Senior Manager, Quality & Operational Excellence

ABOUT THE COMPANY

At M-KOPA, our aim is to increase access to life-improving technologies at a huge scale. We do this through an innovative credit model – pay-as-you-go asset financing – of which M-KOPA was an early global pioneer. With offices in Nairobi, Kampala, Lagos, and London, M-KOPA serves over 1 million low-income households in Sub-Saharan Africa. Since its commercial launch in 2012, M-KOPA has made its name in off-grid solar power, providing customers with solar panels and solar-powered lights, televisions, radios, fridges, and more – this is often our customers’ first access to electricity.
M-KOPA’s affordable credit model can also be applied to assets beyond off-grid solar power, and in 2019, we began providing credit for smartphones, which enables our customers to move from feature phones to smartphones and improve their connectivity, communication, and information access. Today, smartphone financing is a rapidly growing business line – with enormous opportunities for innovation and increasing our customer impact – and it is the focus of this Strategy Manager role.
M-KOPA currently employs over 1,000 full-time staff across its operating countries. We value progress, innovation, pragmatism, collaboration, and – most of all – our customers. We have been well recognized for our pioneering business model and scale.

JOB SUMMARY

RequirementsBachelor's degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, or related field (Advanced degree - MBA, Master's in Quality Management - preferred)8+ years of progressive leadership experience in quality assurance, operational excellence, or operations management within contact center, retail, telecommunications, financial services, or BPO environments5+ years of senior people leadership experience managing managers and leading multi-functional teamsStrategic thinking and business acumen with proven ability to operate independently at a senior level, translating company strategy into operational excellence roadmaps with minimal guidanceDeep expertise in quality management frameworks, audit methodologies, compliance monitoring, training effectiveness measurement, and process improvement disciplinesOutstanding cross-functional stakeholder management and strategic influencing skills with demonstrated ability to drive consensus without direct operational authorityExceptional executive communication skills with proven ability to present to C-suite, translating complex quality data into compelling business narrativesChange management capability with track record of driving organizational transformation and building buy-in for operational excellence initiativesStrong understanding of operational risk management, internal controls, fraud prevention, and compliance requirementsData-driven decision-making expertise with experience building executive dashboards and demonstrating ROI of quality investmentsBudget management and financial acumen with experience managing departmental P&L and making strategic resource allocation decisionsExperience partnering with global or regional centers of excellence while maintaining local execution ownership and accountabilityIndustry benchmarking knowledge with awareness of best practices from leading operations organizations in quality and operational excellenceProcess improvement proficiency with working knowledge of Lean, Six Sigma, or similar methodologies (Formal certification - Green Belt or higher - is an advantage)

RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Leadership & DirectionDefining and executing the strategic direction for Quality & Operational Excellence aligned with M-KOPA Kenya's business objectivesTranslating company strategic priorities into clear operational excellence roadmaps, quality frameworks, and capability development strategiesProviding strategic recommendations to senior leadership on operational risk landscape, quality maturity, and investment prioritiesChampioning operational excellence culture, positioning quality and continuous improvement as business enablersTeam Leadership & DevelopmentLeading and developing a three-pillar leadership team (Managers of QA & Compliance, Training & Development, Process Excellence)Making strategic organizational design decisions including structure optimization, talent acquisition, and resource allocationCreating a high-performance culture centered on independence, objectivity, data-driven decision-making, and continuous improvementCross-Functional Influence & PartnershipsBuilding strategic partnerships with operational department heads (Telesales, Customer Care, Retail) ensuring Q&OE is positioned as a valued business partnerCollaborating with Risk & Compliance team, maintaining clear boundaries between operational integrity (Q&OE scope) and strategic enterprise risk (R&C scope)Partnering with Global QA/Training leadership to leverage global frameworks while owning local execution and resultsNavigating organizational complexity and managing resistance when quality standards conflict with short-term operational pressuresGovernance & StandardsMaintaining robust governance frameworks including quality councils, calibration sessions, audit protocols, and escalation mechanismsEnsuring quality standards, audit methodologies, and compliance frameworks remain current and consistently applied across all channelsDriving accountability for quality outcomes with operational leaders through transparent scorecards and data-driven performance conversationsBalancing independence and objectivity with collaborative partnership, maintaining appropriate distance while building trustStrategic Oversight & Performance ManagementProviding strategic direction and oversight to Quality Assurance & Compliance, Training & Capability Development, and Process Excellence operationsMonitoring department performance against established KPIs and demonstrating business impact through clear metrics: fraud prevention savings, efficiency improvements, quality score gains, and training effectivenessDeveloping and delivering executive reporting that enables senior leadership to make informed decisions about operational investments and prioritiesMaintaining transparency on operational gaps and quality concerns, ensuring leadership has full visibilityRisk Management & Preventive ControlsMaintaining comprehensive view of operational risk landscape through analysis of audit findings, quality trends, and process inefficienciesEnsuring preventive control mechanisms identify system vulnerabilities, fraud patterns, and compliance risks before they materializeBalancing risk mitigation with operational efficiency, ensuring controls are effective without creating unnecessary bureaucracyChange Management & Continuous ImprovementLeading organizational change initiatives related to quality standards, process improvements, and operational excellence practicesDriving cultural transformation toward operational excellence mindset where preventive thinking and continuous improvement are embedded in daily operationsSponsoring strategic improvement initiatives requiring cross-functional collaboration and executive supportResource Management & Strategic PlanningDeveloping annual strategic plans for Q&OE function aligned with business prioritiesManaging departmental budget across all three pillars, optimizing resource allocation to maximize business impact and ROIMaking strategic investment decisions on quality infrastructure with clear business case justificationAdditional ResponsibilitiesPerforming any additional tasks as assigned by Head of OperationsThis is a senior management role (Job Band C1) based in Nairobi, Kenya. If successful, you would be reporting to the Head of Operations. Your direct reports would include Manager - Quality Assurance & Compliance, Manager - Training & Capability Development, and Manager - Process Excellence. You will also have dotted line collaboration with Global QA/Training Leadership for methodology alignment and resource sharing.

REQUIRED SKILLS

Business strategy, Performance monitoring and evaluation, Quality management, Operative management

REQUIRED EDUCATION

Bachelor's degree