Latest Recruitment at Inkomoko

About the Opportunity

Inkomoko is seeking an exceptional Senior Business Development Advisor- Market Linkage to help drive our market linkages services to our more than 40,000 MSME clients.  This role will entail building strategic relationships with buyers in different industry sectors, including INGOs, public institutions, and private organizations. 
The Senior Business Development Advisor - Market Linkage will be responsible for interact with the local business community, look out for market opportunities suitable for our clients, and build lasting relationships with local buyers, engaging with existing and new buyers, and connecting them with our MSME clients. S/HE will also support tender distribution service and help to integrate 50 MSMEs into value chains, with a focus on helping micro and small-scale producers acquire product certification from relevant government institutions.

The Senior Business Development Advisor Market Linkage will join a growing start-up team with core responsibilities as follows:

Responsibilities

• Buyer engagement: Identify and cultivate relationships with existing and new buyers to expand sales opportunities for our MSME clients; facilitate connections between buyers and our MSME clients.
• Tender distribution oversight: Manage the pilot tender distribution service for small and medium clients. This will include providing training on bid preparation and application.
• MSME integration into formal value chains: Lead efforts to integrate MSMEs, especially micro and small-scale producers, into formal value chains; this will involve collaborating with relevant government institutions and stakeholders to facilitate the acquisition of product certification  for select- MSME clients.
• Supervise market research: Oversee and manage market research activities, providing guidance and support, and ensuring the team's performance is up to standards; and ensures that all research activities adhere to organization standards and best practices while upholding data privacy and ethical guidelines.
• Manage and coach a team of Business Associates and graduate trainees and ensure service quality: Give direction, support, and advice to ML team Business associates and graduate trainees to develop their skills, knowledge, and abilities essential to deliver higher-quality market linkage services to clients.
• Collaboration with Programs Manager: Work closely with the Programs Manager to align market linkages activities with the overall Business Growth Services strategy; generate and share insights and recommendations to contribute to the development of meaningful market linkages services for our clients.

Minimum Qualifications

The ideal candidate will fulfill the following requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, Business, Economics, or related field
• 5+ years of work experience in relevant or applicable field
• Strong leadership and team management skills
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills
• Exceptional business acumen
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain partnerships with buyers.
• Experience providing market linkages services to MSMEs, preferably including refugee owned.
• Experience working with MSMEs, fostering value chain integration.
• A strong understanding of tender and procurement processes - bid preparation and application process
• Previous strong sales experience would be a huge plus.
• Previous experience managing people.
• Strong work and collaboration 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.

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About the Opportunity

Investment Manager will be a trusted partner of Inkomoko Mombasa clients with the responsibilities below:

Responsibilities

DUE DILIGENCE AND FACILITY/INVESTMENT PREPARATION (40%) 

• Respond to inquiries from prospective borrowers, support them to apply for our investment products, 
• Introduce the investment products to entrepreneurs, explaining the requirements for repayment and the seriousness of taking on debt financing, 
• Conduct due diligence on prospective borrowers, including site visits, document preparation, coordination with the Business Development Associates and Business Associates, etc. 
• Communicate all materials to the Senior Portfolio Manager/ Regional Portfolio Director and assist in preparing credit reports for Investment Committee meetings,
• Take photos of entrepreneurs, have them sign photo waivers, and post their stories on the Kiva platform.

PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT (30%) 

• Offer excellent customer service through daily conversations, correspondence, and site visits as needed to maintain strong positive relationships with borrowers, 
• Work with Business Development Services team to ensure borrower success, and Visit clients for monitoring, 
• Track information about borrowers and communicate effectively with key stakeholders about client status, 
• Actively participate as key staff in the weekly Portfolio Review Meeting, 
• Maintain a tracking system of borrower payments and contact information, 
• Interact with government leaders, the court system, refugees and host communities’ stakeholders and others for follow up on lack of payments, 
• Work with the Finance Director/Senior Finance Associate to produce invoices for payments, 
• Ensure that we are adhering to the requirements of our Kiva partnership, including reporting and journaling, 
• Other duties as assigned by the supervisor. 

TEAM AND GROWTH MANAGEMENT (20%) 

• Supervising and training Investment Officers staff in all steps of the investment granting cycle including: 
• Acquisition and screening of potential clients, 
• Active monitoring of investment repayments and overall performance, 
• Investment assessment, appraisal and disbursement.
• Chairing credit/facility committees under the portfolio manager’s approval rights. 

INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (10%) 

• Update both disbursements and investment repayments in the Investment Management System (LMS-powered by odoo)
• Maintain and demonstrate proficiency with investment software applications
• Work with system providers to utilize applications to fullest capacity, streamlining processes and procedures, ensuring accuracy and compliance 
• Assist with system parameters and design to meet the needs of multiple departments. 
• Manage user security access
• Ensure proper segregation of duties, develop and maintain work flows for all stages of investment 
• Advise the Management team how to automate key lending processes
• Supervise all aspects of the investment operations. This supervision includes posting of payment, payoffs, and balancing, disbursing investment funds
• Ensure lending team is provided with updates and procedural changes
• Participates in the review and recommendations of operational systems and procedures
• Successfully interact with lending staff to improve accuracy and efficiencies of Investment management system 
• Prepare related reports and administer the system
• Other duties as assigned by the supervisor.

Minimum Qualifications

Investment Manager will be a trusted partner of Inkomoko Kenya clients; basic qualifications include: 

• University degree in Finance or another related field 
• Must speak fluent English and Kiswahili. Knowledge of other local languages will be an added advantage 
• 5+ years of work experience in the relevant or applicable field 
• Experience in Islamic lending and practice is STRONGLY preferred
• Experience in investment management, microfinance, capital leases, and access to finance for Micro businesses and SMEs is STRONGLY preferred 
• Experience in lending, group savings is strongly preferred 
• Experience in lending products development is a MUST 
• Experience in managing investment staff 
• Experience providing business advice to entrepreneurs and dealing with customers/debt 
• Prior experience in using Investment management system software 
• Experience in partnerships management is STRONGLY preferred
• Decisive individuals with the ability to deliver unpleasant messages to the debtors and assertive enough to get the debtors to pay off the entire debt 
• Experience in managing difficult clients and reaching positive outcomes 
• Very strong attention to details and good follow-through, 
• Comfort with the civil court system, collateral registration and previous experience in litigation is preferred
• Unrelenting perseverance, personal integrity, and critical thinking skills. 
• Must be able to legally work in Kenya.

What You'll Get

This role is a tremendous opportunity to work in a high-growth, mission-driven organization. Our compensation includes both a great culture and a competitive market-based package, including:

• Incredible company culture, including deep investment in your learning and growth, and a commitment to inclusion and diversity
• Opportunity to work with a talented, passionate, and committed team of professionals across the region
• Ability to make a significant social impact and contribute to economic growth
• Competitive salary, and potential KPI-based bonus
• Favorable policies like health insurance, staff savings program, parental leave, sabbatical program, and more.