Expansion & Market Development Manager

Own M-KOPA's strategic market expansion and growth across Nigeria. Lead new market entry from assessment through launch execution (50% of role) while simultaneously driving penetration and optimization in existing markets (40% of role). Work as a strategic leader and hands-on operator - 60-80% field time during launch phases, managing regulatory engagement, operational setup, partnership development, and commercial growth. Reports to Head of Business Management. Requires 5+ years in market expansion/business development with proven track record across multiple Nigerian states.

We're not just another fintech talking about financial inclusion - we're actually doing it. 7 million customers across Africa. $2 billion in credit unlocked. 86% report improved quality of life. We've moved from 5 million to 7 million customers, building toward 10 million.

Here's what matters: 55% of our customers are accessing products and services for the first time. 70% use what we finance to generate income. Nigeria is central to that next chapter.

This is a hybrid role, you would be working from our offices in Nigeria, partnering with a diverse group of employees from our different markets and locations across the UK, Europe and Africa. You will be reporting to the Head of Business Management.

At a major FMCG or Telco, expansion is usually one layer of a much larger machine. Your recommendations feed into regional committees. Your launches follow playbooks designed elsewhere. The impact is real, but it's diffuse; hard to trace from your desk to a customer.

Here, you own the full arc. You'll conduct the market assessment. You'll build the business case with the unit economics. You'll design the state-specific launch playbook. You'll engage regulators directly. You'll be in the field 60–80% of the time during active launches not managing from afar but leading the execution.

And the outcomes you're driving aren't just distribution metrics. When a customer in a new state gets financed for the first time through M-KOPA, that's a direct result of the market you opened.

• About half your time goes to new market expansion: rigorous assessment of which states represent genuine opportunity, feasibility cases with real unit economics, building launch playbooks tailored to local dynamics, regulatory engagement, and on-the-ground setup — temporary hubs, partner relationships, commercial infrastructure.

• The other half is market development in existing states: identifying underserved segments, expanding into new LGAs and rural regions, building partnerships with retail chains and telcos, tracking activation and repayment metrics to catch issues early, and turning competitor intelligence into strategic moves.

• You'll work across Sales, Operations, Finance, Logistics, and Marketing — and you'll own the numbers: launch timelines, acquisition targets, portfolio health, channel expansion, revenue growth.

• Proven track record in market expansion, business development, or commercial operations in FMCG, Telco, fintech, or mobility — with demonstrable experience launching or scaling across multiple Nigerian states.

• Strong capability in market research and financial modelling, with experience building feasibility cases from scratch and navigating regulatory and government stakeholder relationships.

• Entrepreneurial operating style — comfortable in ambiguous environments, willing to spend extended time in new markets, and able to solve problems resourcefully without waiting for infrastructure to be perfect.
  

This role is demanding. You'll spend weeks in unfamiliar states, often in new markets with limited infrastructure. You'll juggle launch timelines with development growth. You'll encounter regulatory friction, logistical complexity, and market uncertainty simultaneously. If you've been waiting for a role where your strategic thinking gets built immediately, where your operational execution drives real customer impact, where financial inclusion isn't a mission statement but the work itself, this is worth a serious conversation.

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.