Head of Advocacy at Inkomoko:( Deadline 31 October 2023)

Inkomoko supports entrepreneurs to grow their businesses in order 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 +300 staff in 20 offices across Rwanda, Kenya, and Ethiopia, and is expanding in 2023 into South Sudan. Through Inkomoko’s 2030 strategic plan, we are adding 4 additional countries to serve more than 550,000 entrepreneurs and growing our $30M loan fund.

All staff at Inkomoko are connected to a shared set of organizational values:

• Purpose: be solutions-oriented, produce high-quality work, 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, 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, urang babarengan.

  Inkomoko reflects the communities we serve.  Displaced persons and women are strongly encouraged to apply.

This is a new position for Inkomoko and the Head of Advocacy will lead all the advocacy initiatives of the organization, across multiple geographies. In Inkomoko’s 2030 strategic plan, we recognized the need to create a positive enabling environment for the entrepreneurs we serve – particularly with respect to refugee rights, financial inclusion, and ensuring government policies and private sector practices are conducive to the growth of our clients. To achieve thriving communities, Inkomoko believes in a holistic approach of supporting micro and small businesses including refugees at individual, market systems and advocacy for a favorable business environment.

The Head of Advocacy role will be a strategic, systems-level thinker who is committed to engaging partners and government to advance opportunities for displaced or marginalized entrepreneurs.

Specifically, the positions responsibilities include:

• Define the advocacy strategy and roadmap. Map the core barriers to our clients’ success, the stakeholders who maintain/impact that 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.

• Lead execution on advocacy approaches. Lead the development and implementation of advocacy strategies to promote the rights and economic contribution of refugees and IDPs . Take action, pulling in our Senior Leadership Team (c-suite, Managing Directors and Regional Directors) to ensure that our strategy comes to life. Constantly scan the legal and regulatory frameworks to see opportunities for inputting our perspectives into the conversation. Get a seat at the table.

• Coordinate government relations.  Build and maintain relationships with government officials, NGOs, UN agencies, and other stakeholders and work in deep partnership with them to influence favorable policies and regulatory opportunities that support refugees and Internally Displaced persons.

• Represent Inkomoko’s perspective.  Contribute our perspectives to top-line industry conferences and publications to influence collective knowledge at the intersection of forced migration and private sector development.

• Proactive communications and engagement with cross-functional internal teams  Collect insights and trends from the field and our clients to integrate into our advocacy strategy and decision-making at all levels of the organization. Be able to take a real-life experience of an individual entrepreneur and extrapolate the larger policy implications.

• Define and measure qualitative success. Engage the MEL team to both define qualitative metrics of success, as well as pose to them the data and stories that you need to make your case. Prepare and present reports, briefings, and other materials related to advocacy efforts.

• 8+ years of relevant experience working across East Africa in issues of advocacy, refugee rights, entrepreneurship/livelihoods policy, government/bi-lateral relations.

• A sense of urgency and patience to run the long marathon of systems change.

• An entrepreneurial mindset and sees opportunity and can craft a plan to leverage it.

• A deeply strategic thinker with an understanding of how systems link together and how to leverage adjustments for meaningful impact.

• Great communication and storytelling skills, with ability to build sincere rapport with a variety of stakeholders and to speak persuasively with compassion, conviction, and data insights.

• Government relations, partner management, and stakeholder engagement experience with C-level decision-makers.

• Community organizing or campaign experience is a plus.

• Proactive and ability to work independently and in coalition.

• Available to travel frequently across East Africa.

• Unrelenting commitment to equity, refugees, poverty alleviation, improved livelihoods and the Inkomoko mission.

• Master’s degree in a related field, preferred but not required.

• Lived experience of displacement is highly respected and sought for all leadership roles at Inkomoko.

This role is inside a high-growth, mission-driven social enterprise. By joining, you’ll access:

• Competitive salary, and potential KPI-based bonus

• Incredible company culture, including deep investment in your learning and growth

• Diverse colleagues and policies that show our commitment to equity and inclusion

• Talented, passionate, and committed team colleagues across the region

• Ability to make a significant social impact to your community

• Generous health insurance, staff savings, parental leave, sabbatical, and more benefits.

TO APPLY

If you’re excited about this role, please submit your cover letter and CV.

Tell us what you’ll bring to this role and company.

As a company, we have policies in place that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion at all levels.

We do not employ staff whose background is not suitable. All employment is conditional upon the successful completion of all applicable background checks.