About the role
We are looking for a Regional Retail Team Leader to provide strategic and operational leadership across all M-KOPA retail outlets within an assigned region, overseeing inventory management, shop operations, and team performance. This role offers the opportunity to lead retail operations across an entire region, building and developing a team of Stock Controllers while driving operational excellence at scale. You'll oversee multiple M-KOPA retail outlets, implementing creative strategies to optimize stock levels, minimize losses, and ensure every shop meets brand standards. You'll manage landlord relationships, coordinate with sales teams, and ensure your team has the tools and training to deliver exceptional service. Working with talented cross-functional teams across Warehouse, Sales, Audit, Quality, Customer Service, and Finance, you'll be the regional leader who ensures operational efficiency and service-level agreement (SLA) compliance across all touchpoints. About Us We foster a culture where operational leadership meets people development. Our team values strategic thinking, stock optimization, and leadership that motivates teams to excel. You'll be empowered to make regional decisions, implement improvement strategies, and build a high-performing team that directly contributes to M-KOPA's retail success. Your leadership ensures that outlets across your region operate efficiently, maintain brand standards, and support our mission of making life-enhancing products accessible to underbanked communities. At M-KOPA, our Regional Retail Team Leaders aren't just supervisors—they're strategic operators who balance people management, inventory optimization, and cross-functional partnerships to ensure retail excellence across multiple locations. In this role, you would be responsible for: Team Leadership & People Management Providing day-to-day leadership and supervision of all Stock Controllers in the region, setting clear performance expectations and holding regular one-on-one and team check-ins Driving employee engagement and motivation by recognizing achievements, addressing concerns promptly, and fostering a positive team culture aligned with M-KOPA's values Conducting performance reviews, providing constructive feedback, and developing individual development plans for each direct report Ensuring adequate staffing coverage across all outlets and managing shift schedules, leave planning, and workload distribution Acting as the primary escalation point for people-related issues within the region, working with HR where necessary Stock Optimization & Loss Prevention Monitoring regional stock levels, stock ageing reports, and loss trends; taking proactive corrective action to remain within or exceed set targets Designing and implementing region-specific stock optimization strategies including demand-based allocation, FIFO enforcement, and reallocation of slow-moving inventory between outlets Investigating and resolving all stock discrepancies, losses, or variances reported across the region, ensuring root-cause analysis and preventive measures are documented Ensuring all Stock Controllers comply with M-KOPA's Stock Management Policy, including daily stock counts, reconciliation processes, and secure storage standards Producing regular stock performance reports for the Retail Operations Manager, highlighting risks, trends, and recommended actions Field Coordination & Sales Team Partnership Building and maintaining strong working relationships between Stock Controllers and Sales Leaders (Area Sales Managers, Direct Sales Representatives) at each shop/depot Coordinating with sales teams on stock allocation to the field, ensuring timely allocation, follow-up on outstanding devices, and adherence to SLAs Facilitating joint planning sessions with sales leadership to align stock availability with sales targets and promotional campaigns Addressing and mediating any operational conflicts or communication gaps between stock and sales teams at the regional level Shop & Outlet Management Managing landlord relationships for all outlets in the region, ensuring lease agreements are current, rent is paid on time, and any tenancy issues are proactively addressed to prevent sudden displacement Leading shop relocation projects, including identifying potential new locations using the existing site selection checklist, conducting feasibility assessments, and coordinating the physical move Ensuring all shops and depots are branded according to M-KOPA's visual identity standards, with signage, displays, and layouts consistently maintained Conducting periodic shop audits to verify cleanliness, organization, security of stock storage areas, and overall compliance with outlet management standards Work Tools Management Maintaining a regional work tools register, tracking the assignment, condition, and replacement status of all tools issued to Stock Controllers Coordinating timely repair or replacement of faulty tools through appropriate internal channels, ensuring zero downtime due to tool unavailability Enforcing the M-KOPA Work Tool Management Policy, including proper handling, return protocols, and accountability for lost or damaged tools Training & SOP Compliance Delivering onboarding training for new Stock Controllers covering all existing SOPs, systems, and M-KOPA processes Cascading training on new or updated SOPs and policies to the entire regional team within agreed timelines, ensuring comprehension and adoption Conducting periodic refresher training sessions and knowledge assessments to ensure sustained SOP compliance across all outlets Identifying skill gaps within the team and recommending or facilitating targeted training interventions Reporting & Stakeholder Communication Providing regular operational updates and performance reports to the Retail Operations Manager, covering stock health, team performance, outlet status, and risk areas Escalating all stock-related concerns following established SOPs and escalation matrix, ensuring appropriate stakeholders are engaged in a timely manner Serving as the regional point of contact for cross-functional teams including warehouse, audit, quality, customer service, and finance Ensuring that all regional incidents, decisions, and actions are properly documented and communicated This is a regional leadership role (Job Band D2) based at your assigned M-KOPA region. If successful, you would be reporting to the Retail Operations Manager. Your direct reports would include Stock Controllers across all outlets in your region. Decision-Making Authority: Decisions you will make: Approve intra-regional stock reallocations between outlets to optimize distribution and reduce ageing Authorize shop-level corrective actions for stock discrepancies within defined thresholds Approve or deny Stock Controller leave requests and manage shift coverage Determine shop relocation shortlists based on the site selection checklist Recommendations you will make: Recommend stock write-offs, inter-regional transfers, and stock allocation policy adjustments to the Retail Operations Manager Recommend new shop locations, lease renewals, or lease terminations for management approval Recommend disciplinary action, performance improvement plans, or promotions for Stock Controllers Propose changes to SOPs, processes, or tools based on regional operational insights Your application should demonstrate: Experience Minimum 2–4 years of experience in retail operations, inventory/stock management, or supply chain coordination At least 1–2 years in a supervisory or team leadership role Experience managing distributed teams across multiple locations is preferred Prior experience in a fast-paced, high-volume consumer retail or fintech environment is an advantage Skills & Competencies Strong leadership and people management skills, with the ability to motivate diverse teams and drive performance Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret stock data and translate insights into action Effective communication and interpersonal skills, capable of managing stakeholder relationships across functions Proficiency in inventory management systems and Microsoft Office applications (Excel, Word, Outlook) Strong organizational and time management skills, with the ability to prioritize and manage competing demands Conflict resolution and negotiation skills, particularly in landlord and cross-functional interactions Creative and strategic thinking with a continuous improvement mindset Ability to conduct training and ensure SOP compliance Field mobility and willingness to visit multiple outlets regularly Education Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Retail Management, or a related field from a recognized university Professional certifications in inventory management (e.g., CPIM, CSCP) or project management (e.g., PMP, PRINCE2) are an added advantage If the above is of interest to you, please apply. Why M-KOPA? 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 and 2025) and by TIME100 Most influential companies in the world 2023 and 2024 , we've served over 6 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.