Partnership Specialist, Francophone Africa

Description

Kora is a global fiat and stablecoin payment infrastructure - the rails that financial institutions, fintechs, and enterprises use to move money across borders reliably and at scale. We operate across multiple markets globally.

We are not a payments app. We are not a wallet. We are the layer underneath: the settlement infrastructure, the compliance engine, the connectivity that makes cross-border payments work for the companies that build on top of us.

Our vision, which is at the core of what we do every day, is to create a world void of digital financial barriers. We are committed to delivering reliable, secure, and easy-to-use digital financial solutions to every single customer with a guarantee that it is improving their lives. To achieve this mission, we need people like you. Yes, you!

We strongly believe in our ability to find Water in the Desert and pick the Sands in the Ocean.

We value positive energy and clear communication, and are committed to building an inclusive environment for people from every background.

About the Role

Kora's infrastructure only works if the right partners are connected to it. In the XAF and XOF corridors, that means banks, payment aggregators, wallet providers, and licensed financial institutions who can enable Kora scale.

This role owns those relationships; sourcing them, structuring them, and building the ecosystem that makes Kora's business defensible.

Requirements

What You’ll be Responsible for:

• Strategic partnership portfolio: You own the full portfolio of bank, aggregator, wallet, and institutional partnerships in the XAF/XOF region. Depth and quality over volume. Each partnership must materially enable Kora's corridor capability.
• Corridor enablement: Every priority payment corridor needs a partner to make it work. You map the corridors, identify the critical partner type per corridor, and close the relationships that unlock them.
• Licensing and regulatory partnerships: In markets where Kora is not yet licensed, partnerships with licensed entities are the route to market. You identify, structure, and manage these relationships in close coordination with Legal and Compliance.
• Source and structure strategic partnerships: Personally identifying, approaching, and structuring partnership agreements with Banks, aggregators, and wallet providers. You understand the structure of a good partnership agreement and can negotiate one.
• Sales & Business Development: Build, manage, and convert a strong pipeline of high-value merchants. Lead end-to-end sales cycle; prospecting, pitching, negotiating and closing deals.
• Manage existing partners for depth, not just width: Partnerships fail when they're signed and forgotten. You maintain regular contact with all active partners, track what each partnership is delivering, ensuring every connection is performing to its full potential, and proactively addressing cases where outcomes are lagging.
• Feed Kora's product and compliance teams: You are the primary signal for what francophone partners need from Kora's infrastructure. If a corridor requirement, compliance standard, or technical specification is blocking partnerships, you surface it with specifics.

What We’re Looking For:

Deal & Execution Experience

• 3+ years in strategic partnerships, business development, or ecosystem building in fintech or financial services
• Proven track record of sourcing, negotiating, and closing institutional partnerships
• Experience in structuring complex agreements

Market Expertise (Francophone Africa)

• Strong network across XAF/XOF markets (banks, mobile money operators, aggregators, regulators)
• Clear understanding of how payment ecosystems operate in Francophone Africa
• Fluency in French and English is highly preferred

Technical & Regulatory Understanding

• Solid understanding of payment infrastructure (settlement rails, correspondent banking)
• Knowledge of AML/KYC requirements and partnership due diligence processes
• Familiarity with licensing regimes in the XAF/XOF markets and how partnerships enable market entry
• Experience working on partnerships requiring regulatory approvals or sandbox participation

Ways of Working

• High ownership and ability to operate in ambiguous, zero-playbook environments
• Structured communicator, able to clearly report partnership status, risks, and blockers
• Commercially driven with a focus on measurable outcomes.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Kora is an equal-opportunity employer dedicated to building an inclusive and diverse workforce. All employment decisions are based on qualifications, experience, and business needs. We strongly encourage applications from underrepresented communities and diverse ethnic groups to apply.

Please feel free to inform us if you need any accommodations to facilitate your participation in the recruitment process. Any details you share will be used solely to ensure we can support and accommodate your needs appropriately.

Benefits

• Health insurance
• Sponsored and tailored training
• Paid parental leave
• Paid time-off
• Flexible work style
• Low-interest loans
• Group Life Insurance
• Access to up to four therapy sessions monthly
• Day off on your birthday 🎂 🎁 🎉
• Employee interest groups that provide supportive communities within Kora
• Great company culture and the opportunity to work with a highly collaborative team building something great!

Note: We recognise imposter syndrome is real - any candidate who does not perfectly fit every characteristic of this role is still strongly encouraged to apply.