How you'll help us achieve it

Wave is now the largest financial institution in Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire, with millions of users, growing rapidly year on year. And, we’re still in the early days of our product roadmap and potential impact on people’s everyday lives.

We are looking for a Country Growth Operations Lead who will be based in one of our early-stage countries in West Africa, who will lead our efforts to expand our user base and manage user acquisition strategies in the allocated countries. This role involves leading both user growth operations and agent operations/agent liquidity to help grow a market from an early stage to 1 million monthly active users. 

The Country Growth Ops Lead will report to the Head of Scaling Operations and work closely with the Chief Executive Officer and Country General Manager/Director of Operations.

In this role, you'll;

• Drive user growth by optimizing distribution strategies and leading user acquisition initiatives.
• Collaborate with leadership and country teams to ensure alignment and maximize growth opportunities.
• Enhance distribution processes through partnership with product and engineering teams, leveraging technology and data.
• Oversee agent network operations, including acquisition, setup, and liquidity management, to support distribution and meet user demand.
• Build and lead high-performing teams, fostering a culture of excellence and innovation.
• Manage business and financial KPIs in alignment with overall business objectives.
• Champion Wave's values, leading by example and embedding them within the team culture.

Key Details 

• Location: At one of our early-stage countries in Africa, with a focus on West Africa. You must be willing to relocate to the primary growth country for up to one year, with periodic returns home after each trimester.
• Travel: Anticipated travel requirements of 60-80% within a designated, growth-focused market.
• Our salaries are competitive and calculated using a transparent formula.
• We offer generous health insurance for yourself and your dependents.
• We support working parents - we offer 26 weeks of parental leave for mothers and 4 weeks for fathers, in addition to subsidized child care when they return to work.
• Airtime reimbursement.

Requirements 

• 8+ years of senior leadership experience in user acquisition/agent operations and liquidity management within mobile money, finance, fintech, telecoms, or tech.
• Language: Bilingual proficiency is mandatory, with exceptional written and verbal communication skills in both English and French.
• Enhanced interpersonal skills in building and maintaining positive relationships, effective communication, active listening, and conflict resolution.
• Proven sales ability with a successful track record in sales, including identifying customer needs and connecting corridors.

You might be a good fit if you

• Are deeply analytical in your approach to marketing and in optimizing the cost of customer acquisition and are metrics-oriented and experienced in leading teams towards KPIs.
• Are proactive, disciplined in your thoughts and actions, and committed to continuous self-improvement and professional development.
• Possess the humility, mission focus, and resolve to do what it takes to achieve growth goals.
• Build strong relationships and bring out the best in people.
• Excel at leadership and enjoy managing diverse and large field ops teams.
• Are a strong communicator and are comfortable defaulting to overreaching when it comes to coordination.
• Think from first principles about how things should work.
• Are excessively detail-oriented and seek to achieve excellence in everything you do.
• Are a self-starter and proactive about achieving ambitious targets and willing to go the distance to get something done.
• Adjust quickly to changing priorities and conditions.

#LI-MM1

How you'll help us achieve it

At Wave Mobile Money, the Security Manager is a business-critical operator responsible for ensuring that our operating model can scale safely in a cash-intensive and high-risk environment.

This role is about more than just physical safety; it is about protecting our people, assets, and financial flows while enabling rapid business growth. You will integrate security directly into the design of our operations—particularly around cash movement and agent networks—ensuring that Wave remains resilient even in the most challenging context

In this role, you'll be responsible for:

Risk Management & Security Framework

• • Develop and maintain a security risk management framework aligned with Wave’s business objectives and local DRC requirements.
  • Implement operational security policies tailored to fintech activities (cash, agents, and network).
  • Integrate location risk considerations into agent network design and expansion decisions.
  • Identify emerging risks and propose pragmatic, growth-oriented mitigation measures.

