
Analysts believe hiring an India-based leader is a significant move because India is the first country where WhatsApp is embarking on the digital-payments journey. “India is now its first foray and thus it’s important to execute such a service flawlessly and have a leader who understands the Indian market,” Lynnette Luna, principal analyst on the consumer services team at digital media company GlobalData, told Quartz. “WhatsApp has a huge user base in India and it wants to start monetizing before others like WeChat get there.”
Whatsapp getting serious about India is a warning bell of sorts. “I think this move by Whatsapp to hire a country head is also a very credible signal to Indian payment system firms, notably PayTM, to ramp up its battle plans,” said Anindya Ghose, the Heinz Riehl professor of business at New York University’s Stern school. “It will make the mobile payments market in India a lot more colorful!”
What WhatsApp is looking for
That’s why the ideal candidate will have more than 15 years of experience at product-driven companies along with over five years with payment technologies in India. Whatsapp also expects the India head to have startup experience and a bachelor’s or master’s degree in engineering or sciences or business.
The company’s first-ever India head, who will be based out of Mumbai, will report to WhatsApp’s chief operating officer in California, former Yahoo and Facebook exec Matthew Idema.
This isn’t the only job the WhatsApp is looking to fill in India: A month prior to sharing the country head vacancy, the messaging giant also started seeking a communications manager to join its team in Gurgaon.
Read next: WhatsApp’s slow-paced innovation is leading it to dominance in the world’s biggest markets
© Provided by Quartz Revellers dressed up as dancers of 'Black Swan' check their mobile phones next to revellers dressed up as a Whatsapp logo as they take part in New Year's celebrations in Coin
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