New Business & Commercial Manager – West Africa

Location: Abidjan, Ivory Coast (regional remit covering Anglophone and Francophone West Africa)

About Kuunda

Kuunda is a B2B embedded digital financial company that provides liquidity to the informal sector through digital infrastructure and advanced decisioning models. We specialize in real-time, transaction-based lending solutions that enable agent networks, small businesses, and consumers to access financing that drives productivity, growth, and resilience.

We partner with telcos, banks, fintechs, and platforms to embed financial services directly into digital ecosystems at scale.

Role Purpose

To drive Kuunda’s market entry and commercial expansion across West Africa by identifying high-potential opportunities, engaging strategic partners, and structuring commercially viable partnerships from early-stage discussions through to execution readiness, across priority markets including Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Ghana, and the wider region.

This role sits at the intersection of market intelligence, product translation, strategic business development, regulatory expertise, and commercial structuring & contracting, with end-to-end ownership of opportunity progression across multiple jurisdictions.

Key Responsibilities

1. Market Scoping & Strategic Insight

Develop a deep understanding of West Africa’s digital financial services ecosystem, with a special focus on digital lending products, across both Francophone (UEMOA/WAEMU) and Anglophone markets

Identify market gaps, partner pain points and white spaces across priority countries

Monitor regulatory, competitive, and ecosystem developments across the region

Translate insights into clear, actionable distribution partner recommendations by market

Maintain a strong understanding of the regulatory landscape, Independent Central Banks (such as Bank of Ghana), CEMAC and BCEAO/WAEMU frameworks and their impact on product design, commercial structuring, and market entry

2. Opportunity Origination & Early-Stage Engagement

Build and manage a high-quality new business pipeline across West African markets

Lead outreach and initiate conversations with distribution partners (Telcos/MMOs, POS players, ride-hailing apps, e-commerce platforms, aggregators)

Lead outreach with balance sheet partners (Commercial banks, MFIs, NBFIs etc.)

Qualify opportunities based on strategic fit, commercial viability, and regulatory feasibility in each target market

Drive early-stage processes including NDAs, data discussions, and internal feasibility alignment

3. Product Alignment & Business Case Development

Translate Kuunda’s product suite into localized, high-impact use cases for each West African market

Co-develop business cases and commercial models (pricing, risk-sharing, revenue-sharing) tailored to local market conditions

Lead partner alignment and secure banking and distribution partner buy-ins

Ensure alignment across product, credit, data, and tech teams

4. Commercial Structuring & Contracting

Lead commercial negotiations and structure partnership frameworks

Own end-to-end contracting processes, including:

NDAs

Tripartite agreements (telco–bank–Kuunda)

Bilateral/Software license agreements and supporting documentation

Coordinate cross-functional inputs to ensure agreements are operationally and technically sound

Work closely with lending partners to support regulatory submissions to BCEAO, and other relevant national regulators

Ensure partnership structures, operating models, and documentation are aligned with regulatory requirements, including licensing, compliance frameworks, and entity structuring where applicable, across multiple jurisdictions

Identify and resolve commercial, contractual, and regulatory bottlenecks specific to each market

5. Partner & Bank Stakeholder Management

Act as the primary point of contact across all partner engagements in the region

Build strong, trust-based relationships with banks, telcos, and platform partners across multiple West African markets

Align stakeholders on commercial structures, risk appetite, and product positioning

Lead structured working sessions to progress opportunities toward execution

Experience & Skills

6–10+ years of experience in business development, partnerships, fintech, or financial services

Fluent in English & French

Proven experience structuring and negotiating complex partnerships

Strong business case development and commercial modelling capability

Deep, on-the-ground experience in West African markets, with strong networks in Francophone & Anglophone West Africa

Strong regulatory understanding of West Africa’s financial services ecosystem, including:

BCEAO/WAEMU, CEMAC, BoG frameworks and how their regulated entities operate

Implications of regulation on digital lending products (consumer, agent, merchant finance)

Licensing structures and partnership models (bank-led vs NBFI/MFI-led)

Regulatory approval processes and submission requirements across multiple jurisdictions

Operational and compliance requirements (ISO certifications, data governance, information security)

Entity set-up considerations and market entry structuring across Anglophone and Francophone market.

Key Outcomes

Build and maintain a strong, high-quality opportunity pipeline across priority West African markets

Progress opportunities from origination to execution-ready stage

Deliver and execute scalable partnership models

Establish Kuunda as a leading embedded finance partner in West Africa

What You’ll Get From Us

Health claim benefits with access to our Wellness App
Generous leave policy, including 2 days birthday leave
Company laptop and learning contribution for continuous development
Flexible working environment within a collaborative, execution-driven culture
Competitive salary plus performance-based bonus
Exposure tohigh-impact fintech expansion across Africa
Strong career growth and ownership opportunities
Flexible, collaborative, and innovation-driven culture

***This role is located in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, covering Anglophone and Francophone West Africa. Eligibility to work in Ivory Coast is required.

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