Business Development Manager

Our mission

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 2017, we launched a mobile app in Senegal for cash deposit, withdrawal, and peer-to-peer and business payments. Now, we have millions of users across 9 countries 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

Are you a seasoned Business Development professional who thrives in a dynamic environment? Would you want to join a company that is fostering financial inclusion and driving economic empowerment on the African continent? Then this role is for you!

As a result-driven Business Development Manager with extensive market and industry knowledge, you will play a pivotal role in driving our growth strategy forward.  

Reporting to the WAEMU Head of Business Development, you will be responsible for building and cultivating relationships, establishing partnerships, and executing contracts based on the needs of the Product and Operation teams to ensure the continued scaling of Wave’s business in Mali.

In this role, you'll;

• Forming, negotiating services and managing strategic partnerships (with banks, telcos, bill payment companies, international remittance companies, etc.) that are key for Wave's business to operate.
• Building relationships to enable Wave to grow and operate effectively in Mali.
• Sourcing business partnerships for Wave's payment products.
• Identifying and liaising with the right person at partners to achieve Wave's needs.
• Supervising communication between partners and Wave teams (Product, Finance, Legal, compliance, Risk, Marketing…)

Key details

• Location: You'll work from our office in Bamako and may travel to field locations within Mali
• Work authorization in Mali.
• 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 subsidised childcare when you return to work.
• We help you live your fullest life now- we subsidise gym memberships and fitness classes.
• Airtime reimbursement.
• Free food and a beautiful office space

Requirements

• At least 5 years' experience in a similar position at a bank, telco, international remittance or fintechs
• Fluent in French and English
• Secondary degree education in Communications, Telecommunications, Finance, International Relations, Business Management, or a comparable field

You might be a good fit if you

• Have a strong network of acquaintances in Mali from your work in Mobile Money, Banking, Telecom, Insurance or B2B sales.
• Have identified and professionally engaged with strategic partners, seizing upon mutually beneficial opportunities and being relentless in your pursuit.
• Are equally at ease in a boardroom giving a presentation or preparing partner on-boarding documents in French/English.
• Are enthusiastic about Wave's mission and excited to do what needs to be done to achieve it.
• Like team work, but also know how to work well autonomously.
• Have demonstrated tenacity and a willingness to go the distance to get something done.
• Are very detail-oriented and seek to achieve excellence in everything you do.
• Have experience working at an international company (nice to have). 

Our team

• We have a rapidly growing in-country team in Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Burkina Faso, The Gambia, Uganda, Niger, Sierra Leone, and Cameroon 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 projects at every stage, from understanding the problem to monitoring your solution in production.
• We raised the largest Series A in Africa in 2021. Our world-class investors, include Founders Fund, Sequoia Heritage, Stripe, Ribbit Capital, Y Combinator, and Partech Africa.
• We are on Y Combinator's top companies by revenue.

How to apply

Fill out the form below, and upload a resume in English and a cover letter describing your interest in Wave and the role.

We review applications frequently and recommend that you apply to the role that most closely aligns with your skills, experience and career goals.

Wave is an equal-opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.