Head of Market Linkages at Inkomoko

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Head of Market Linkages

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Employer: Inkomoko

Employment: Full-Time | Permanent

Place of Work: Rwanda, Kigali - Kenya, Nairobi - Ethiopia, Addis Ababa - Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda

Posted date: 1 year ago

Deadline: Submission date is over

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About the Company

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

Founded in 2012, Inkomoko has worked with more than 60,000 entrepreneurs across East Africa, including thousands of refugee entrepreneurs. Inkomoko provides a combination of training, consulting, access to finance, and market-level systems change. We are the largest lender to refugee entrepreneurs in Africa.

Inkomoko has +395 staff in 30 offices across Rwanda, Kenya, Ethiopia, and South Sudan. Through Inkomoko’s 2030 strategic plan, we are adding 4 additional countries to improve the lives of more than 7.6M people by serving more than 550,000 entrepreneurs and investing $150M into refugee & host communities across Africa.

Company 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, and engage in continuous growth through open & accurate feedback.
• Bravery: willing to take risks, create a safe space for others, and be compassionate, and inclusive.
• We Eat Goat: we celebrate success and support each other in hard times.

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

We are seeking a dynamic and experienced professional to join our team as the Head of Market Linkages in East Africa. The Head of Market Linkages is pivotal in driving market linkages and facilitating strategic partnerships across our countries of operation.

She/he will lead initiatives aimed at fostering connections between producers, suppliers, and consumers, thereby contributing to sustainable economic growth and development for micro and small businesses in and around the refugee-hosting regions and secondary cities.

In Inkomoko’s 2030 strategic plan, we recognized the need to create a positive enabling environment for the entrepreneurs we serve – particularly to connect micro and small entrepreneurs to market opportunities beyond their current regions. To achieve thriving communities, Inkomoko believes in a holistic approach of supporting micro and small businesses including refugees at individual, market, and ecosystem level for a favorable business environment.

The Head of Market linkages will be a strategic, systems-level thinker who is committed to driving a market systems change for displaced or marginalized entrepreneurs.

Responsibilities

Specifically, responsibilities of this position include:

• Refine the market linkages strategy and roadmap. Map the core barriers to our client’s success, current stakeholders interested in maintaining and/or impacting the status quo, and approaches to change. This role requires someone who can see a big vision, as well as targeted opportunities to make lasting change.
• Market Analysis: conduct thorough market research and analysis to identify trends, opportunities, and challenges within the East African market landscape with an emphasis on Rwanda, Kenya, South Sudan, and South Sudan.
• Strategic Partnerships: Develop and maintain strategic partnerships with key stakeholders, including government agencies, industry associations, NGOs, and private sector organizations.
• Market Linkages: Oversee Market Linkages implementation across countries, including: Facilitating connections between producers, suppliers, distributors, and consumers to enhance market access and optimize value chains.
• Capacity Building: Lead Market linkage training needs to support local businesses and entrepreneurs to improve their market competitiveness and expand their market reach.
• Innovation: Explore innovative solutions and leverage technology to enhance market linkages and streamline business processes. Always look out for what works and what does not and change strategy/processes/systems accordingly.
• Collaboration: Collaborate with internal teams, including investment, MEL, and communication Departments to align market linkage strategies with overall Inkomoko objectives.
• Monitoring and Evaluation: Engage MEL to establish market linkage metrics to monitor the effectiveness of market linkage initiatives and track progress toward goals.
• Reporting: Prepare regular reports and presentations for senior management and stakeholders, highlighting key insights, achievements, and areas for improvement.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Economics, Marketing, or a related field. Master's degree preferred.
• Proven experience (7+ years) in market development, business development, or related roles, preferably within the East African context.
• Strong understanding of market dynamics, value chains, and business ecosystems in East Africa.
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain strategic partnerships with diverse stakeholders.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills.
• Strategic thinker with the ability to identify opportunities and drive results.
• Proficiency in data analysis and report writing.
• Fluency in English; proficiency in French, Swahili and Arabic is a plus.
• Ability to travel within the region as required.
• Unrelenting commitment to equity, refugees, poverty alleviation, improved livelihoods and the Inkomoko mission.
• Master’s degree in a related field, preferred but not required.
• The lived experience of displacement is highly respected and sought by all leadership

What You'll Get

This role is a tremendous opportunity to work in a high-growth, mission-driven organization. Our compensation includes both a great culture and a competitive market-based package, including:

• Incredible company culture, including deep investment in your learning and growth, and a commitment to inclusion and diversity
• Opportunity to work with a talented, passionate, and committed team of professionals across the region
• Ability to make a significant social impact and contribute to economic growth
• Competitive salary, and potential KPI-based bonus
• Favorable policies like health insurance, staff savings program, parental leave, sabbatical program, and more.

TO APPLY

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

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