  Analysis, Monitoring & Reporting

  • Monitor cash exposure levels, rebalancing patterns, and operational risk indicators across the network.
  • Establish a structured system for incident management and post-incident analysis.
  • Produce actionable briefings and reports with clear recommendations for leadership.
  • Develop tools for mapping risks and tracking leading indicators (e.g., high exposure nodes or repeated anomalies).

  Operational Security & Business Continuity

  • Manage physical security systems, resources, and in-house training for security staff.
  • Design and implement secure cash handling, storage, and movement practices across distribution points.
  • Serve as the primary point of contact for local security services and authorities.
  • Assess vulnerabilities for existing locations and contribute to Business Continuity Plans (BCPs).
  • Advise field teams on travel, deployments, and safety during working hours.

  Support for Teams & Safety Culture

  • Empower operational teams to integrate safety practices into their daily routines without sacrificing speed.
  • Roll out security training modules on cash handling and rebalancing for field staff.
  • Promote a culture of prevention and accountability; ensure security practices are consistently applied in the field.
  • Carry out background checks for key individuals, including new hires, stakeholders, and partners.

  Protection of People & Assets

  • Implement measures to secure staff, offices, and service points (CCTV, access control, fire/intrusion detection).
  • Lead investigations into cases of embezzlement, theft, physical assault, or cash discrepancies.
  • Ensure crisis response readiness, including a 24-hour on-call support capability.

Key details

• The location is primarily based in Kinshasa, with frequent travel to field operations. 
• Work authorization in DRC is required.
• This is a permanent position.
• Our salaries are competitive and calculated using a transparent formula.
• We offer generous health insurance for yourself and your dependents.
• We support working parents - we offer 26 weeks of parental leave for mothers and 4 weeks for fathers, in addition to subsidized child care when they return to work.
• Airtime reimbursement.
• Free food and a beautiful office space.

Requirements

• Experience: Proven track record in operational security, risk management, or safety within the private sector (Fintech, NGO, or Multinationals).
• Domain Knowledge: Strong understanding of field operations, cash management, and agent networks.
• Context: In-depth knowledge of the security landscape in the DRC and a strong local network.
• Education: Relevant degree or professional certifications in security/risk management.
• Languages: Fluent in French and English. Lingala is strongly preferred.

You might be a good fit if you

• Balance Risk with Growth: You don't just say "no"; you find ways to make operations safer so we can move faster.
• Are Data-Driven: You use indicators and mapping to stay ahead of risks rather than just reacting to incidents.
• Operate with Pragmatism: You value simple, effective solutions over complex, bureaucratic processes.
• Are a Calm Leader: You remain composed and decisive during critical incidents or crisis situations.
• Are a Builder: You enjoy creating frameworks and systems from scratch in a dynamic, evolving environment.

About One Acre Fund

Founded in 2006, One Acre Fund equips 5.5 million smallholder farmers to make their farms more productive. Across nine countries that together are home to two-thirds of Africa's farmers, we provide high-quality farm supplies, tree seedlings, accessible credit, modern agronomic training, and a wide range of other agricultural services. On average, this model enables any farmer to increase their income and assets on supported land by more than 35 percent, while permanently improving their resilience. This is all made possible by our team of 9,000+ full-time staff, drawn from diverse backgrounds and professions.To learn more, please see our Why Work Here blog post.

About the Role

We are looking for a collaborative country leader with a track record of building high-impact agribusinesses or NGO operation in complex environments, to serve as Country Director for One Acre Fund DRC

You will steward a 30M programme, with the aim of serving 30,000 farmers within 3 years across Western DRC. This role combines external leadership with internal stewardship, requiring the ability to forge strong government and donor relationships, while also building high-performing internal systems and teams.

You will lead a dedicated team, growing a small pilot program to a regional scale. You will guide the programme's strategic direction, ensure compliance with national and donor frameworks, and represent One Acre Fund at the highest levels with partners, institutions, and funders.

This role is ideal for someone with strong people and stakeholder management skills, a long-term vision for rural development, and a drive to operate with humility, rigour, and execution excellence in a complex context.

