Growth Lead - Africa

Role Overview: 

We are looking for a Growth Lead Africa Expansion to lead Mati’s entry and scale-up in new African countries. This role is ideal for a sharp, multilingual operator who can navigate field realities and boardrooms alike working with vendors, farmers, government ministries, NGOs, and partner organizations to establish Mati’s local presence quickly and credibly.

You’ll be the tip of the spear in identifying strategic locations, setting up local operations, building initial partnerships, and launching pilots. You must be entrepreneurial yet diplomatic, capable of working independently to unlock opportunities in dynamic, sometimes challenging, environments.

Key Responsibilities

Market Entry & Setup

• Scout and select high-potential regions for Mati’s entry based on rock availability, soil need, farmer density, and partner ecosystem.
  
  

• Quickly establish in-country presence: register local entity (where needed), hire initial team, and secure vendor relationships.
  
  

• Liaise with local government agencies for permits, agronomic cooperation, and compliance.
  
  

Partnerships & Relationship Management

• Build trusted relationships with crushers, logistics partners, farmer networks, NGOs, and local agribusinesses.
  
  

• Cultivate government relationships to secure endorsements and long-term support for ERW.
  
  

• Represent Mati in country-level meetings, conferences, and development networks.
  

Operations Enablement

• Coordinate deployment logistics and help onboard the first wave of field operations staff or franchise partners.
  
  

• Troubleshoot on-ground issues from customs delays to trucking breakdowns with composure and hustle.
  

Business Development & Communication

• Act as Mati’s “chief storyteller” in the region communicating the impact and value proposition of ERW to stakeholders.
  
  

• Lead negotiations with key partners and help secure MOUs or pilot agreements.
  
  

• Provide regular field reporting and contribute to internal learning and iteration on the expansion playbook.
  
  

Ideal Candidate Profile

• 5+ years experience in market expansion, rural business operations, NGO/agriculture/logistics setup, or government relations.
  
  

• Fluency in English and French is mandatory.
  
  

• Based in Africa in major cities - ,with networks in West/Central/East Africa.
  
  

• Strong commercial instincts knows how to strike a deal but protect the mission.
  
  

• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills able to inspire confidence across diverse cultural and stakeholder contexts.
  
  

• Comfortable with ambiguity and field adversity thrives in challenging or resource-constrained environments.
  
  

• Bonus: Experience in agriculture, agri-inputs, NGO field programs, climate ventures, or government-affiliated initiatives.
  
  

What We Offer

• Rare opportunity to lead expansion for a global climate venture across Africa, with autonomy and real impact.
  
  

• Work directly with the leadership team and global ecosystem of funders, partners, and scientists.
  
  

• Competitive salary, performance incentives, and generous travel allowance.
  
  

Be part of building a model that could benefit 100+ million farmers across the Global South.