Looking for a job

Elaine Buys

@elainebuys1

Message

Product & Systems leader turning ambiguity into working products across fintech, ERP, and regulated platforms.

South Africa

Message

What I'm looking for

I’m looking to lead fractional product and technology work end-to-end—turning ambiguity into scoped plans, aligning business/technical/compliance stakeholders, and delivering into live production, especially in regulated fintech, payments, and AI-powered products.

I’ve spent 15+ years sitting in the space between what a business needs and what a system, process or product can actually deliver, and making those two things meet. I started as a developer building payment terminal applications, then spent eight years building ERP modules—before moving into architecture and product leadership: taking prepaid electricity into Botswana’s informal sector, untangling a payments onboarding process built up over years, and taking an acquiring platform from idea to live transactions in twelve months.

I investigate before I design. I go into a business, a team, or a market I don’t yet fully understand, ask the questions that get past the surface, and listen to the people dealing with the real problem—then I shape a plan, align stakeholders, and stay with delivery through to live in production. I’ve done this across ERP systems, fintech and payments platforms, and more recently AI-powered products, translating between technical and non-technical people without losing accuracy.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Founder, Product & Tech Advisor

Current

Mentraxa

May 2025 - Present (1 year 2 months)

Founded Mentraxa to provide fractional product and technology leadership for founders and small teams. Scoped MVPs and roadmaps quickly, and guided logistics engagements through complex operational needs.

Fractional Leadership Product Roadmapping Stakeholder Management Logistics

Product Owner – Acquiring Domain

Rapaydo

Nov 2023 - Apr 2025 (1 year 5 months)

Owned the acquiring-domain backlog and drove delivery of a card acquiring platform from architecture to live transaction processing. Authored and prioritized epics and user stories and coordinated compliance and certification timelines.

Card Acquiring Payments Processing Product Backlog Management Backlog Grooming Sprint Planning Card Network Stakeholder Management

Business Architect

Truevo Technologies

Mar 2022 - Oct 2023 (1 year 7 months)

Rebuilt the onboarding process and designed the architecture that informed the later acquiring platform delivery. Tightened KYC/AML data flows and worked across integrations and compliance requirements with cross-functional stakeholders.

Enterprise Architecture KYC AML Cross Functional Team Leadership

Chief Technology Officer

Finclude Technologies

May 2019 - Feb 2022 (2 years 9 months)

Led the platform’s technical direction and scaled the business across multiple countries and products under evolving regulatory environments. Owned end-to-end platform architecture and delivery while designing new products and extending the platform to mobile.

Scaling Product delivery Java Flutter Dart

Operations Manager

Finclude Technologies

Jun 2016 - Apr 2019 (2 years 10 months)

Helped launch and operate the early fintech platform and led foundational builds and customer rollouts, including the Botswana prepaid electricity rollout. Built supporting finance and implementation/training functions and configured the platform on Google Cloud while staying hands-on with legacy systems.

Platform Rollouts Botswana Prepaid Electricity Rollout Google Cloud C#ASP.NET SQL Operations Support Client Enrollment

Senior Developer, Analyst & PM

Qmuzik Technologies

Apr 2013 - May 2016 (3 years 1 month)

Ran Tym2Sell and Talkwyz implementations end-to-end while supporting engineering work on ERP system technology porting. Led independent project delivery, managing suppliers and requirements through implementation for clients.

ERP Systems VB8 To VB.NET Porting Project Delivery Requirements Management Supplier Management Client Relationship Management C Terminal Software ASP.NET C#

Senior Developer / Analyst

Qmuzik Technologies

Apr 2012 - Apr 2013 (1 year)

Extended ERP coverage into MRP, production, and timesheet modules while taking on increasing requirements and system design responsibilities. Supported clients through GAAP-to-IFRS reporting transitions and converted process analysis into functional specifications.

MRP Production Microsoft SQL GAAP Reporting Functional Specifications Business Process Analysis

Developer

Qmuzik Technologies

May 2008 - Apr 2012 (3 years 11 months)

Built and maintained ERP modules across financial, purchasing, and reporting systems for a client base. Developed financial management and supplier/contract management modules, wrote technical specifications and release documentation, and supported testing and code review.

ERP Development Finance Modules Accounts Receivable Payable Asset Management Supplier Management Visual Basic Microsoft SQL Crystal Reports Code Review Functional Testing

Junior Developer

Net1

Jul 2007 - May 2008 (10 months)

Built and troubleshot applications on Verifone SC5000 payment terminals in a regulated financial environment. Learned C programming, source control, and the full development cycle in a first commercial role.

C#Payment Terminals Regulated Environments