Head Of Business Development

We're making Africa the first cashless continent.

In 2017, over half the population in Sub-Saharan Africa had no bank account. That's for good reason—the fees are too high, the closest branch can be miles away, and nobody takes cards. Without access to financial institutions, people are forced to keep their savings under the mattress. Small business owners rely on lenders who charge extortionate rates. Parents spend hours waiting in line to pay school fees in cash.

We're solving this by building financial services that just work: no account fees, instantly available, and accepted everywhere. In places where electricity, water and roads don't always work, you can still send money with Wave. In November 2017, we launched a mobile app in Senegal for cash deposit, withdrawal, and peer-to-peer and business payments. In 2019, we expanded to Cote d'Ivoire. Now, we have millions of users and are growing fast. Our goal is to make Africa the first cashless continent. And that's where you come in....

How you'll help us achieve it

We’re looking for a Head of Business Development who can lead Wave’s business development strategy and partnerships in Uganda. You’ll be responsible for establishing a dynamic business development team that acquires the necessary partners to support the various partnership needs. These needs include but are not limited to product, integration and agent networks as we continue to scale in Uganda.

The ideal candidate enjoys building and nurturing teams, has an excellent track record in strategic partnership building and a deep network of contacts across a variety of industries: telcos, financial institutions and other technology companies.

In this role, you'll:

Build and strengthen relationships with banks, telecom operators and businesses that Wave needs to succeed.
Manage and scale Wave’s business development team in Uganda, including identifying the optimal structure, hiring the individuals needed, and leading the team as we grow.
Design and shape processes; define the team’s role and execute efficiently in meeting the business’ dynamic needs.
Maintain a deep understanding of how Wave operates and positions itself to effectively prioritize work in response to complex problems faced across Wave’s different teams.
Facilitate communication between external partners and internal Wave teams (Product, Finance, Distribution).
Proactively build in-country and multi-country partnerships that are effective in achieving Wave’s objectives in Uganda.
Lead by living Wave's values, and ensure they're deeply ingrained within your team.

Key details

Location is primarily in Kampala with possibility of short-term relocations within Uganda.
Work authorization in Uganda is required.
You’d be required to travel within Uganda to meet with partners and help the team close complex deals, there might be some travel to our existing/new markets to better understand business development best practices and mentor new team members..
This is a permanent position
Our salaries are competitive and calculated using a transparent formula. We run performance reviews twice a year and award bonuses to strong performers who have been with the company for more than 6 months.
We pay 100% of your health care insurance premium cost for yourself and your dependents.
We support working parents - we offer generous parental leave policies (26 weeks for mothers and 4 weeks for fathers) and subsidized child care when you return to work.
We help you live your fullest life now! We subsidize gym memberships, fitness classes, and workout equipment.
Airtime reimbursement.
Free food and a beautiful office space.

Requirements

Fluent in English.
7+ years experience in a senior management role in business development at a global organization.
Excellent leadership skills. Have led a team of at least 8 people.
Track record in preparing presentations and documents for both internal and external partners.
4+ years of experience either in finance, fintech, telecoms or technology sectors, leading partnerships or business development in East Africa.
Strong track record in building country level and multi-country partnerships in Africa.
Very strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
Optional: experience working in the mobile money sector.
Fluency in any local language is an added advantage.

You might be a good fit if you;

Slow-moving processes or partners frustrate you, but you’re inclined to lean into the problem and push however you can rather than accept a slow pace.
A clear and proactive communicator, you are able to independently follow through on tasks and can manage priorities effectively.
You know how to navigate working with senior partners and stakeholders by spotting and seizing upon mutually beneficial opportunities.
Are intellectually curious, creative in the way you go about tackling problems, and embrace failure as a means to spark innovation and growth.
Demonstrate tenacity and a willingness to go the distance to get something done.
Well organized and can manage competing priorities.
You can quickly learn regulatory requirements and prioritize paths to meeting them.
You’re enthusiastic about Wave’s mission and excited to do what needs to be done to achieve it.

Our team

We have a rapidly growing in-country team in Senegal, Côte D'Ivoire, Mali, and Uganda, plus remote team members spread across the world. We're deeply passionate about our mission of bringing radically affordable financial services to the people who need them most.
We foster autonomy for our employees. You'll own your own projects at every stage, from understanding the problem to monitoring your solution in production.
We’re backed by world-class investors including Founders Fund, Sequoia Heritage, Stripe, Ribbit Capital, Y Combinator and Partech Africa.