Lead People Partner

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 six 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

Wave is now the largest financial institution in Senegal, with over 7 million users. And, we’re still in the early days of our product roadmap and potential impact on people’s everyday lives.

As a Lead People Partner (HRBP) at Wave, you will collaborate closely with Engineering and Product leaders to design and implement people strategies that drive success and innovation. You’ll play a key role in aligning organisational goals, fostering team development, and ensuring our culture and operations scale effectively during rapid growth.

In this role you’ll;

Build trusted relationships with leaders in Engineering and Product, acting as their primary advisor on organisational design, talent strategies, and team dynamics.
Collaborate with departmental heads, to develop and execute people strategies that enable these teams to deliver exceptional outcomes while scaling sustainably.
Use people analytics to anticipate workforce needs and address challenges proactively, focusing on the fast-paced, technical demands of these departments.
Work with Engineering and Product leaders to define and develop leadership competencies tailored to their specific challenges.
Partner with the Learning & Development team to implement leadership programs that foster innovation, collaboration, and high performance in technical and product-focused roles.
Support career pathing for Engineering and Product teams, ensuring employees have clear opportunities to grow within Wave’s unique structure.
Advocate for Wave’s values, ensuring Engineering and Product teams operate with a culture that aligns with our mission and startup mindset.
Collaborate with leaders and Culture Ambassadors to design engagement initiatives that resonate with the needs of technical and product professionals.
Partner with team-leads to build inclusive, feedback-driven environments that empower team members to excel.
Work closely with leaders to design team structures that enhance agility, collaboration, and rapid execution.
Support change management initiatives within Engineering and Product, ensuring alignment with broader organisational goals and a seamless employee experience.
Collaborate with People Operations to manage resource allocations and ensure these departments are equipped to meet their objectives.
Leverage people analytics to inform workforce planning and measure the effectiveness of people initiatives within Engineering and Product.
Track and report on key metrics such as retention, engagement, and team performance, using insights to guide strategic adjustments.

Key Details

You can work remotely from anywhere (between UTC -1 and +3) with reliable Internet access as long as you have work authorisation.
Wave covers travel once per year to one of our operating countries in Africa, as well as a yearly stipend of $800 to meet with coworkers nearby to your home location.
Our salaries are competitive and are calculated using a transparent formula. For this role, depending on your experience, we offer a competitive salary, plus a generous equity.
Major benefits:

Subsidised health insurance for you and your dependents and retirement contributions (both vary from country to country)
6 months of fully paid parental leave and subsidised fertility assistance.
Flexible vacation, with most folks taking between 30-40 days per year.
$10,000 annual charitable donation matching.

Requirements

Minimum 8-10 years of progressive HR experience.
Previous experience in HR consulting or Operational HRBP roles.
Demonstrated ability to navigate complex organisational structures and influence across leadership teams.
Exceptional relationship-building and stakeholder management skills.
Fluent in English; proficiency in French is a plus but not a mandatory requirement

You might be a good fit if you

Excel at designing people solutions that align with the goals of Engineering and Product teams and scale effectively.
Understand the dynamics of technical and product teams, including the challenges of scaling innovation and collaboration.
Are data driven, use metrics and insights to inform decisions and evaluate the impact of people strategies.
Thrive in cross-functional environments, are a collaborative leader and can inspire without direct authority.
Perform well in a fast-paced and evolving environment, and can pivot quickly as needed.

Our team

We have a rapidly growing in-country team in Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Burkina Faso, The Gambia, and Uganda, 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.
In 2023, we were on Y Combinator's top 50 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.