Senior Operational Excellence and Quality Manager at M-KOPA Solar

We are looking for a Senior Operational Excellence and Quality Manager to lead M-KOPA Kenya's Operational Excellence function, driving continuous improvement, process standardisation, and performance accountability across Telesales, Customer Care, and Retail operations.

In this role, you would be responsible for:

Operational Excellence Leadership & Continuous Improvement

• Designing and executing M-KOPA Kenya's operational excellence roadmap, identifying and prioritising high-impact process improvement opportunities across Telesales, Customer Care, and Retail
• Applying structured improvement methodologies (Lean, Six Sigma, or equivalent) to diagnose root causes, eliminate inefficiencies, and drive measurable performance gains
• Building operational performance frameworks that enable data-driven decision-making and continuous improvement at all levels of the organisation
• Leading cross-functional improvement initiatives, engaging operational leaders and securing buy-in for change
• Driving cultural transformation toward an operational excellence mindset, embedding preventive thinking and continuous improvement into daily operations
• Sponsoring strategic improvement initiatives that require cross-functional collaboration and executive support
• Establishing and maintaining performance measurement systems that track Q&OE outcomes against operational KPIs

Strategic Leadership & Team Development

• Leading and developing a three-pillar leadership team (Managers of Process Excellence, QA & Compliance, Training & Development), building a high-performance culture centred on independence, objectivity, and continuous improvement
• Making organisational design decisions including structure optimisation, talent acquisition, and resource allocation as the function matures
• Providing strategic direction and coaching to pillar managers, ensuring each delivers measurable outcomes within their domain
• Championing an operational excellence culture, positioning Q&OE as a business enabler that improves operational delivery rather than a constraint on it

Cross-Functional Influence & Partnerships

• Building strategic partnerships with operational department heads (Telesales, Customer Care, Retail) ensuring Q&OE is positioned as a valued business partner, not an audit function
• Navigating organisational complexity and managing resistance when quality standards or process changes conflict with short-term operational pressures
• Collaborating 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 methodologies and frameworks, adapting them to the Kenya context and owning local execution outcomes

Quality Governance & Standards

• Ensuring quality governance frameworks are implemented consistently across all channels—Telesales, Customer Care, and Retail—maintaining rigorous standards while adapting to local operational context
• Maintaining quality councils, calibration sessions, audit protocols, and escalation mechanisms that drive accountability with operational leaders
• Driving transparent performance conversations with channel heads using scorecards and data, holding quality outcomes to account through evidence rather than hierarchy
• Balancing independence and objectivity with collaborative partnership, maintaining appropriate distance while building the trust needed for sustained influence

Training & Capability Oversight

• Overseeing Training & Capability Development for M-KOPA Kenya's operational workforce, co-designing training programmes with the Group Training function and local pillar manager
• Ensuring training investment is linked to identified performance gaps and that effectiveness is measured through observable behaviour change, not completion rates alone
• Driving a culture of continuous learning across Telesales, Customer Care, and Retail operations
• Monitoring training ROI and reporting on capability gains as part of the broader Q&OE performance narrative to senior leadership

Strategic Oversight & Performance Management

• Providing strategic direction and performance oversight across all three Q&OE pillars, translating business priorities into functional roadmaps and KPIs
• Developing and delivering executive reporting that enables senior leadership to make informed decisions on operational investments and quality priorities
• Demonstrating business impact of Q&OE activity through clear metrics: efficiency improvements, quality score gains, fraud prevention outcomes, and training effectiveness
• Maintaining transparency on operational gaps and quality concerns, ensuring leadership has full visibility

Risk Management & Preventive Controls

• Maintaining a comprehensive view of the operational risk landscape through analysis of audit findings, quality trends, and process inefficiencies
• Ensuring preventive control mechanisms identify system vulnerabilities, fraud patterns, and compliance risks before they materialise
• Balancing risk mitigation with operational efficiency, ensuring controls are effective without creating unnecessary process burden

Resource Management & Strategic Planning

• Developing annual strategic plans for the Q&OE function aligned with M-KOPA Kenya's business priorities
• Managing departmental budget across all three pillars, optimising resource allocation to maximise business impact and ROI
• Making investment decisions on quality infrastructure with clear business case justification

Your application should demonstrate:

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, or related field (Advanced degree — MBA, Master's in Quality Management, or equivalent — preferred)
• 8+ years of progressive leadership experience in operational excellence, operations management, or related disciplines within contact centre, retail, telecommunications, financial services, or BPO environments
• 5+ years of senior people leadership experience managing managers and leading multi-functional teams
• Demonstrated ability to build or rebuild a function from scratch — designing structures, establishing governance, and embedding ways of working in a previously undefined organisational space

Operational Excellence & Process Improvement

• Strong process improvement capability with hands-on experience designing and executing improvement programmes using Lean, Six Sigma, or equivalent structured methodologies (Formal certification — Green Belt or higher — is an advantage)
• Working familiarity with quality assurance governance frameworks, audit methodologies, and compliance monitoring in service operations environments
• Proven experience leading QA as a function is an advantage; candidates with strong operational excellence credentials and a learning orientation will be considered
• Experience partnering with global or regional centres of excellence — leveraging shared methodologies while maintaining local execution ownership

Leadership & Strategic Capabilities

• Outstanding cross-functional stakeholder management and strategic influencing skills, with demonstrated ability to drive accountability without direct operational authority
• Strategic thinking and business acumen, with the ability to translate company strategy into clear operational excellence roadmaps with minimal guidance
• Change management capability with a track record of driving organisational transformation and building buy-in across diverse stakeholder groups
• Exceptional executive communication skills with the ability to present to senior leadership, translating complex operational data into compelling business narratives

Analytical & Financial Acumen

• Data-driven decision-making expertise with experience building executive dashboards and demonstrating ROI of operational investments
• Budget management and financial acumen, including departmental P&L ownership and strategic resource allocation decisions
• Working knowledge of operational risk management, internal controls, and fraud prevention in service operations environments

Critical Success Factors

• Build-from-scratch capability: You're comfortable with ambiguity and energised by the challenge of establishing structure where little exists — you don't need a playbook to start delivering
• Operational diagnostic rigour: You go beyond first plausible explanations to identify real root causes and design interventions that deliver lasting performance change — not temporary improvements that fade
• Partner orientation: You work effectively with Group QA/Training leadership, leveraging global frameworks rather than reinventing them — a strong local execution partner who adapts intelligently
• Executive presence: You can represent Q&OE credibly at senior forums, maintaining the function's strategic standing with leadership through insight and evidence rather than position
• Influence without authority: You've driven accountability and sustained change in environments where you don't control the operations you're improving — and you've done it without burning bridges
• Resilience: You can uphold standards when facing operational pressure to compromise, and you stay constructive while doing it
• If the above is of interest to you, please apply.