Head of People Partnering - Kenya

[https://app.ashbyhq.com/api/images/user-content/1d985516-2a99-43c0-b591-957f5adaceb9/5ac97b31-49cd-4012-8bb0-5caf15e33c69/B25.png] We’re hiring someone to lead the people agenda for Kenya, our oldest and largest market, as it scales toward the next phase of the business. Two things matter most. You’ve managed people partners before, not just worked alongside them. And you’ve held a market or business unit end to end, with the leadership relationship that comes with it. This is a brand new role within the business, with huge impact and high visibility. [https://app.ashbyhq.com/api/images/user-content/1d985516-2a99-43c0-b591-957f5adaceb9/98cde4bc-fa0a-4874-a12e-0db70c8c4abf/image.png] The Impact Your work will directly shape how Kenya's leadership team builds, retains, and develops the people powering our largest market. We've recently celebrated reaching 10 million customers and are onboarding 10,000 new customers every day across all our markets. Behind every one of those numbers is a team of people, and you'll be the strategic partner ensuring that team is set up to keep scaling. It's your chance to be part of something that's literally transforming lives across an entire continent 🌍 [https://app.ashbyhq.com/api/images/user-content/1d985516-2a99-43c0-b591-957f5adaceb9/453f2403-3288-4bc2-9d75-d9a1897d968d/image.png] WHAT YOU’LL DO - Lead and develop the Kenya senior people partners who hold substantial books across Kenya sales, retail, manufacturing and logistics - Partner the Kenya MD and leadership team as their primary people counterpart, on structure, talent, culture and the hard conversations about leadership fit as the business scales - Own org design, talent review and succession for the market, and act as the escalation point for employee relations - Hold a focused client group of your own in business management, and customer care and collections - Translate group strategy into what actually happens in Kenya — real decisions, structure and delivery, not a cascade deck - Shape how we’re rebuilding job architecture, competencies and performance across the company — we’re open to doing this differently from the usual HR playbook We want someone who thinks like a commercial and operational partner first — someone who can look past the standard HR approach when the business genuinely needs something else, and make that call with confidence. What You Need Essential Requirements: - Currently a Deputy Head of People or similar — holding your own client group, with a small team reporting to you, reporting into an HR Director or Head of People rather than running the function solo (but with a passion for taking the next step up) - Comfortable close to senior leadership — you’ve built real trust with directors and country leads - Real org design experience — whether built in-house or through consulting, you’ve designed structure and workforce plans, not just executed someone else’s - Working knowledge of Kenyan labor law, with direct experience owning employee relations matters - A business-first instinct — you reach for cost, risk, or growth before you reach for policy, and you can point to a time you made a call that wasn’t the textbook HR answer because the business needed something else We’re not looking for someone already running a whole HR function, or reporting to a board. You’ll work closely with talent acquisition, shared services and other teams, but those teams sit elsewhere in the People org, so if you currently own all of that, this would likely be a step back. Where We’re Looking If you’re currently at a fast-paced Telco, FinTech, an FMCG or distribution business and you’re the strongest number two in your building — we'd love to talk to you! [https://app.ashbyhq.com/api/images/user-content/1d985516-2a99-43c0-b591-957f5adaceb9/86f7fe83-cdac-44e5-95f4-5cfc1d36c035/image.png] LOCATION & BENEFITS - Full-time, hybrid role in Kenya - Direct access to and partnership with Kenya's leadership team - Collaboration with a global People team across Africa and Europe - Professional development and coaching partnerships - Family-friendly policies and flexible working arrangements - Well-being support and career growth opportunities OUR MISSION 🌍 We create financial inclusion for the traditionally excluded through a fair, flexible, customer-centric financing model. We strive to drive greater inclusion of women, youth, and low-income communities. Our Impact 💚 - Included 💳: $2+ billion in credit unlocked, 10 million customers reached, 10,000 new customers onboarded daily - Connected 📱: 2.5 million first-time smartphone users - Prosperous 💰: 70% of customers use their M-KOPA product for income generation, with 35,000+ livelihoods created for agents - Sustainable 🌱: 2.155 million tonnes of CO₂ avoided since 2010, with 127,700+ circular economy products sold Ready to take the step up and shape the people strategy behind one of Africa's fastest-growing fintechs? Apply Now! 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 http://m-kopa.com. [https://app.ashbyhq.com/api/images/user-content/1d985516-2a99-43c0-b591-957f5adaceb9/369018b8-cf9c-49c7-95f1-1d414482ba57/B13.png] Recognized four times by the Financial Times as one Africa's fastest growing companies (2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026), named on CNBC's World’s Top Fintech Companies 2025 & 2026 and by TIME100 Most influential companies in the world 2023 and 2024 , we've served over 10 million customers, unlocking $2 billion in cumulative credit for the everyday earners across Africa, in addition to over 10,000 e-bikes financed in Kenya. [https://app.ashbyhq.com/api/images/user-content/1d985516-2a99-43c0-b591-957f5adaceb9/481f6724-8375-4f39-b514-fbe00b8fc3b5/B13.png] 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.