Africa Operations Director

PLEASE ONLY APPLY IF BASED IN NAIROBI, KENYA 

Kuunda is a B2B embedded digital financial company that provides liquidity to the informal sector through liquidity APIs, & proprietary credit scoring algorithms to generate behavioural & transactional borrowing profiles. Kuunda specialises in real-time, transactional based lending solutions. Kuunda builds dynamic, embedded financing solutions that create sustainable economic productivity by providing agent networks, small businesses & consumers with access to liquidity products & services.  

OUR TEAM

Our team has significant experience in implementing complex financial services across several markets. Collectively, we have over 20 years of experience implementing solutions in 17 African markets, as well as in Pakistan & Indonesia.  Our company is a hybrid workplace combining working from partners offices & with operational hubs in Cape Town, Nairobi & Islamabad. We're an international team with varying cultures and lived experiences that form a collective of passionate innovators creating solutions for the future of microfinance.  

THE ROLE AS OPERATIONS DIRECTOR OF KUUNDA AFRICA  

The ideal candidate is business savvy, has an entrepreneurial spirit, have a proven operational track record of operational experience, with an innovative approach to problem solving, and a strong network in digital financial services across Africa.  The role requires a leader with the capacity for strategic insight combined with hands-on operational capability.    

The Operations Director will be expected to set and deliver the operational objectives for Kuunda in Africa, managing the P&L, Product Performance and Revenue Growth, aligned to the Kuunda Group strategy.   

They will represent Kuunda in-country and be responsible for stakeholder engagement, relationship-building,  governance and compliance with local regulations. Also managing our partnerships & implementing all product offerings with the support from the Group Shared Services team.   

The successful candidate will be an effective leader of people, able to manage and coach the performance of the in-country managers and teams to achieve set goals within agreed timelines.  

Reporting to the Group Chief Commercial Officer, the Operations Director will be responsible for:  

Lead Operations & Financial Performance  

• Implementing the strategy for the company and define the overall operational objectives from market / partnership launches to scale, including long-term goals;  

• Lead and develop the business development opportunities for your region  

• Drive Revenue growth and profitability against targets;  

• Identify and secure new Commercial and Bank Partnerships  

• Develop and implement scalable and efficient strategies to ensure both consistent results and exponential growth.  

Build Great Teams and Support Great Talent   

• Effective People Leadership and Talent Growth  

• Clear alignment through setting operational KPIs and performance management;    

• Cultivate a high-performing, agile, one-team culture.  

Execute with Excellence  

• Drive day-to-day operations;  

• Align resources to achieve key business priorities;  

• Proactively mitigate business, operational & governance risks;  

• Own the operational budget and manage burn rate while growing the business ahead of market disruptions.  

Mobilize Stakeholders  

• Build meaningful partnerships with our strategic partnerships to drive growth  

• Regularly report updates to partners and Group Share Services  

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR:  

Expertise and Experience  

• Bachelor’s degree (Master’s degree preferred)

• 10 years of experience with solid understanding of banking and mobile network digital payment ecosystem in Africa

• P&L responsibilities at MD level or head of significant BU

• Proven track record of implementing and managing B2B products   

• Managing high calibre teams from the ground up, ideally in current roles

• Prior working experience in developing digital products and solutions in start-ups or experience in digital transformation projects in the digital financial services  / fintech industry

• Prior experience with the operational aspects of how to scale digital products and services in African Markets

• Relative industry experience in digital financial services

• Experience in stakeholder management and delivering regular business performance updates

Technical Capabilities  

• Proficiency with Microsoft Suite   
• Experience with Agile methodology  

• Excellent Process Management e.g. Project Management Professional (PMP) / Six Sigma, highly desirable.  

• Proficiency with Jira would be advantageous  

• Proficiency providing with Product Performance / Business Insights  

Desired Attributes  

• Hands-On: A “Doer”, who is willing to roll up one’s sleeves to get the job done  

• Travel: The ability to travel to give situational support to teams on the ground is crucial for the effective execution of this role and to support scale-up plans  

• Strong attention to detail: Need to be able to identify relevant details and dismiss irrelevant ones in order to ensure no loophole is created  

• Problem solver: Strong problem-solving skills  
• Listener: Ability to listen to partners and to potential users and relate their needs without biases  

• Genuine interest in the economics of the informal market: Ability to take time to understand the economics of the informal market  

• Quantitative analysis: Ability to analyse and interpret quantitative data

• Qualitative analysis: Ability to analyse and interpret qualitative data

• Growth: Ability to understand the current growth barriers and implement solutions  

• Cross-function: Proven ability to work with the shared services teams and other Kuunda Executives

• Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills   

• Being able to convince: Proven ability to create buy-in for the company vision both internally and with key external partners 

WHAT YOU WILL GET FROM US  

We're a team of independent-minded people with diverse, unique skills, and complementary capabilities. We're on a mission to create substantial and sustainable economic futures, and by embodying a culture of collaboration and resilience we're able to embrace and amplify our unique abilities to create meaningful change.  

We offer: 

• Competitive salary and performance-based bonus

• Opportunities for professional development and career growth 

• Flexible work arrangements and a supportive, inclusive work culture 

• Exciting and challenging work environment at the forefront of fintech innovation 

LOCATION 

Nairobi, Kenya. At least three days a week will be required in our office. Extensive travel in Africa. 

INTERESTED, GET IN TOUCH….  

Has this role got you excited? Do you think what we do at Kuunda is impactful?  If the answer to both questions is, yes, please apply online to join our dynamic team!