Head of Financial Services & Regulatory Affairs West Africa

[https://app.ashbyhq.com/api/images/user-content/1d985516-2a99-43c0-b591-957f5adaceb9/5ac97b31-49cd-4012-8bb0-5caf15e33c69/B25.png] WE ARE LOOKING FOR A HEAD OF FINANCIAL SERVICES & REGULATORY AFFAIRS, WEST AFRICA, TO JOIN OUR LEGAL GROUP, AS WE SCALE UP AND DRIVE DIGITAL AND FINANCIAL INCLUSION ACROSS OUR MARKETS. [https://app.ashbyhq.com/api/images/user-content/1d985516-2a99-43c0-b591-957f5adaceb9/2c6957b4-39d2-40b3-8eb6-7e380a0c2f9c/B13.png] JOB PURPOSE To provide group-wide leadership on financial services regulatory strategy and external affairs in West Africa, ensuring M-KOPA obtains and maintains required licences and meets supervisory expectations, while overseeing West Africa regulatory engagement and compliance execution. [https://app.ashbyhq.com/api/images/user-content/1d985516-2a99-43c0-b591-957f5adaceb9/5e9f3448-2fed-4b66-b1ee-9474279a7947/B13.png] KEY JOB FUNCTIONS - Own and drive M-KOPA’s group-wide financial services regulatory strategy, providing senior leadership on regulatory risk, supervisory expectations, regulatory engagement, and governance requirements across all markets. - Lead regulatory approvals and ongoing supervisory engagement for key licences and regulated activities, including the Digital Credit Service Provider (DCSP) licence in Ghana, financial services licenses in Nigeria, and other relevant licensing/authorisation processes (e.g., MFI licensing, payments, lending, consumer finance). - Monitor changes in financial services regulation and supervisory priorities, assess impact on M-KOPA’s business model, and translate requirements into actionable guidance, controls, and governance enhancements to manage enforcement and conduct risk. - Partner with Product, Credit, Operations, Risk, and Legal to embed “regulatory-by-design” into new product development and market expansion, including advising on licensing scope, disclosures, customer outcomes, and regulator expectations. - Set the regulatory compliance tone for financial services, driving training and awareness programmes and strengthening first-line ownership of regulatory obligations across markets. - Provide senior support on regulatory reporting, assurance, and due diligence requirements, including engagement with investors, auditors, and development finance partners on financial services regulatory matters. - Lead external affairs for financial services regulation, representing M-KOPA in industry bodies, regulatory consultations, and policy discussions; and drive senior-level regulatory engagement strategy for West Africa (Nigeria and Ghana). - Develop, maintain, and oversee the implementation of financial services compliance policies, procedures, and regulatory playbooks, including an appropriate review cycle aligned to supervisory frameworks. - Partner with Risk, Internal Audit, Legal, Data Protection, and Operations to design and test regulatory controls, track remediation, and provide confidence in the effectiveness of the compliance framework for regulated activities. - Oversee responses to regulatory inquiries, examinations, and information requests; ensure timely, accurate high-stakes submissions and position papers; and provide escalation and direction to in-country compliance leads on regulatory filings and inspections. - Build and maintain strong relationships with regulators and key external stakeholders, ensuring appropriate regulator accessibility, effective communication, and proactive management of supervisory expectations. - Work flexibly and collaboratively across all teams in the organisation to ensure the greatest impact and effectiveness of the Compliance Team’s day-to-day work - Undertake all other reasonable and related tasks associated with this role. [https://app.ashbyhq.com/api/images/user-content/1d985516-2a99-43c0-b591-957f5adaceb9/d579a917-7483-41f9-b611-d4f4708c8724/M-KOPA%20Pic.jpg] REPORTING STRUCTURE This role reports to the Director of Compliance EXPERIENCE/ SKILLS & COMPETENCIES/ LICENCES & CERTIFICATIONS/ EDUCATION REQUIRED - 8+ years’ experience in financial services compliance, regulatory affairs, or in-house legal/regulatory roles within a regulated environment (digital credit, lending, payments, consumer finance, fintech, or banking). - Demonstrated experience leading licensing/authorisation processes and managing ongoing supervisory engagement, examinations, and regulatory reporting. - Strong knowledge of financial services regulatory frameworks and conduct risk, including consumer protection, AML/CFT, and (where applicable) data protection. - Proven ability to engage credibly with regulators, investors, auditors, and senior internal stakeholders, translating requirements into pragmatic, implementable controls. - Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills; strong policy drafting, regulatory writing, and attention to detail. - Bachelor’s degree in Law, Compliance, Finance, Business, or a related field; a relevant professional qualification (e.g., bar admission, CAMS/ICA, or similar) is an advantage. - Strong planning and execution skills, with the ability to operate strategically while driving delivery through country teams. 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) and by TIME100 Most influential companies in the world 2023 and 2024 , we've served over 7 million customers, unlocking $1.5 billion in cumulative credit for the unbanked across Africa. [https://app.ashbyhq.com/api/images/user