Strategy & Operations Associate

Full time

Johannesburg or Cape Town

Overview

We are looking for a sharp, gritty, and insanely versatile Strategy & Operations Associate to join our founding team and help us scale Pumpkn.

This isn’t a narrow role. You’ll be a cross-functional athlete: diving deep into marketing, sales, and data, you will conduct market research, shape new products and user experiences, help close sales and solve problems before we even know they exist. You’ll partner closely with the leadership team, working across marketing, sales, product, data and ops, wherever the biggest opportunity (or fire) is.

We want someone who learns fast, thinks clearly, executes relentlessly, and thrives in ambiguity. If you’re a consultant, analyst or engineer looking for a new challenge, this is for you.

What you'll do

Lead multiple initiatives across the business – Own short-term sprints and long-term projects across marketing, sales, product, data and operations. Shift gears easily and deliver where it matters most.
Shape new products and user experiences – Work with credit, sales, and customer feedback to ideate and validate products that solve real problems and deliver value.
Turn ideas into action – Help translate business hypotheses into strategies, experiments, and systems that drive measurable outcomes.
Crunch the numbers – Analyse customer behaviour, credit performance, and market trends to support decision-making across the business.
Drive commercial thinking – Collaborate with the sales and marketing teams to refine GTM strategies, pricing, and messaging.

What we're looking for

X-Factor. You have built something cool and unique in your spare time with new tech tool (s).
3–5 years of high-performance work experience. Software development, management consulting, fintech, analytics, or a similar environment.
Exceptional problem-solving and critical thinking ability. You bring structured thinking to unstructured problems.
Analytical fluency. Comfortable with Excel, dashboards, and SQL/Python (or excited to learn quickly).
Commercial and customer intuition with strong EQ. You can engage and relate with clients from all walks of life to understand what makes them tick and how products need to be shaped for fit.
Clear communicator. Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal skills.
Bias for action. You take ownership, get things done fast, and figure things out along the way.
Humility and hunger. You’re not afraid to get in the weeds or work on things outside your “job description.
Johannesburg or Cape Town-based, with the ability to travel when needed.

Bonus Points

Prior experience in a startup or fintech/lending environment.
Exposure to customer research, digital marketing, or product management.
Familiarity with South Africa’s SME landscape or Agri/Food value chains.

‍

What we offer

Purpose & Impact

Help shape the future of SME finance in Africa, driving economic growth and financial inclusion.

Growth Runway

As an early team member, you'll have massive scope for influence, learning, and leadership as we scale.

Entrepreneurial Culture

Flat, fast, and founder-led. We value initiative, transparency, and experimentation.

Competitive Rewards

Mix of base salary, commission, and equity.

Is this you?

Drop a short intro as to why you’re a fit and a 1-pager CV to our co-founder Jerome.
Send email to:‍jerome@pumpkn.io

About Pumpkn

Pumpkn is a digital-first lender unlocking access to finance for South Africa’s 100,000 agriculture and food SMEs, the underdogs driving our food system. Our smart lending platform and proprietary credit algorithm (the funding ladder) are built for speed, scale, and inclusion. After a successful pre-seed phase proving strong unit economics, we’re ready to scale. Backed by top South African and African fintech investors, including Next176 (Old Mutual) and First Circle Capital, Pumpkn is on a mission to transform SME lending across the continent. Join us and help fund the businesses that feed Africa.