Retail Operations Lead

You've spent time in retail or field operations, and by now you know the difference between a team that executes and a team that just shows up. You've probably also learned that the gap between those two things comes down to one thing: the quality of leadership in the middle. The people who set the standard daily, who hold the line on accountability without burning relationships, who can read a store visit and know within minutes what's working and what isn't.

If that's the operational leader you've become, M-KOPA has a role in South Africa that's worth your attention.

M-KOPA is a pan African fintech that extends financial access to people who have historically been locked out of it. With over 7 million customers across the continent, we've unlocked more than $2 billion in credit and report measurable improvements in the quality of life of 86 % of our customers. We employ more than 2 300 people and work with agents.

M KOPA is on a deliberate growth path from 7 million toward 10 million customers, and the retail footprint that supports that ambition is expanding with it. We are building the infrastructure to support the next phase of scale, and the Retail Operations Lead role sits at the operational centre of that effort in South Africa.

The Retail Operations Lead is responsible for execution-making sure the retail channel performs, day in and day out, across every store within the team's portfolio. You will directly manage Retail Team Leads, setting expectations, running structured performance conversations, conducting formal reviews, and implementing performance improvement plans where needed. You own the full people management cycle for your direct reports, including recruitment, onboarding, and coaching to build capability.

On the operational side, you will drive accountability for sales performance across assigned stores-tracking results, identifying underperforming sites, and working with Team Leads to build and execute improvement plans. You will conduct regular store visits to verify standards, confirm store readiness, and document outcomes. You will monitor stock movement, ensure daily and weekly stock disciplines are followed, and flag anomalies to the Retail Operations Manager without delay. Loss prevention is a leadership behaviour, not a reporting function.

You will also serve as the operational liaison between your team and internal support functions-Customer Care, Warehouse, IT, Sales Operations-and review supplier invoices for stores within your portfolio for manager approval. When partner or supplier issues threaten trading, the escalation runs through you.

• Demonstrated experience in retail or multi site field operations, with a proven track record of driving sales performance and operational standards across a distributed team or store network.
• Established capability in people leadership-you have managed, coached, and held individuals accountable in a field based environment, and you can point to outcomes that reflect it.
• Strong data fluency and reporting discipline, with hands on experience using Excel, dashboards, or retail/CRM systems to track performance and surface insights that drive decisions.

A Bachelor's degree in Business, Operations Management, or a related field is required.

The Retail Operations Lead works closely with the Retail Compliance Lead, who owns audit, training, EHS assessments, and end to end store maintenance. The division of responsibility is deliberate: the Operations Lead prevents gaps through day to day management and execution; the Compliance Lead identifies and closes gaps in process and practice.

The Operations Lead reports to the Retail Operations Manager, who holds final approval authority on hiring decisions, supplier invoices, and significant operational changes. Within those parameters, this role has genuine decision making scope: managing schedules and performance for direct reports, conducting store visits independently, holding Team Leads accountable for stock and sales discipline, and approving minor field level operational adjustments.

This is a field engaged position with real accountability. You will be measured on stock loss rates, sales performance across your store portfolio, store visit completion, Team Lead performance review cadence, and the timeliness of your reporting. The KPIs are specific, the targets are high, and the expectation is that you own your outcomes rather than escape them.

Strong performance in this role is explicitly designed to build toward the next step-Retail Operations Manager, Regional Operations Lead, or senior field operations roles across M KOPA's other markets. The path is real and the trajectory is visible.

Ready to lead the execution layer of M KOPA's retail growth in South Africa? Let's talk.

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.

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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 to terminate their employment on appropriate notice.

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, including criminal records, identification verification, academic qualifications, employment dates, and employer references.