Managing Director - Kenya

ABOUT INKOMOKO 

Inkomoko supports entrepreneurs to grow their businesses in order to improve livelihoods, create jobs, and help communities thrive.

In 2025, Inkomoko was listed by the Financial Times as the 8th fastest-growing company in Africa, supporting entrepreneurs across East and Central Africa to grow thriving businesses and build inclusive, resilient economies.

Founded in 2012, Inkomoko has worked with more than 100,000 entrepreneurs, including thousands of refugee entrepreneurs. Inkomoko provides a combination of training, consulting, access to finance, and market-level systems change.  We are the largest investor to refugee entrepreneurs in Africa. 

Inkomoko has 800+ staff in 50 offices across Chad, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, and South Sudan. Through Inkomoko’s 2030 strategic plan, we are adding 3 additional countries to serve more than 550,000 entrepreneurs and growing our $30M loan fund to impact 7M lives. 

INKOMOKO VALUES

All staff at Inkomoko are connected to a shared set of organizational values:

• Purpose: be solutions-oriented, produce high-quality work, and be a global leader.
• Achievement: push yourself to reach beyond what you previously thought possible. 
• Improvement: be humble, engage in continuous growth through open & accurate feedback
• Bravery: willing to take risks, create a safe space for others, be compassionate, and inclusive.
• We Eat Goat:  we celebrate success and support each other in hard times. We do this work together in the spirit of turikumwe, tuko pamoja, abren nen, Kula na sawa, On est ensemble.

Inkomoko is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer.  Refugees, women, and persons who reflect the diverse communities we serve are strongly encouraged to apply. 

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY AND RESPONSIBILITIES

As Inkomoko enters a new phase of growth and deepens its impact across Africa, the Managing Director (MD) will serve as the most senior leader in their country. The MD is accountable for delivering Inkomoko’s mission locally—driving client impact, team performance, operational excellence, and strategic partnerships.

Whether launching a new market or scaling in a mature one, the MD is responsible for leading a country portfolio aligned with Inkomoko’s strategic direction, ensuring strong client outcomes, managing local compliance and risk, and positioning Inkomoko as a respected and influential stakeholder nationally. 

This role is ideal for a dynamic, purpose-driven leader with an entrepreneurial mindset, local credibility, and the operational discipline to lead teams and systems at scale.

Specifically, the responsibilities include: 

Strategic Leadership & Country Planning

• Develop and execute the country-level strategy of Inkomoko’s enterprise goals and impact priorities, contextualized for the local context. 
• Ensure performance against the country-level Balanced Scorecard (BSC), driving the achievement of strategic and operational milestones across departments .
• Monitor emerging risks and opportunities, applying adaptive management and scenario planning to guide country-level decision-making.
• Align cross-functional teams through collaborative planning, clear communications, and shared accountability.
• Prepare and synthesize insights for the VP to inform regional and enterprise decision-making.

Team Leadership & Culture

• Champion a culture of excellence, equity, and impact; ensure team alignment with Inkomoko’s values and mission.
• Build and coach a high-performing, inclusive country team anchored in Inkomoko’s values, mission, and talent framework.
• Ensure health, safety, and safeguarding practices are embedded across all teams, with robust systems for client and staff well-being.
• Act promptly and appropriately on any safeguarding concerns, fostering a culture of transparency, trust, and collective responsibility.

Program Impact & Innovation

• Oversee program implementation, including through regular site visits, to encourage, advise, build relationships, and evaluate measurable impact.
• Collaborate with technical and functional teams to identify gaps and opportunities for program improvement or innovation.
• Promote learning and adaptation by integrating MEL insights, field feedback, market and external trends into decision-making and program design.
• Advance accountability around gender equity, diversity, and safeguarding across the company.
• Identify and mitigate operational and safeguarding risks in collaboration with the Legal and Risk functions.

External Engagement & Partnerships

• Serve as Inkomoko’s senior spokesperson in-country, representing the organization to government, funders, peer organizations and private sector actors.
• Cultivate strategic partnerships that expand access to capital, markets, and enabling environments for refugee and host entrepreneurs.
• Build and maintain trusted relationships with donors and multilaterals, contributing to proposal design, grant performance, and reporting in partnership with Development. 
• Identify and pursue opportunities for advocacy and thought leadership, in partnership with the VP, Country Leadership and Director of Advocacy.
• Contribute to the creation of country-specific reports, communication materials, and policy briefs to amplify Inkomoko’s work in partnership with MEL, Advocacy and Communications. 
• Lead the coordination and strategic engagement of the country’s Advisory Board, ensuring diverse membership and actionable input into country-level priorities.

Financial & Operational Stewardship

• Oversee the country budget and financial planning process, ensuring alignment of resources with strategic goals and donor compliance.
• Ensure legal and regulatory compliance with national laws, internal policies, and funding requirements.
• Ensure that operations, procurement, and program delivery systems are efficient, secure, and scalable for growth.

WE ARE LOOKING FOR SOMEONE WITH:

• 10+ years of progressive leadership in NGOs, social enterprises, or public institutions, ideally in livelihoods, entrepreneurship, or economic development
• Proven success managing large, diverse teams and cross-functional operations in complex environments
• Expertise in country strategy development, financial management, and operational leadership
• Deep understanding of national socio-economic and political dynamics, with strong local networks and credibility
• Demonstrated experience navigating government relations and compliance frameworks
• Experience in partnership development, fundraising, and donor relationship management
• Strong communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills across multicultural settings
• High tolerance for ambiguity and change, with a proactive, problem-solving mindset
• Willingness to travel up to 30% including to Inkomoko’s operational sites in the country and to regional events
• Commitment to inclusive leadership, staff development, and values-based decision-making
• Master’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., business, development, policy) preferred
• Deep commitment to equity, client-centered innovation, and collaborative leadership.
• Lived experience of displacement is highly valued and encouraged for leadership roles at Inkomoko

COMPETENCIES

We are looking for someone who;

• Thinks and Plans Strategically - Identifies opportunities using future-focused thinking (5+ years ahead); creates a strategic path to operationalize work plans
• Coaches - Facilitates skill development by asking the right questions and providing motivational feedback; enables others and builds their confidence and self-esteem to solve problems independently.
• Manages Complexity - Making sense of information to effectively solve problems
• Leadership - Operates with commitment to values and culture, while supporting the growth and development of others. 

WHAT YOU’LL GET

This role is inside a high-growth, mission-driven social enterprise. By joining, you’ll access:

• Competitive salary, and potential Performance-based bonus
• Incredible company culture, with opportunities for learning and growth
• Diverse colleagues across the region, and policies that demonstrate commitment to equity and inclusion 
• Ability to make a significant social impact to your community
• Health insurance for self and family
• Staff savings and provident fund, negotiated bank rates for long-term employees
• Generous annual leave, parental leave, and sabbatical options.
   

TO APPLY

If you’re excited about this role, please submit your application through the jobs portal. 

Tell us about what you’ll bring to this growing company.

Inkomoko is committed to justice, diversity, equity and inclusion.  As we seek to reflect the communities we serve, refugees and women are strongly encouraged to apply. As a company we have policies that ensure fair treatment in the application process. 

NB: Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Employment is conditional upon successful background checks and other verification as needed.

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and background screening checks. Inkomoko also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme, In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual misconduct, fraud, or abuse. By applying, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures.