You've built retail teams that hit targets. You've developed people who went on to outperform expectations. By most measures, you're doing well — respected by your team, trusted by leadership, delivering results that look good on paper.
But when was the last time your team's work changed someone's entire economic trajectory?
That's not a rhetorical flourish. It's the actual question that separates this role from most others you'd be weighing up right now.
What M-KOPA is, and why it matters here
M-KOPA has just crossed 7 million customers across Africa — up from 5 million not long ago — unlocking $2 billion in credit for people who couldn't access traditional financing. 86% of those customers report a meaningful improvement in their quality of life. 70% use our products to generate income. 55% are accessing digital financial services for the very first time.
We're a certified B Corporation with 2,300+ employees, 35,000 agents, and proven operations spanning South Africa, Ghana, Uganda, and beyond. We've assembled 2 million smartphones in Kenya. We've financed over 4,000 e-motorbikes, saving riders $5.62 every single day. And we're moving deliberately toward 10 million customers.
Retail is where that journey becomes real for most customers — and this role sits right at the centre of it.
Why this role exists now
If you've seen M-KOPA advertising multiple roles recently, that's not coincidence. The infrastructure that got us from 5 million to 7 million customers is not the infrastructure that gets us to 10 million. We're systematically building the leadership layer for our next growth phase — and this role is a deliberate part of that.
In-store is where financial inclusion stops being a strategy and becomes a human moment. The person standing at the point of sale, helping a first-time customer understand what financing they can access — that's your team. Building the systems that make that moment simple, dignified, and repeatable across Johannesburg and Cape Town is the work.
What makes this different
Here's the honest contrast. In most retail management roles, you optimise existing processes, manage to KPIs that others have set, and measure your success in revenue. That's not a criticism — it's just what most roles are.
This one isn't.
Here, you'll build the playbook for how financial inclusion happens in retail across Africa. You'll shape regional strategy directly, not inherit someone else's. You'll partner with major retailers as an equal — not as a vendor chasing shelf space. And you'll measure success in growth targets and lives changed simultaneously, because at M-KOPA those two things are the same metric.
Every customer your team converts isn't just a sale. It's someone gaining access to digital banking, education, remote work opportunities, and economic mobility they didn't have before. That context changes how your team shows up — and it changes how you lead them.
What you'll actually be doing
Day to day, this role moves across several dimensions at once. You'll lead and develop brand ambassador teams across two major metros, building the coaching systems and performance structures that make consistent execution possible. You'll analyse data to identify what's working and systematise it — turning field insights into strategy, not just reports. You'll manage relationships with major retail partners, ensuring in-store experiences reflect both brand standards and the nuanced customer conversations that financial services require. And you'll build career pathways for promoter talent — because the people doing this work well deserve to grow within it.
The scope is broad. The autonomy is real. And the pace is high.
What you bring
Extensive progressive experience leading retail or field sales teams, with a demonstrable record of exceeding performance targets while actively developing the people around you.
Proven ability to translate data into actionable strategy — you spot patterns before they show up in aggregated reports, and you turn those insights into decisions that move outcomes.
Established expertise in South African retail partnerships, with deep working knowledge of in-store dynamics, retailer relationships, and what makes a customer experience convert.
You're not someone who needs the playbook to already exist. You're someone who writes it, tests it, and refines it — and you've done that before in environments that didn't always give you perfect conditions.
The reality check
This is demanding work. You'll hold team development, retailer partnerships, performance metrics, and regional strategy in the air simultaneously — and the pace won't slow down to let you catch up. Systems are still being built. Ambiguity is part of the job description. You'll need a high tolerance for change and a genuine appetite for figuring things out without a full map.
What you'll get in return: your ideas get tested quickly, your impact is visible at a scale most retail leadership roles never reach, and your trajectory is tied directly to a business growing from 7 million toward 10 million customers. You'll work alongside people from 20+ nationalities solving problems that don't have obvious answers yet.
If that sounds like exactly the kind of challenge you've been ready for, you're probably the person we're looking for.
Ready to build the playbook for financial inclusion in retail?
If you weren't actively looking but find yourself thinking this is different enough to explore — that's the signal. Let's have the conversation.
At M-KOPA, we empower our people to own their careers through diverse development programs, coaching partnerships, and on-the-job training. We support individual journeys with family-friendly policies, prioritize well-being, and embrace flexibility.
Join us in shaping the future of M-KOPA as we grow together. Explore more at m-kopa.com.
Recognized four times by the Financial Times as one Africa's fastest growing companies (2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026) and by TIME100 Most influential companies in the world 2023 and 2024 , we've served over 7 million customers, unlocking $1.5 billion in cumulative credit for the unbanked across Africa.
Important Notice
M-KOPA is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer committed to assembling a diverse, broadly trained staff. Women, minorities, and people with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.
M-KOPA explicitly prohibits the use of Forced or Child Labour and respects the rights of its employees to agree to terms and conditions of employment voluntarily, without coercion, and freely terminate their employment on appropriate notice. M-KOPA shall ensure that its Employees are of legal working age and shall comply with local laws for youth employment or student work, such as internships or apprenticeships.
M-KOPA does not collect/charge any money as a pre-employment or post-employment requirement. This means that we never ask for ‘recruitment fees’, ‘processing fees’, ‘interview fees’, or any other kind of money in exchange for offer letters or interviews at any time during the hiring process.
Applications for this position will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Shortlisting and interviews will take place at any stage during the recruitment process. We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a suitable candidate is selected before the advertised closing date.
If your application is successful M-KOPA undertakes pre-employment background checks as part of its recruitment process, these include; criminal records, identification verification, academic qualifications, employment dates and employer references.