Responsibilities

You will report to the regional leadership team and directly manage DRC's senior staff. You will be accountable for the strategy, partnerships, team, and performance of our country programme.

Strategy & Growth (vision, planning, new initiatives)

• Lead One Acre Fund's strategic direction in DRC, aligning long-term goals with country context, organisational values, and funding opportunities.
• Guide the design of new interventions and continuously improve programme quality and cost-effectiveness.
• Foster a culture of execution excellence, farmer service, and innovation.

Partnerships & Advocacy (government, donors, NGOs)

• Serve as One Acre Fund's primary representative with the Government of the DRC, especially the Ministries of Agriculture, Environment, and other decentralised authorities.
• Ensure alignment of programme activities with national strategies and regulations, and cultivate relationships with key technical and political stakeholders.
• Represent One Acre Fund in external forums and strategic events.
• Support in-country relationships with bilateral and multilateral donors, foundations, and other key partners.

Programme Excellence (operations, compliance, M&E)

• Provide overall leadership for a $30M programme, ensuring farmers consistently receive world-class services that drive measurable impact.
• Safeguard excellence in compliance by upholding organisational policies, national regulations, and donor requirements, creating a culture of integrity and accountability.
• Shape and adapt programme strategy using a rigorous, data-driven approach, balancing innovation with operational discipline to deliver sustainable results at scale.

People & Culture (team leadership, talent pipeline)

• Lead the DRC team of 15+ staff (and growing), setting a culture based on accountability, collaboration, and professional growth.
• Mentor senior staff, build a strong “deputy layer,” and ensure the programme attracts and retains diverse top talent.

Finance & Risk (P&L oversight, risk mitigation)

• Guarantee alignment with funder requirements across all programme operations.
• Manage risk across legal, operational, and reputational areas.
• Maintain oversight of programme budgets and ensure strategic allocation of restricted and unrestricted funding.

Career Growth and Development

We have a strong culture of constant learning and we invest in developing our people. You’ll have weekly check-ins with your manager, access to mentorship and training programs, and regular feedback on your performance. We hold career reviews every six months, and set aside time to discuss your aspirations and career goals. You’ll have the opportunity to shape a growing organization and build a rewarding long-term career.

Qualifications

Across all roles, these are the general qualifications we look for. For this role specifically, you will have:

We are looking for professionals with 10+ years of work experience, including senior leadership in a dynamic and fast-growing organisation. Candidates who fit the following criteria are strongly encouraged to apply:

• Proven experience managing cross-functional teams and external partnerships in the development or environment sector.
• Fluency in French and English (C1 minimum); ability to represent the organisation in high-level meetings in both languages.
• Strong strategic thinking skills and ability to link long-term vision to execution.
• Effective communicator with excellent stakeholder management abilities.
• Familiarity with rural development, agroforestry, climate finance, or similar sectors
• Experience working in the DRC or similar contexts is strongly preferred.

Preferred Start Date

As soon as possible

Job Location

Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo

Benefits

Health insurance, housing, and comprehensive benefits

Contract Duration

2 Years

Eligibility

One Acre Fund can support a work permit for this role. However, nationals of (or those with an extensive professional background and work history in) our countries of operation are preferred.

Application Deadline

15 July 2026. Please note that we hire on a rolling basis which means that applications are reviewed and processed on a continuous basis until a hire is made.

One Acre Fund never asks candidates to pay any money or pay for tests at any stage of the interview process. Official One Acre Fund emails will always arrive from an @oneacrefund.org address. Please report any suspicious communication here (globalhotline@oneacrefund.org), but do not send applications or application materials to this email address.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI), and anti-racism are deeply connected to our organization’s mission and purpose. One Acre Fund aspires to build a culture where all staff feel consistently valued, represented, and connected – so that our team can thrive as professionals, and achieve exceptional impact for the farmers we serve.

We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.