📌 Core Information
🔹 Job Title: User Growth Regional Lead
🔹 Company: Wave
🔹 Location: Bamako, Bamako, Mali
🔹 Job Type: On-site
🔹 Category: Financial Services
🔹 Date Posted: May 8, 2025
🔹 Experience Level: 2-5 years
🔹 Remote Status: No (On-site)
🚀 Job Overview
Key aspects of this role include:
- Supervising distribution activities to increase and retain users in the assigned region
- Managing a team of supervisors and field-based distributors
- Developing strategies to boost user acquisition and retention
- Working closely with the agency team to align key objectives and operationalize strategies
- Contributing to Wave’s distribution strategy by sharing insights and learnings
ASSUMPTION: This role requires a balance of strategic planning and hands-on management to achieve user growth targets.
📋 Key Responsibilities
✅ Manage a team of supervisors who, in turn, manage field-based distributors to recruit new users to Wave’s financial products
✅ Identify and find solutions to critical blockers for user growth and maintain active usage of Wave’s financial products in assigned areas
✅ Develop strategies to boost the retention of newly acquired users
✅ Hire, train, and manage distribution team members and build systems to rapidly scale distribution as needed
✅ Build the roadmap for the distribution team in your area to achieve its quarterly key objectives, including iterating on strategy and growing Wave’s customer base day after day within an assigned region of Mali
✅ Use data to make decisions on distribution strategies and monitor the performance of your team
✅ Lead by living Wave’s values and ensure they’re deeply ingrained within your team
ASSUMPTION: This role involves frequent travel within Mali to oversee distribution activities and meet with team members and stakeholders.
🎯 Required Qualifications
Education: Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, or a related field (or equivalent experience)
Experience: 2+ years of relevant work experience specifically managing field teams or user acquisition teams based in the field
Required Skills:
- Proficient in French; Bambara and any other additional local language is a plus
- Proficient in English - this role may interact regularly with non-French speakers, and reporting will be done primarily in English
- Proven experience in designing strategies for user acquisition for a telecom, payment service provider, FMCG, or financial institution
- Proven experience managing large teams (50+ people)
Preferred Skills:
- Experience working in the African financial services industry
- Familiarity with Wave’s products and services
ASSUMPTION: Candidates with experience in user acquisition strategies for mobile or financial products will have a strong advantage in this role.
💰 Compensation & Benefits
Salary Range: Competitive and calculated using a transparent formula (Wave does not provide specific salary ranges)
Benefits:
- Generous health insurance for yourself and your dependents
- 26 weeks of parental leave for mothers and 4 weeks for fathers, in addition to subsidized child care when they return to work
- Airtime reimbursement
- Free food and a beautiful office space
Working Hours: Full-time (40 hours per week), with frequent travel within Mali
ASSUMPTION: Wave’s salaries are competitive and calculated using a transparent formula, but specific salary ranges are not provided.
📌 Applicant Insights
🔍 Company Context
Industry: Financial Services, specifically mobile money and financial inclusion
Company Size: 201-500 employees (global), with a rapidly growing in-country team in several African countries
Founded: 2015, with headquarters in Toronto, Canada
Company Description:
- Wave is a mobile money and financial services company on a mission to make Africa the first cashless continent
- Wave offers cash deposit, withdrawal, and peer-to-peer and business payments through its mobile app
- Wave has millions of users across six countries and is growing fast
Company Specialties:
- Mobile money and financial services
- Financial inclusion
- User growth and retention strategies
- Team management and leadership
Company Website: www.waveapps.com
ASSUMPTION: Wave is a well-funded, rapidly growing startup with a strong focus on user growth and financial inclusion in Africa.
📊 Role Analysis
Career Level: Mid-level management, with opportunities for growth and impact
Reporting Structure: Reports directly to the Head of BTL and Distribution
Work Arrangement: On-site, with frequent travel within Mali
Growth Opportunities:
- Potential to grow into a regional leadership role as Wave expands its presence in Africa
- Opportunities to learn and develop skills in user acquisition, team management, and strategic planning
- Exposure to a fast-paced, dynamic work environment with a strong focus on innovation and impact
ASSUMPTION: This role offers significant growth potential for the right candidate, with opportunities to make a real impact on Wave’s user growth strategy in Africa.
🌍 Location & Work Environment
Office Type: On-site, with a beautiful office space in Bamako, Mali
Office Location(s): Bamako, Mali, with frequent travel to other regions in Mali
Geographic Context:
- Mali is a landlocked country in West Africa, with a population of approximately 20 million people
- Bamako, the capital and largest city of Mali, is home to over 2 million people
- Mali has a tropical climate, with a hot, dry season from November to April and a hot, rainy season from May to October
Work Schedule: Full-time (40 hours per week), with frequent travel within Mali
ASSUMPTION: This role requires a high level of adaptability and comfort with frequent travel, as well as the ability to work effectively in a hot, humid climate during the rainy season.
