About the Company

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 +390 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, 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. 

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

Inkomoko Ethiopia is currently seeking a qualified Business Development Manager as a key member of the leadership team who will be based in Jijiga - Ethiopia. The successful candidate will have the following duties: 

Responsibilities

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT (40% TIME) 

• Manage Inkomoko services and programs in Jijiga and Kebribeyah 

• Organize all programs and operations to achieve the Goals, creating solutions to overcome barriers to delivery and improve efficiency. 

• Stay up to date with entrepreneurship trends in Ethiopia at large.

• Elevate trends and insights to senior management, helping to inform future strategies. 

• Manage, coach, and develop Business Development Advisors (BDAs) and Senior Business Development Advisors (SBDAs) to recruit, verify, and provide high quality services to refugee and Ethiopian entrepreneurs annually. 

• Advise staff on how to navigate challenges/make sound business decisions with their clients. 

• Advise staff on how to serve entrepreneurs on operations, sales, bookkeeping, finance, and investment 

• Cooperate closely with the Business Growth Director (BGS) and Managing Director(MD) on all program performance. 

• Ensure Goals are set on individual business, market linkages and advocacy are met in the locations under his/her supervision 

• Incorporate lessons learned from M&E into new solutions for impact and efficiency. Coordinate with colleagues in the Investment Department to decrease risk for the company. 

• Coordinate with the MEL Manager in your country for ensuring there is accurate, reliable, and timely data collected for your programs. 

• Work closely with the MEL team in data analysis, understanding trends of qualitative and quantitative data. 

• Create meaningful reports with insight for senior management and partners as needed. 

STAFF MANAGEMENT (30% TIME) 

• Supervise all staff operating within the Inkomoko program office 

• Work closely with the People & Culture department to recruit, hire, train, assess performance, and manage time off and other HR matters to ensure the department meets its Goals. 

• Coach and develop team members for outstanding performance 

• Address any disciplinary or poor performance issues, having hard conversations as needed. 

• Other duties to support organizational culture and leadership 

• Serve on the organization’s leadership team as an active and engaged senior colleague. 

EXTERNAL RELATIONS (20% TIME) 

• Maintain and grow Inkomoko relationships with program partners, ARRA, UNHCR, Federal government, other relevant government agencies and funders 

• Coordinate with the M&E team on data analysis, understanding trends of qualitative and quantitative data, and creating meaningful reports with insight for partners & management 

• Support external communications efforts, working with communications experts to provide case studies and data to support public relations on social media, blogs, and other forums. 

• Provide reports and communications to donors and investors as needed 

• Organize external partner visit to clients and showcase Inkomoko operations 

• Represent Inkomoko in local partnership meetings, identifying opportunities and coordinating service delivery with other partners 

FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION (10% TIME): 

• Work with the BGS Director to plan and manage the budget, staffing, operations 

• Work with the Finance Department to manage expenses and revenue

• Work with the Innovation Department to ensure technology meets local needs

• Set up new Branch Offices as needed (lease, equipment, vehicles, facilities, office) 

• Coach staff to use digital reporting tools, maintain company admin standards 

• Manage and oversee other office logistics 

• Report to senior management on operations, participate in company-wide protocols 

Job Requirements

Minimum Qualifications

• We are looking for individuals who are passionate about entrepreneurship and have the skills and experience to help entrepreneurs make lasting change to their businesses. We are seeking candidates who work quickly and thoroughly, collaborate, and are both kind and serious. 

  The ideal candidate must demonstrate previous experience with: 

  • Minimum Bachelor’s Degree, advanced degree in MBA strongly preferred 

  • Experience in working independently on large projects with measurable results 

  • Experience in managing diverse staff to bring out their best 

  • Good written and oral communications skills 

  • Shows perseverance, personal integrity, and critical thinking skills 

  • Experience in entrepreneurship industry (consulting, business planning, finance) 

  • Familiar with the region is a plus. 

  • Must speak fluent English & Amharic 

  Additionally, the successful candidate will most likely also have: 

  • 5+ years of work experience in relevant or applicable field 

  • Experience partnering with UNHCR, RRS, funders 

  • Excellent computer skills, especially with MS Excel and Word, and ERP databases 

  • Good presentation and training skills. 

What You'll Get

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

• Competitive salary, and potential Goal-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.

How to Apply

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

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 submitting an application, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures.