Retail Audit Lead; Gauteng

Retail Audit Lead — M-KOPA Gauteng

You're the person who walks into a retail location and sees what everyone else misses. The variance that doesn't quite add up. The process that's being followed in spirit but not in practice. The risk that hasn't surfaced yet — but will. You don't just find these things. You build the systems that make sure they get found consistently, by design, not by accident.

If that's how you think about audit work, M-KOPA has a role that's been waiting for someone like you.

We're hiring a Retail Audit Lead in South Africa — a role that goes well beyond compliance checking. You'll design and own the audit framework that protects the integrity of M-KOPA's retail network, drives accountability across locations, and generates the kind of data-driven insight that informs decisions at the highest level of the business.

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 — which means our retail footprint is expanding, our operational complexity is increasing, and the systems that protect our assets and our customers need to be built to keep pace.

This role is part of how that happens.

Most audit roles ask you to apply a framework someone else designed. This one asks you to build it. You'll establish M-KOPA's comprehensive retail audit system from the ground up — defining evaluation criteria, implementing consistent scoring methodologies, and creating the accountability architecture that keeps every retail location operating to standard.

That's an unusual level of ownership for an audit function. It's also what makes this role genuinely consequential.

You'll lead inventory and compliance auditing across M-KOPA's retail outlets — conducting physical counts, reconciling variances, and working with analysts and stock controllers to investigate discrepancies and close them properly. You'll perform comprehensive compliance checks covering branding standards, health and safety protocols, record-keeping accuracy, and adherence to M-KOPA's operational processes — scoring locations objectively using established criteria and providing structured feedback that drives real improvement.

On the analytics side, you'll prepare detailed audit reports with findings, recommendations, and corrective action plans for management review. You'll analyse stock audit results and operational data to identify patterns, surface risks, and generate the insights that inform strategic decisions across the retail network. This isn't reporting for reporting's sake — the findings you produce will directly shape how M-KOPA manages risk, allocates resources, and develops its retail operations.

Fraud prevention is a meaningful part of the scope too. You'll identify and escalate suspicious activity discovered during audit activity, implement controls that reduce operational risk, and provide field-level support to resolve issues as they arise. In a business that extends credit to millions of customers, the integrity of retail operations isn't just an internal governance matter — it's directly linked to customer outcomes and portfolio health.

• Proven track record in audit, compliance, or retail operations — with demonstrable expertise in inventory management, variance analysis, and regulatory compliance in a multi-location retail or financial services environment, and professional audit certification (CIA, CISA, or equivalent) a strong advantage
• Advanced proficiency in audit software, data analysis tools, and inventory management systems — alongside the analytical capability to identify patterns across complex operational data and translate findings into clear, actionable recommendations for senior stakeholders
• Demonstrated experience building or significantly improving audit frameworks, with the communication skills to present complex findings to diverse audiences and the influencing ability to…