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
To lead the design, implementation, and scale-up of Inkomoko’s market systems and market linkage strategies across Rwanda, with a focus on creating inclusive economic opportunities for refugee and host communities.
The Market Systems Program Manager will drive the development of frameworks and partnerships that strengthen market access for micro and small entrepreneurs, oversee a team of business advisors, and ensure that all interventions are aligned with systemic change principles. This role will be pivotal in fostering sustainable business growth through private sector engagement, cross-sector collaboration, and adaptive program management across diverse field locations.
The objectives of this role include:
- Design an implementation strategy and frameworks for Market linkage activities to serve micro and small entrepreneurs in Rwanda’s refugee-hosting districts, and secondary cities
- Fully develop and operationalize program plans and to meet the needs of Inkomoko, our clients and partners. Specific responsibilities include:
Program Management, Diagnostics and Strategy (25%)
- Lead rigorous market systems diagnostics and value chain assessments in priority sectors - including livestock, finance, logistics, agriculture, textiles, FMCG, and manufacturing - to uncover systemic constraints, incentive structures, and leverage points for inclusive, sustainable change.
- Map and engage a diverse range of market actors - including producers, buyers, service providers, and policy influencers - to strengthen core and supporting market functions and foster well-functioning market linkage systems. Maintain a database of enterprises and identify those with high potential to crowd in and scale inclusive practices.
- Oversee the day-to-day coordination, implementation, and quality assurance of MSD activities. Monitor progress, manage risks, and ensure timely, results-driven delivery
- Collaborate with the training team to develop and deliver market-relevant capacity-building content that equips entrepreneurs with the skills and insights needed to engage competitively in value chains and adopt new market behaviors.
Intervention Design and Portfolio Management (25%)
- Co-design and facilitate catalytic, market-driven interventions that address systemic constraints and root causes of market underperformance. Interventions should be facilitative, reinforcing existing market functions and incentivizing local actors to lead and sustain change.
- Ensure all MSD initiatives are strategically aligned with organizational objectives and complementary programs within the client-facing Departments(Business Growth Services & Investment).
- Use adaptive management principles to adjust interventions based on ongoing market analysis, stakeholder feedback, and learning.
- Promote inclusive business models that create value for marginalized market actors, including refugees and host communities. Facilitate the crowding-in of market actors by demonstrating commercially viable solutions, ensuring interventions are scalable, cost-effective, and anchored in market incentives rather than direct service delivery.
Partnerships & External Relations (15%)
- Facilitate and maintain strategic relationships with private sector actors to co-create and support inclusive market opportunities for clients. Support the design and implementation of market-facing activities, such as exhibitions, buyer-seller forums, and trade events, that enhance clients’ visibility and access to end markets.
- Engage proactively with start-ups and SMEs to identify systemic barriers to growth, co-develop pathways for upscaling.
- Cultivate a robust network of private sector firms, producer organizations, and relevant development partners - particularly those engaged in agriculture, livestock, retail, and industrial productivity - to foster collaboration and alignment across the market system.
- Actively participate in market linkage forums, sector platforms, and ecosystem convenings to remain informed of evolving market trends, influence stakeholder coordination, and identify crowding-in opportunities to scale impact.
Market linkage activities (25%)
- Design and execute market linkage services like buyer engagement, tender distributions, buyer and supplier connections, etc, to enable clients to expand their businesses
- Work with consulting Business & Investment Advisors to identify clients suitable for market linkage opportunities.
- Provide recruitment and training support, as needed.
- Lead market linkage initiatives by sharing key learnings internally, coordinating with business development and investment teams to identify high-potential clients, and supporting them in accessing and utilizing market opportunities.
- Provide hands-on coaching in marketing, manage local teams and resources efficiently, and ensure clients are well-positioned to grow through strategic visibility and connections.
M&E and adoptive management (5%)
- Lead the use of technology-enabled tools to systematically collect, record, and manage entrepreneur and market actor data to support evidence-based service delivery and adaptive programming.
- Oversee the development and use of tools to monitor market actor behavior change, such as the adoption of inclusive business models, investment in support services, and improved market relationships.
- Design and maintain intervention-specific results chains and systemic change frameworks, clearly articulating the linkages between program activities, outputs, outcomes, and intended market system shifts.
- Co-design and implement robust M&E frameworks, including both quantitative and qualitative indicators, to track changes in market systems, particularly in areas such as actor behavior, crowding-in, and inclusion of marginalized groups.
- Ensure high standards of data quality, consistency, and security across all interventions, supporting accurate analysis and real-time decision-making.
Management & Administration (5%)
- Contribute to the development of annual objectives, strategies, and work plans for BGS, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities and MSD principles.
- Lead administrative planning for intervention roll-out, including budgeting, procurement requests, and compliance with internal financial and operational procedures.
- Manage project resources effectively, ensuring responsible use of funds, timely reporting on expenditures, and adherence to donor and organizational guidelines.
- Maintain accurate and up-to-date documentation of project activities, partner communications, contracts, and operational tools in line with data management standards.
- Participate in internal coordination meetings, contribute to reporting cycles, and provide updates on progress, risks, and administrative needs.
WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR
We are looking for candidates who have previously held Market Systems and Project Management leadership roles with demonstrated success, and who align with our company values.
- 7+ years of demonstrated success in program management of complex projects, Market systems programs in Rwanda.
- Master’s degree preferred, or Bachelor’s degree in Project Management, Business administration, value chain management or related field
- Excellent team builders with demonstrated leadership and interpersonal skills, with the ability to train, supervise, evaluate, and give feedback to staff.
- Experience with designing and implementing projects with a market-systems approach and/or to create market linkages in Rwanda
- Experience working with micro and small businesses as well as overall market dynamics
- Has a sound of understanding of challenges refugees and the local community face with regards to business growth.
- Highly analytical and organized
- Excellent creative and innovative thinking skills
- Fluency in English and Kinyarwanda required.
Key Competencies:
We are looking for someone who:
- Leads Teams - Aligns the team with common objectives derived from the organizational strategy, fosters a shared mindset, and celebrates wins while recognizing team efforts.
- Builds Trust - Holds self and others accountable by clearly outlining responsibilities, tracking results, delegating effectively, building independence and demonstrating care for others, and being consistent in actions.
- Relationship Management - Establishes and maintains strong relationships with key stakeholders, partners, and community leaders, while anticipating and balancing the needs of multiple stakeholders.
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.
