Channel Manager

**Shape the Future of Mobile Finance in South Africa**:
**Position**: Channel Manager - Retail
**Reports to**: Director, International Strategy & Growth
**Location**: South Africa (Multi-city presence)
**Engagement**: 6-Month Proof-of-Concept Phase with Scale Potential

**Why this role matters**:
M-KOPA is pioneering access to life-enhancing products and services in partnership with Pick n Pay. We’re rolling out a **first-of-its-kind proof-of-concept (POC)** across 50+ retail stores nationwide - and we’re looking for a **Channel Manager** who thrives on execution, thrives in high-energy environments, and has the commercial edge to turn bold plans into results.

This isn’t just a management role. It’s an opportunity to **shape the future of how South Africans access mobile and financial services in retail environments.** You’ll be at the centre of testing, refining, and scaling a partnership that has the potential to reach millions.

**What you’ll be driving**:

- ** Own the rollout**: Lead the day-to-day execution of the Pick n Pay Mobile POC across Johannesburg, Cape Town, Eastern Cape, and Limpopo.
- ** Deliver results**: Manage sales across cash, finance, and MVNO activations, ensuring targets are consistently hit.
- ** Create winning experiences**: Drive merchandising, in-store experience, and customer engagement that sets new standards in retail telecoms.
- ** Lead with impact**: Manage and mentor a core team of 4-8 staff, while guiding in-store promoters and agents to deliver excellence.
- ** Optimise performance**: Track KPIs (finance vs. cash mix, SIM activations, revenue per store) and provide insights to sharpen operations.
- ** Partner and influence**: Act as the go-to liaison for Pick n Pay stakeholders, while coordinating with internal teams across finance, logistics, marketing, and legal.
- ** Shape the future**: Capture lessons learned, identify growth levers, and feed into the business case for nationwide expansion in 2026.

**What we’re looking for**:

- ** Proven operator**: 5+ years in channel management, retail operations, or telecoms/fintech sales, with a track record of leading multi-site rollouts.
- ** Commercially sharp**: Strong execution focus and the ability to translate strategy into measurable sales outcomes.
- ** Leadership strength**: Experience managing diverse teams (10+ staff) across multiple locations, with a passion for building accountability and customer-first culture.
- ** Tech-savvy**: Proficient in sales reporting tools, CRM systems, and Excel. Knowledge of telecoms, mobile money, or device financing is a plus.
- ** Market-aware**: Deep understanding of South African retail and telecoms landscapes.
- ** Communicator & influencer**: Excellent stakeholder management skills - confident working with both executive teams and front-line staff.

**Decision-making scope**:

- Autonomy to manage daily operations across all POC stores.
- Authority over staffing allocation, merchandising, promotions, and local initiatives within budget.
- Escalation of key risks or blockers directly to senior leadership.

**Why join M-KOPA?**:
At M-KOPA, we’re more than a business - we’re a movement. Every role is an opportunity to **innovate, disrupt, and expand access to opportunity.** Joining this POC project means playing a defining role in a partnership that could transform the retail and telecoms market.

We are an **equal opportunity employer** and proudly committed to building a team that reflects the diverse communities we serve.

**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.
- 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 5 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