About the job
M-KOPA is hiring a Data Scientist focused on Credit Eligibility, based in London. This role centers on developing predictive models that shape loan eligibility and pricing for millions of customers across five African markets. The work directly supports M-KOPA’s mission to expand financial access and improve lending strategies at scale.
Why This Role Matters
M-KOPA has enabled over 7 million customers to access credit, distributing more than $2 billion in loans and processing upwards of 1.5 million payments each day. The models and insights produced in this role help underserved individuals secure credit, often for the first time, and contribute to a broader mission of financial inclusion.
What Makes M-KOPA Stand Out
- Mission-driven data science: Build credit scoring and pricing models that expand financial access for customers outside traditional lending systems.
- Industry recognition: M-KOPA has been named to the TIME 100 list of most influential companies and recognized by the Financial Times as Africa's fastest-growing company for four years running (2022–2025).
- Scale and complexity: Work with large-scale repayment datasets from five African countries, designing machine learning models that balance growth and credit risk.
- Environmental commitment: Support a carbon-negative mission, with over 2.1 million tonnes of emissions displaced to date.
What You Will Do
- Design, build, and refine predictive models that drive lending strategy, credit scoring, and pricing optimization.
- Collaborate with a small, high-performing team to take ownership of model development and deployment.
- Work cross-functionally with engineers, analysts, growth managers, and commercial stakeholders across multiple countries.
