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 780+ staff in 45 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
The Director of Products and Innovation will drive Inkomoko’s product development and innovation agenda, creating and scaling digital solutions that empower underserved entrepreneurs and enhance operational efficiency. Reporting to the VP of Digital Transformation, the Director will lead digital lending platforms, ERP implementation, and automation tools for Programs, People & Culture, Procurement, and Finance, ensuring alignment with Inkomoko’s mission of inclusive economic growth in Africa.
This role demands a strategic, collaborative leader who delivers proprietary, scalable solutions while adhering to Inkomoko’s Intellectual Property Policy and multi-country regulations. The role is open to candidates based in any of our countries of operations: Rwanda, Kenya, Ethiopia, South Sudan & Chad.
Key Responsibilities:
Strategic Leadership
- Develop a 5-year product and innovation roadmap aligned with Inkomoko’s mission and digital transformation goals.
- Identify emerging technologies (e.g., AI, blockchain) and partnerships to advance digital financial inclusion.
- Assess risks and dependencies to guide executive decision-making.
Product Innovation & Delivery
- Apply human-centered design principles to build solutions rooted in deep understanding of entrepreneurs’ needs, behaviours, and constraints.
- Lead user research, journey mapping, and prototype testing with MSMEs, field staff, and partners to ensure products are intuitive, inclusive, and accessible across literacy levels.
- Use data-driven insight + qualitative human insight to guide product decisions and prioritization.
- Drive business-model innovation, testing sustainable pricing, unit economics, and adoption strategies to ensure products deliver measurable value and financial viability.
- Oversee end-to-end product lifecycle for solutions supporting training, consultancy, marketing linkages, advocacy, and investment access for MSMEs
- Lead ERP integration for Finance, P&C, and Procurement, ensuring seamless operations across multi-country teams.
- Champion proprietary automation tools, ensuring IP protection per Inkomoko’s policy.
- Evaluate and integrate third-party solutions (e.g., APIs, open-source tools), ensuring compliance with licensing and IP rights.
Team Leadership & Coaching
- Lead and mentor a diverse team of professionals, fostering a coaching culture for accountability and innovation.
- Promote inclusive hiring and professional growth, ensuring all team members feel valued.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Facilitate co-creation workshops with entrepreneurs, program teams, and external partners to continuously refine product direction and user experience.
- Engage with MSME ecosystems, regulators, industry associations, and technology partners to ensure products respond to evolving market realities and user contexts
- Partner with PnC, Finance, IT, and external vendors to align product initiatives with operational needs.
- Communicate product vision and progress to technical and non-technical stakeholders for shared alignment.
Governance & Operational Excellence
- Establish product governance frameworks, KPIs, and feedback loops to monitor impact.
- Manage budgets for optimal ROI and ensure compliance with regional central banks, GDPR, and local data protection laws.
- Enforce Inkomoko’s IP Policy, safeguarding proprietary assets and overseeing third-party IP compliance.
Continuous Learning & Growth
- Monitor AI, MSME finance, and automation trends, promoting a culture of experimentation and ethical innovation.
WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR
- Master’s or Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Product Management, or related field.
- 10+ years in digital product management, innovation, or technology transformation, preferably in fintech or enterprise systems.
- Proven success leading ERP, digital lending, or automation projects in multi-country settings.
- Expertise in agile methodologies, product design, and regulatory compliance
- Strong leadership of cross-functional, distributed teams in hybrid environments.
- Passion for social impact and experience with MSMEs or emerging markets.
Key Competencies:
- Human-Centered Design Mindset – Demonstrates empathy for end-users, incorporates real user feedback, iterates based on insights, and builds solutions tailored to diverse literacy, cultural, and market contexts.
- 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.
DEADLINE: Open until filled. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, please apply as soon as possible!
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.
