- To own the strategy, design, launch and drive performance of the gadget financing portfolio (smart phones, tablets & laptops), taking customers from their first inquiry to their final installment and device ownership.
- The role exists to make smartphones affordable to low-income, thin-file and unbanked Kenyans through responsible, pay-as-you-go credit.
Product Strategy and P&L Ownership
- Define the vision, route-to-market and annual business plan for device financing, aligned with the institution's strategy.
- Own the product P&L, including disbursement volumes, yield, device margin, cost to serve, credit losses and contribution.
- Size and segment the market (salaried individuals, informal traders, boda boda and transport operators, farmers, women and youth groups) and prioritise segments based on profitability and impact.
- Monitor competitors and adjacent offers, including pay-as-you-go specialists, to adjust pricing and positioning accordingly.
Product Design and Customer Experience
- Design the full financing proposition, including device, range and price bands, deposit levels, tenor, instalment frequency, interest & applicable fees and early settlement
- Map and continually improve the customer journey: customer identification, application, KYC, credit decision, deposit, device handover, repayment, lock and unlock, support and ownership transfer.
- Build solutions for low-literacy users through USSD, SMS and mobile applications, with support for Swahili and English and agent-assisted onboarding.
- Define clear, plain-language pricing and loan terms to ensure every customer understands the total cost of credit before signing.
- Set and track portfolio performance indicators, including first-payment default, write-off rate, recovery rate and vintage performance.
- Design the device lock policy and collections strategy, including reminders, restructuring and repossession, ensuring they are firm, fair and consistent with customer protection requirements.
- Implement fraud controls, including identity checks, IMEI blacklisting and verification, agent and merchant fraud monitoring, and SIM-swap safeguards.
Partnerships and Device Supply Chain
- Select and manage device suppliers, distributors and retailers, negotiating pricing, warranties, returns, repairs and stock-financing terms.
- Build the agent and merchant distribution network, including onboarding, training, commissions and performance management.
- Manage relationships with device lock and management technology vendors.
Regulation, Compliance and Customer Protection
- Ensure all products and processes comply with the applicable Central Bank of Kenya framework for the institution's licence category, the Data Protection Act 2019, AML/CFT rules, consumer protection requirements, and CBK disclosure and pricing transparency standards.
- Obtain the necessary internal and regulatory approvals before launching or materially changing a product.
- Embed responsible lending principles, including affordability assessments, prevention of over-indebtedness, fair collection practices, clear complaints procedures, and strict data privacy and consent practices.
- Engage constructively with regulators, industry bodies (e.g., Association of Microfinance Institutions)
Leadership and Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Report on product performance and risks to the Executive Committee and relevant Board committees.
- All Regional Mangers dealing with regional distribution networks.
Technical Skills and Competencies Required
- Commercial and Strategic Thinking: Ability to link customer needs, unit economics and market dynamics into a clear and profitable business plan.
- Data-Driven Decision Making: Comfortable with SQL, dashboards and cohort analysis. Ability to use evidence to prioritise initiatives and discontinue underperforming ideas.
- Customer Empathy: Understanding of the realities of low-income and informal-sector customers and the ability to design suitable products for them.
- Risk and Compliance Mindset: Ability to balance growth with portfolio quality and customer protection.
- Stakeholder and Partner Management: Strong negotiation and relationship management skills when engaging suppliers, regulators and technology vendors.
- Execution: Ability to deliver in fast-moving, resource-constrained environments, work with ambiguity and build products from the ground up.
- Leadership and Communication: Ability to inspire and develop teams and communicate effectively with EXCO.
- Integrity: Commitment to ethical lending, transparent pricing and fair customer treatment, including during collections.
Knowledge, Expertise, Experience and Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Economics, Information Systems or a related field.
- At least 8 years of experience in product management, digital lending or retail credit, including at least 3 years in a senior product leadership role.
- Proven track record of launching and scaling a consumer or SME credit product.
- Hands-on experience with mobile money integrations (M-PESA Daraja API or similar), mobile or USSD channels, and a loan management system.
- Strong understanding of credit risk, portfolio performance metrics and collections.
- Working knowledge of the Kenyan regulatory environment for credit providers, data protection and AML/CFT.
- Demonstrated ability to manage a P&L and lead cross-functional teams.