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 750+ staff in 40 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 7 million 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: Be 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.
POSITION SUMMARY
Inkomoko supports entrepreneurs in displacement-affected communities to build sustainable businesses, increase household income, and become self-reliant. This is made possible through training, market linkages, and direct investment via our revolving fund, which offers affordable conventional and Shariah-compliant financial products.
The Head of Product is responsible for designing, testing, and refining Inkomoko’s financial products both conventional and Shariah-compliant to ensure they are client-centric, operationally feasible, and financially sustainable. This role focuses on product innovation, segment strategy and continuous improvement of lending methodologies while working closely with the Credit Risk team to ensure products operate within approved risk frameworks. The Head of Product collaborates across Risk, Operations, Technology, and Country Investment teams to ensure products are scalable, compliant, and responsive to market and client needs. In addition, the role provides technical leadership to branch-based investment teams and manages the Shariah Compliance Officer to guarantee adherence to Islamic finance principles.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Product Strategy & Innovation
- Lead the end-to-end design of financial products and services with a forward-looking (2+ years) perspective.
- Align product strategy with client needs, financial inclusion goals, and Inkomoko’s portfolio quality and growth targets.
- Integrate Shariah-compliant principles into relevant product development streams.
- Maintain a pipeline of innovative product ideas informed by client data, market intelligence, and global best practices.
- Define and maintain programme segmentation frameworks ensuring products align with client capacity, risk tolerance and growth potential.
2. Product Prototyping, Testing & Iteration
- Design and manage pilot programs to test new or revised products, tools, or lending methodologies.
- Partner with MERL and client service teams to collect and analyze feedback during pilots.
- Use insights from pilots, portfolio data, and client experience to refine product features and delivery channels.
- Ensure scalability and operational feasibility before full rollout across country operations.
- Ensure product design integrates with Inkomoko’s training and advisory services to strengthen repayment outcomes.
3. Product Optimization & Performance Monitoring
- Track product performance against adoption, client outcomes, operational efficiency, and client satisfaction metrics. Work with the Credit Risk team to review repayment performance and portfolio health to inform product refinement.
- Partner with Credit risk and Portfolio Analytics teams to integrate early-warning signals into product iteration.
- Continuously refine loan origination tools, client onboarding processes, and branch-level productivity measures.
- Surface insights from field data to inform product improvements and delivery mechanisms.
4. Cross-functional Collaboration
- Partner with the Head of Credit Risk & Compliance, Credit Operations, and Systems & Digital to ensure risk-aligned, compliant, and technology-enabled product rollouts.
- Work closely with Country Heads of Investment to ensure products are adapted to local contexts and effectively delivered through branches.
- Collaborate with Legal and Shariah Compliance Officer to ensure regulatory and religious compliance.
5. Team Leadership & Capacity Building
- Supervise and mentor the Shariah Compliance Officer and Product team members.
- Provide technical coaching and support to branch-based Loan Officers and Support Officers to enhance product delivery.
- Build team capacity in product design, client-centric approaches, and emerging fintech solutions.
- Foster a culture of innovation and continuous improvement within the Product function.
6. Market Scanning & Competitive Intelligence
- Identify opportunities for new lending methodologies, digital tools, and financial inclusion innovations relevant to displacement-affected markets.
- Continuously monitor financial services, fintech, and microfinance trends across Inkomoko’s markets.
- Benchmark Inkomoko products against competitors and identify differentiation opportunities.
- Lead exploration of new technologies (e.g., mobile lending, AI-driven credit scoring) that enhance value for clients.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Economics, Business, or related field (Master’s preferred).
- 10+ years of experience in financial product development, financial inclusion, fintech, microfinance, or MSME lending.
- Proven experience designing or managing financial products for underserved markets.
- Experience working with cross-functional teams including risk, operations, and technology to launch scalable financial products.
- Strong understanding of lending methodologies, pricing, and client segmentation.
Preferred:
- Experience working in refugee or displacement-affected markets.
- Familiarity with Islamic finance structures.
- Experience in digital lending or fintech-enabled financial services.
Competencies
We are looking for someone who;
- Synthesizes Data - Leverages key information, data, and insights to enhance both client and team member experiences.
- Adapts Approach to Situations - Adjusts the team's approach to meet the shifting demands of impact; able to quickly adapt to suit the context and drive to positive outcomes for their department.
- Enhances Competitive Advantage - Creates new and better ways to drive organizational success, with a future-focused mindset (at least 2 years ahead), through innovation and leveraging external relationships and opportunities.
- Uses his/her Technical expertise to coach and guide staff to meet and exceed expectations.
WHAT YOU’LL GET
This role is inside a high-growth, mission-driven social enterprise. By joining, you’ll access:
- Competitive salary, and potential annual 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 CV, and tell us why you are the right fit for this opportunity.
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.
