Retail Training & Quality Assurance Lead — Western Cape

You know the difference between training that ticks a box and training that actually changes how someone works. You've seen what happens when a team gets genuinely upskilled — the customer interactions improve, the compliance scores move, the performance data tells a different story. And you've probably sat with frustrating quality audit results and thought: this is fixable, if we approach it differently.

That instinct — the one that connects learning design to real operational outcomes — is exactly what M-KOPA is looking for.

We're hiring a Retail Training and Quality Assurance Lead in South Africa to shape the capability and quality standards of our retail function — designing and delivering training for Stock Controllers and retail teams, leading quality audits across our operations, and using data to drive the kind of continuous improvement that shows up in customer experience and team performance alike.

What M-KOPA is building

We've served more than 7 million customers across Africa, unlocking over $2 billion in credit. 55% of those customers are accessing formal financial services for the very first time. 86% report a meaningful improvement in their quality of life. We're growing toward 10 million — and our retail network is growing with us. As our footprint expands, the capability of the people inside it, and the quality of the experience they deliver, becomes more important than ever. This role is where that standard is set and sustained.

Why this role is different

Training and QA often sit in separate functions, and rarely talk to each other the way they should. In this role, they're unified — which means the insights from your quality audits directly inform your training design, and the effectiveness of your training is visible in your QA data. That closed loop is what makes this role genuinely powerful, and it's what separates it from a standard L&D or compliance function.

What the work actually looks like

On the training side, you'll design and deliver comprehensive learning experiences for Stock Controllers and retail teams — spanning product expertise, system proficiency, customer handling, and the soft skills that make the difference between a technically capable employee and an exceptional one. You'll use a blend of classroom facilitation and digital learning through M-KOPA Academy, our proprietary learning platform. You'll build assessment frameworks, conduct monthly evaluations, track progress, and analyse performance data to identify where competency gaps are opening up and close them with targeted interventions — before they show up in the customer experience.

On the quality side, you'll conduct strategic quality audits across retail operations and processes — evaluating adherence to service standards, compliance requirements, and brand excellence, with particular focus on Freshdesk platform usage. You'll produce detailed audit reports with actionable insights that drive systemic improvements across the network. You'll run mystery shopping evaluations to assess the real customer journey, not just the reported one, and use those findings to influence how service standards evolve.

The analytics thread runs through both — you'll analyse retail performance metrics, measure training effectiveness, monitor data protection standards and documentation practices, and apply what the data tells you to keep the improvement cycle moving. You'll also oversee adherence to industry regulations, company policies, and financial services requirements across all retail locations.

What makes you ready for this

• Demonstrable experience in a training or quality assurance role within retail or customer service environments — with a proven track record designing and delivering effective learning programmes, building assessment frameworks, and using performance data to drive measurable capability improvements

• Proficiency in CRM systems, Learning Management Systems, and Microsoft Office Suite — alongside the analytical capability to interpret performance and quality data, identify patterns, and translate insights into targeted training solutions and audit recommendations

• Strong facilitation, communication, and coaching skills — with the ability to build credibility across retail teams, present audit findings constructively to stakeholders, and lead quality and learning initiatives that create lasting behavioural change

The reality check

This role requires both creative and analytical thinking, often in the same week. You'll be designing a training module on Monday, conducting a quality audit on Wednesday, and presenting performance analytics to the Retail Operations Manager on Friday. The dual remit is the point — but it does demand the organisational discipline and attention to detail to hold both to a high standard simultaneously. If you take personal pride in the quality of what you produce and you're energised by seeing data translate into better outcomes for people — this will suit you well.

Why M-KOPA, and why now

Most training roles in retail ask you to deliver a curriculum that someone else designed, to a standard that someone else defined. This role asks you to build both — and to connect them directly to how a business grows and how its customers are served. When your training improves how a Stock Controller handles an inventory discrepancy, or your quality audit insight reshapes a service centre process, the downstream effect reaches customers who are accessing financial services for the very first time.

That's not a typical L&D mandate. If you're ready for one that isn't — let's talk.

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.

Recognized four times by the Financial Times as one Africa's fastest growing companies (2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025) and by TIME100 Most influential companies in the world 2023 and 2024 , we've served over 6 million customers, unlocking $1.5 billion in cumulative credit for the unbanked across Africa.

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.