Talentsafari

Product Lead, MSME Loans

6d ago
WorldwideLead
Talentsafari

Product Lead, MSME Loans

6d ago
WorldwideLead

Lead and scale a financial MSME loan product from pilot to full operations in East Africa.

About the company

  • Mogo Kenya is a CBK–licensed lender that started operations in Kenya in 2019. Since then, we have disbursed 40B KES across Kenya, and this year celebrated financing 500,000+ smartphones across East Africa. We are a fast-growing and ambitious organization, sitting within the Eleving Group, a global fintech operating consumer lending across 17 countries. In East Africa, Mogo provides asset-backed products to underserved customers across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Zambia.
  • We are launching a new business-focused lending product for MSME owners and are looking for a Product Lead to own it as we scale the product.

Responsibilities

  • This is a hands-on, cross-functional role for someone who can take a financial product from pilot to live, fully scaled operations. You will own the scaling of the product – finalizing product design and defining the go-to-market plan, as well as taking full ownership of product P&L once scaled. You'll work daily with technology, operations, and credit/risk, and you'll be the person accountable for the product landing well.
  • The MSME product has full support from senior stakeholders and the relevant legal approval, as well as an existing tech foundation and Mogo network of 90+ branches to scale from – we are looking for someone to utilize this strong base to ensure a successful product which can be expanded into a fully operational product line across Kenya.
  • Product & proposition Finalize design for a fully scalable product from customer acquisition (sales app design, loan officer processes, underwriting decisions) to subsequent loan issuances (USSD menus, app design, customer eligibility and pricing).
  • Iterate on and document pilots to inform product decisions.
  • Scale & operations Own the operations and scaling of the MSME loan product and document it clearly for credit, operations, and frontline teams.
  • Take ownership of live product pilots, and expand them - broadening eligibility criteria, segments, and geography as the data supports.
  • Own the go-to-market: define the launch and rollout strategy across the branch network and digital channels, including positioning, pricing communication, and the customer acquisition approach.
  • Take ownership of the product P&L and daily operations once scaled.
  • Cross-functional delivery Act as the bridge between product, technology, risk/credit, and the loan officer team.
  • Manage internal partners and hold them to delivery commitments.
  • Market & compliance Maintain a clear view of the competitive landscape (other MSME and digital lenders) and feed it into the proposition.
  • Ensure the product meets CBK requirements, including interest-rate and cost disclosure obligations for digital lending.

Requirements

  • 3+ years in product management, business development, or a closely related role, ideally in fintech, banking, or digital lending at a start-up or fast-growing company.
  • Comfort working with data to define and track KPIs and to make decisions under uncertainty.
  • Proven ability to work across technical and non-technical teams and to manage external partners.
  • Excellent communication - able to translate complex concepts into clear documentation for relevant stakeholders.

Nice to have

  • Experience in the Kenyan or East African fintech market, or relevant emerging markets experience.
  • Strong grasp of consumer or MSME lending fundamentals: underwriting, unit economics, cost of funds, portfolio quality, and collections.
  • Familiarity with mobile-money rails (M-Pesa) and USSD product design
  • Experience scaling a product from pilot to full operation.

Conditions

  • Ownership of a product line at a CBK-licensed lender backed by an international group.
  • A broad, high-impact remit with genuine influence over a new business line.
  • A collaborative team and exposure across product, credit, technology, and operations.
  • Competitive salary

Other

  • The MSME loan product is live and fully functioning.
  • The pilot has been measured, and either expanded or refined based on clear evidence.
  • A reporting framework is in place that the wider business uses to track performance.
  • The product is positioned for scale across Kenya.