💼 Interview & Application Insights
Typical Process:
- Online application submission
- Phone or video screen with the hiring manager
- In-person or video interview with the team
- Final interview with senior leadership
Key Assessment Areas:
- Strategic thinking and problem-solving skills
- Team management and leadership skills
- Communication and interpersonal skills
- Cultural fit and alignment with Wave’s values
Application Tips:
- Tailor your resume and cover letter to highlight your experience in user acquisition, team management, and strategic planning
- Be prepared to discuss your experience with user acquisition strategies and team management in a high-growth, dynamic environment
- Demonstrate your understanding of Wave’s mission and values, and how your skills and experience align with the role
ATS Keywords: User Acquisition, Team Management, Strategic Planning, Financial Services, Mobile Money, Africa, Mali, Wave
ASSUMPTION: Wave uses an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to screen and manage job applications, so including relevant keywords in your resume and cover letter can increase your chances of being selected for an interview.
🛠️ Tools & Technologies
- Wave’s proprietary user acquisition and management platform
- Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
- Google Workspace (Gmail, Google Drive, Google Docs)
- Project management tools (e.g., Asana, Trello)
ASSUMPTION: This role requires proficiency in Wave’s proprietary user acquisition and management platform, as well as strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite and Google Workspace.
👔 Cultural Fit Considerations
Company Values:
- Mission-driven: We are deeply passionate about our mission of bringing radically affordable financial services to the people who need them most
- Autonomous: We foster autonomy for our employees, who own their projects at every stage, from understanding the problem to monitoring their solution in production
- Collaborative: We work closely with our team members, both in-country and remote, to achieve our goals
Work Style:
- Fast-paced and dynamic, with a strong focus on innovation and impact
- Collaborative and team-oriented, with a strong emphasis on communication and cross-functional collaboration
- Data-driven, with a strong emphasis on using data to inform decision-making and strategy
Self-Assessment Questions:
- Do you share Wave’s passion for bringing radically affordable financial services to the people who need them most?
- Are you comfortable working in a fast-paced, dynamic environment with a high degree of autonomy and responsibility?
- Do you thrive in a collaborative, team-oriented work environment, with a strong emphasis on communication and cross-functional collaboration?
ASSUMPTION: Wave is looking for candidates who are deeply passionate about its mission, comfortable with a high degree of autonomy and responsibility, and thrive in a collaborative, team-oriented work environment.
⚠️ Potential Challenges
- Frequent travel within Mali, which may be challenging for candidates with personal or family commitments
- Working in a hot, humid climate during the rainy season, which may be uncomfortable for some candidates
- Managing a large team of supervisors and field-based distributors, which requires strong leadership and communication skills
- Developing and implementing user acquisition strategies in a rapidly changing market, which requires adaptability and a strong understanding of the local context
ASSUMPTION: This role presents both personal and professional challenges that candidates should carefully consider before applying.
📈 Similar Roles Comparison
- This role is similar to a Regional Sales Manager or Business Development Manager role, with a focus on user acquisition and retention rather than direct sales
- Unlike traditional sales roles, this role requires a strong understanding of user acquisition strategies and a data-driven approach to decision-making
- This role offers significant growth potential, with opportunities to make a real impact on Wave’s user growth strategy in Africa
ASSUMPTION: This role is unique in its focus on user acquisition and retention in the African financial services industry, but shares similarities with regional sales management and business development roles in other industries.
📝 Sample Projects
- Developing and implementing a user acquisition strategy for a new region in Mali, with a focus on increasing user sign-ups and active usage of Wave’s financial products
- Conducting market research to identify critical blockers for user growth and developing targeted solutions to address them
- Managing a team of supervisors and field-based distributors to achieve quarterly key objectives, including user acquisition and retention targets
ASSUMPTION: These sample projects illustrate the strategic, data-driven, and team-oriented nature of the User Growth Regional Lead role at Wave.
❓ Key Questions to Ask During Interview
- Can you describe the typical user acquisition strategies that have been successful for Wave in other regions, and how they might be adapted for my assigned region?
- How does Wave support the professional development and growth of its team members, particularly in regional leadership roles?
- Can you provide an example of a time when Wave’s user acquisition strategies needed to be adjusted in response to changes in the market or user behavior, and how that was handled?
- How does Wave measure and track user acquisition and retention metrics, and how are those metrics used to inform decision-making and strategy?
- What is the typical work-life balance for a User Growth Regional Lead at Wave, and how is that supported by the company?
ASSUMPTION: These key questions will help candidates better understand the role, Wave’s user acquisition strategies, and the company culture.
📌 Next Steps for Applicants
To apply for this position:
- Submit your application through this link
- Tailor your resume and cover letter to highlight your experience in user acquisition, team management, and strategic planning
- Prepare for your interview by researching Wave’s mission, values, and user acquisition strategies
- Follow up with Wave after your interview to express your interest in the role and reiterate your qualifications
⚠️ This job description contains AI-assisted information. Details should be verified directly with the employer before making decisions.
