Strategic Finance Analyst

Job description

[https://app.ashbyhq.com/api/images/user-content/1d985516-2a99-43c0-b591-957f5adaceb9/5ac97b31-49cd-4012-8bb0-5caf15e33c69/B25.png] STRATEGIC FINANCE ANALYST | M-KOPA [https://app.ashbyhq.com/api/images/user-content/1d985516-2a99-43c0-b591-957f5adaceb9/b82f3a10-70fa-4730-a2c1-1d7c15919ba6/image.png] You've built the model, the deck, or the due diligence pack that got the deal across the line — then watched it get filed away and forgotten within a quarter. What if the next model you build didn't end at signing, but determined how a company gets 3 million more customers access to credit for the first time? That's the actual trade-off on the table here. M-KOPA has just crossed 7 million customers across Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, and South Africa, with more than $2 billion in credit unlocked. Of those customers, 55% are accessing formal financial services for the first time, and 86% report a real improvement in their quality of life. We're not a mature business optimising at the margins — we're building the financial infrastructure for the next stage of that growth, from 5 million customers to 7 million, and now toward 10 million. [https://app.ashbyhq.com/api/images/user-content/1d985516-2a99-43c0-b591-957f5adaceb9/fbf9ccae-a6a0-4b33-b06b-828ea41af481/image.png] Why this role exists right now Every one of those growth milestones has to be modelled, stress-tested, and defended before it becomes a board decision. That's the job of the Strategic Finance team — we own the Long-Range Plan, the market entry business cases, and the analysis that sits behind what the CEO, COO, and board actually decide to do next. As the business scales into new markets and new products, that modelling work is only getting more complex, and more visible. We need someone whose technical rigour can anchor it. What makes this different from a typical FP&A, banking, or advisory role Most rigorous modelling work sits inside a bank or advisory practice, where the output ends at deal close or client sign-off, or inside a corporate finance function, running templates someone else designed years ago. This role sits at the intersection of strategic finance, modelling and FP&A. You'll be building models from a blank sheet — for market entry decisions, unit economics, distribution cost structures, and funding scenarios — and you'll be doing it in direct partnership with the Head of Strategic Finance, on workstreams that land in front of the CEO and the board within weeks, not quarters. You keep the same standard of rigour, structure, and commercial judgement that "good" looks like in a top deal team or client engagement. You just get to see what your numbers actually build. [https://app.ashbyhq.com/api/images/user-content/1d985516-2a99-43c0-b591-957f5adaceb9/3f1689be-a26e-405d-94ef-5876a8adb349/image.png] What you'd own The core of the role is the company's Long-Range Plan — base, stretch, and market-specific upside/downside scenarios, with the assumptions packs and documentation that leadership and the board rely on. Beyond that, you'll build audit-ready models for special projects as they come up: a new market entry case one month, a distribution cost model the next, a funding analysis after that. You'll be the person who catches the balance sheet or cash flow tie-out break before it reaches the CEO's desk, not after. And you'll support the monthly and quarterly FP&A cycle — budget-vs-actual variance, performance commentary, reporting packs — while helping migrate planning processes into Anaplan as the team scales its tooling across markets. A good amount of this role is architecture before arithmetic: taking a half-specified problem and figuring out the right model structure before you touch a single formula. What you'd bring - A background that's been tested in a high-calibre, high-rigour environment — ideally through an analyst role in investment banking, management consulting, or transaction advisory, where "good" means audit-ready output on tight deadlines and no room for a number you can't defend. - Experience in environments such as corporate finance, M&A, transaction advisory or strategy, where you've had to build and defend complex financial models and translate analysis into commercially meaningful recommendations. - A genuine fluency in how operational drivers flow through to financial statements — you don't just build the model, you understand why each line moves the way it does, and you bring the same strategic thinking and commercial judgement to a business case that you'd bring to a live deal. - Relentless attention to detail paired with the communication skill to defend your assumptions and explain your logic to someone who's never opened the model. We're interested in the calibre of experience, not simply the name on your CV. That calibre of experience can come from a leading global investment bank or consulting firm, a strong regional institution in Corporate Finance or M&A, or a transaction advisory practice. But we're equally interested in exceptional candidates who have taken a less conventional path and can demonstrate the same level of analytical rigour, financial modelling capability, commercial judgement and problem-solving ability. Experience with Anaplan or another planning platform, fintech, lending or consumer credit, or multi-currency, multi-entity African businesses would be advantageous, but isn't essential. The honest version This role moves between workstreams — the Long-Range Plan one week, an ECL question the next, a market entry case after that — often with incomplete information and a deadline that doesn't move. You'll need to get productive on unfamiliar terrain fast, more than once. If that sounds exhausting rather than energising, this probably isn't your seat. If it sounds like exactly the kind of variety your current role doesn't give you, it might be. Why it's worth the trade-off You stay deeply technical. Your analysis directly shapes what a high-growth company does next, with executive visibility from day one, and a clear line into senior strategic finance leadership as the team and the business scale together. If you're reading this and already thinking about how you'd structure the model — that's probably the signal. Let's talk. [https://app.ashbyhq.com/api/images/user-content/1d985516-2a99-43c0-b591-957f5adaceb9/01e8871a-a00c-4ff6-8e23-1811c2231421/image.png] 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.