ABOUT INKOMOKO
Inkomoko is dedicated to empowering micro and small entrepreneurs across Africa, including refugees, to create jobs, improve livelihoods, and build thriving communities. Since its inception in 2012, Inkomoko has supported nearly 100,000 entrepreneurs across East and Central Africa, providing a combination of training, consulting, access to finance, and market-level systems change. Notably, Inkomoko is the largest lender to refugee entrepreneurs in Africa, offering affordable financing to fuel business growth and economic development. In 2025, it was listed as Financial Times 8th fastest growing company in Africa, the fastest in East Africa.
With a team of more than 750 employees across 40 offices in Chad, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, and South Sudan, Inkomoko is committed to expanding its impact. Through its 2030 strategic plan, the organisation aims to extend its services to three additional countries, reaching over 550,000 entrepreneurs and growing its $30 million loan fund to impact 7 million lives.
Inkomoko's vision is an Africa with thriving communities where young people and refugees are engaged, communities have access to relevant innovations for self-determination, and African solutions are unleashed to solve African problems. The organisation's core values guide its work:
- Purpose: Be solutions-oriented, produce high-quality work, and lead globally.
- Achievement: Push beyond previous limits and strive for excellence.
- Improvement: Stay humble, embrace continuous learning, and welcome open feedback.
- Bravery: Take risks, foster inclusivity, and create safe spaces for all.
- We Eat Goat: Celebrate success and support one another, embodying unity—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
The Vice President, Country Leadership is a high-impact executive role responsible for ensuring that Inkomoko’s strategy is successfully implemented and scaled across its countries of operation. As the organization deepens its localization model and empowers a growing cadre of Managing Directors (MDs), the VP, Country Leadership is the driving force behind operational excellence, program fidelity, client outcomes, and strategic growth across complex and dynamic environments.
Reporting to the CEO, this role serves as a key bridge between global strategy and country-level execution by supporting MDs to lead high-performing, values-driven teams and ensuring that each country has the systems, leadership, and resources it needs to thrive.
This role also oversees the Director of Advocacy and Director of Country Leadership to connect country-level implementation with national and regional strategies.
The position is open to anyone based in our country of operations: Rwanda, Kenya, Ethiopia, South Sudan or Chad.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Strategic Management of Managing Directors
- Supervise and coach Managing Directors of each country to ensure high-quality implementation of programs, operations, and team leadership
- Serve as a strategic thought partner to MDs, supporting country-level planning, performance management, and adaptive execution.
- Track and synthesize regional trends, surfacing insights and risks that inform enterprise strategy and innovation.
- Lead country strategy reviews and recalibrations in collaboration with the VP of Strategy and MDs.
- Serve as Interim Country Director during prolonged vacancies as needed.
- Ensure legal and regulatory compliance with General Counsel.
- Lead crisis management and operational risk assessments in partnership with the senior leaders.
- Oversee country expansion planning and execution, ensuring alignment with organizational standards and sustainability.
- Model inclusive, values-based leadership promoting a culture of safety, inclusion, and accountability across all teams and operations; hold others accountable to do the same.
Cross-Functional Alignment
- Partner with functional VPs (Finance, People, Strategy, Programs, External Affairs, Digital) to ensure coherent support and cross-functional collaboration to country teams
- Resolve interdepartmental challenges and foster shared ownership of program outcomes.
- Champion operational excellence and shared accountability across departments and geographies.
Advocacy and External Representation
- Supervise the Director of Advocacy to ensure country and regional advocacy strategies are well-coordinated and aligned with organizational goals and country contexts.
- Represent Inkomoko in external meetings with partners, funders, and stakeholders in countries of operation and in regional and international events In partnership with the VP of External Affairs.
- Support MDs in building national and regional partnerships, government and donor relationships, and fundraising and advocacy activities.
- Align messaging and donor engagement with MDs, Development, and Communications teams, including on multi-country awards.
- Contribute to alignment of communications, donor messaging, and positioning across countries and global functions with the VP of External Affairs.
Safeguarding
- Ensure robust safeguarding systems are in place in all operations—promoting staff training, clear protocols, and a culture of transparency and safety.
- Identify and mitigate operational and safeguarding risks in collaboration with the Legal and Risk functions.
- Act promptly and appropriately on any safeguarding concerns, fostering a culture of transparency, trust, and collective responsibility.
COMPETENCIES
We are looking for someone who;
- Leads with Strategic Foresight - Co-creates and executes strategies aligned with long-term organizational goals. Applies a future-focused lens (5+ years ahead) to translate high-level vision into actionable plans that drive sustainable impact.
- Operates with Organizational Savvy - Leads effectively within dynamic systems, understanding and managing the interdependencies of policy, process, and people. Builds alignment and influence across formal and informal structures. Uses inspirational leadership strategies to drive ownership and initiative at all levels of the organisation
- Drives Change Effectively - Leads change initiatives with a structured, people-centered approach, balancing outcomes with an understanding of the human experience of change.
Requirements
WHO YOU ARE
- 12–15+ years of senior leadership experience in international development, social enterprise, or complex operational environments, including at least two years successful tenure as Country Director, Country Representative, or similar. Multi-country program management would be a plus.
- Demonstrated success coaching and developing executive-level leaders.
- Demonstrated experience in advocacy work and knowledge of at least one pillar of Inkomoko’s work
- Strong cross-functional leadership skills with the ability to resolve tension and align diverse stakeholders.
- Ability to adjust leadership style in real-time to fit diverse cultural, contextual, and operational challenges.
- Track record of using data to drive improvement and inform strategic decision making.
- Experience using a future-focused mindset to continuously evolve for impact in fast-changing markets.
- Willingness and ability to travel internationally up to 40% of the time and at times spend extended times in countries of operation.
- Master’s degree in a relevant field preferred but not required.
- Deep commitment to equity, client-centered innovation, and collaborative leadership.
- Lived experience of displacement is highly valued and encouraged for leadership roles at Inkomoko.
Benefits
WHY JOIN INKOMOKO
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 this link:https://shortlist.thriveapp.ly/job/56
Tell us about what you’ll bring to this growing company.
DEADLINE: Open until filled. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, apply now!
Inkomoko is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer. Refugees, women, and persons who reflect the diverse communities we serve are strongly encouraged to apply.
Shortlist (www.shortlist.net) is our exclusive recruitment partner for this role. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the position is closed, though early applications are strongly encouraged. If you believe you meet the attributes and skills above, please apply.
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.
