Chief People and Culture Officer

About Inkomoko

Inkomoko is dedicated to empowering micro and small entrepreneurs across Africa, including refugees, to create jobs, improve livelihoods, and develop thriving communities. Since its inception in 2012, Inkomoko has supported over 60,000 entrepreneurs across East and Central Africa, providing a combination of training, consulting, access to finance, and market-level systems change. Notably, Inkomoko is the largest lender to refugee entrepreneurs in Africa, offering affordable financing to fuel business growth and economic development.

With a team of more than 650 employees across 40 offices in Chad, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, and South Sudan, Inkomoko is committed to expanding its impact. Through its 2030 strategic plan, the organisation aims to extend its services to three additional countries, reaching over 550,000 entrepreneurs and growing its $30 million loan fund to impact 7 million lives.

Inkomoko's vision is an Africa with thriving communities where young people and refugees are engaged, communities have access to relevant innovations for self-determination, and African solutions are unleashed to solve African problems. The organisation's core values guide its work:

• Purpose
  : Be solutions-oriented, produce high-quality work, and lead globally.
• Achievement
  : Push beyond previous limits and strive for excellence.
• Improvemen
  t: Stay humble, embrace continuous learning, and welcome open feedback.
• Bravery
  : Take risks, foster inclusivity, and create safe spaces for all.
• We Eat Goa
  t: Celebrate success and support one another, embodying unity—turikumwe, tuko pamoja, abren nen, kula na sawa, on est ensemble.

About the Role

Inkomoko is on a transformative growth journey as it continues to scale its impact across Africa, with a particular focus on empowering refugees and underserved entrepreneurs to create lasting economic change. To support this ambitious mission, Inkomoko is seeking a visionary and strateg
ic Chief People & Culture Officer (CP&CO)
to lead and cultivate an empowering and equitable environment for Inkomoko's growing team.

As we empower entrepreneurs to shape their futures, we're equally committed to supporting our staff across all levels and locations. The Chief People & Culture Officer will lead an international HR and talent team across East and Central Africa, ensuring our people feel valued, inspired, and supported. Reporting to the CEO and serving on the five-member C-Suite, this role will drive strategic initiatives in employee engagement, talent acquisition, learning and development, and DEI.

The ultimate goal of the Chief People & Culture Officer is to build a workplace where every team member feels genuinely valued and inspired to contribute to Inkomoko's mission of economic inclusion. The CP&CO will develop and implement people strategies that attract and retain top talent, enhance organisational effectiveness, and ensure alignment between Inkomoko's growth objectives and its commitment to ensuring refugees and underserved communities can create wealth and move out of poverty.

Role Location:
The successful candidate will be based in any of our offices in Africa (Kenya, Rwanda, Chad, Ethiopia, or South Sudan). We welcome candidates willing to relocate, as a full-time, in-person presence is essential for effectively engaging with teams and leadership. Inkomoko prioritizes hiring from the communities we serve.

Scope of Work

Key Roles & Responsibilities

1. Organisational Design & Strategic Workforce Planning

• Enhance org structures that can scale effectively to meet growing business needs. Enhance collaboration and agility by designing organizational structures that support cross-functional teamwork, efficient decision-making, and long-term sustainability.
• Optimise role alignment by ensuring key talent is in the right positions with clear career development and retention plans to enhance engagement and performance.
• Develop a talent strategy aligned with Inkomoko's growth, identifying critical skill pools and anticipated gaps. Implement proactive workforce planning to address future needs.
• Implement a data-driven approach to workforce design, leveraging people analytics to measure organisational effectiveness and guide strategic decisions.

2. Organisational Culture

• In partnership with the CEO, lead the evolution and codification of Inkomoko's culture at scale.
• Stay attuned to the organisation's pulse, supporting staff through challenges and guiding leaders to preserve our unique culture while adapting to growth.
• Engage global leaders on DEI best practices, driving improvements to Inkomoko's commitments to justice for a diversity of colleagues.
• Model and reinforce our culture to support future growth.

3. Compensation & Benefits

• Drive the strategic allocation of resources to build an efficient, high-performing workforce, while also playing a key role in mobilising funding for employee-centred initiatives.
• Review and enhance the compensation and benefits structure to ensure alignment with business goals, market competitiveness, and to enhance employee well-being, engagement, and retention, incorporating future-focused and inclusive offerings.
• Lead regular compensation benchmarking (at least once every two years) to maintain competitive salary positioning and equitable pay practices.
• Ensure salary structures are transparent, well-graded, and aligned with performance, skills, and market trends to attract and retain top talent.
• Implement a total rewards approach, balancing financial and non-financial incentives to drive motivation, equity, and long-term organisational sustainability.

4. Safe, Fair & Engaged Workforce (DE&I)

• Provide thought leadership on Inkomoko's approach to culture, employee engagement, and inclusion, particularly in the context of serving displaced populations, and shape strategies that deepen impact and influence across the sector.
• Lead Inkomoko's Belonging Initiative, fostering an inclusive and supportive culture that uplifts all team members, with a particular focus on refugees and those from underserved communities.
• Oversee staff safety and well-being, including staff care in high-pressure field environments and response to critical incidents.
• Ensure inclusive working conditions that balance organisational and employee needs, aligned with Inkomoko's values.
• Oversee the resolution of complex employee relations issues, including serious misconduct or code of conduct violations (e.g., fraud, harassment, or abuse), and seek values-aligned outcomes.
• Facilitate dialogues on inclusion, ensuring these are addressed across all operations.

5. HR Operations & Compliance

• Develop and evaluate proactive workplace policies that support Inkomoko's growth and regional operations.
• Ensure HR, labour, and legal compliance across all operating countries.
• Consult legal counsel as needed to ensure compliance and minimize HR risks.

6. Organisational Leadership & Development

• Contribute to Inkomoko's vision and strategy, ensuring strategic initiatives reflect our values and people and belief in "Radical Candor" as a prevailing philosophy.
• Engage the C-Suite and board on key talent strategies and results.
• Lead and mentor a senior HR and talent team, guiding the broader talent function.
• Support effective employee relations by coaching leaders and fostering a values-aligned approach.
• Strengthen trust and collaboration across leadership, supervisors, and staff.
• Serve as an HR advisor to executive leaders, including during partnerships or expansions.

What we're looking for:

For this role, the successful candidate will have these qualities:

Technical Competencies:

• 15+ years of senior HR experience, with expertise in talent management, culture development, and change management.
• A track record of achievement in building people & culture strategies for multiple organisations.
• Ability to work both autonomously and with a team, thriving in a resource-lean environment where you "do the doable" with what's available.
• You have leadership experience in East Africa in a variety of contexts, ideally including some combination of non-profit, social enterprise, and corporate roles.
• Familiarity with innovative, non-traditional HR practices suited to a fast-paced, entrepreneurial organisation.
• Proven experience in creating HR policies, systems, and processes that work for a fast-growing, entrepreneurial organisation.
• Proven ability to adapt leadership styles to different cultural contexts, particularly across East Africa.
• Willingness to travel approximately 30% across East Africa.
• Experience in post-expansion or strategic partnership contexts is a plus.

Core Competencies:

• Exceptional communicator – approachable, warm, honest, transparent, and able to manage with confidence.
• Personal interest around economic empowerment and supporting entrepreneurs.
• Shows perseverance, personal integrity, reasonable objectivity, and good judgment.
• Proactive problem-solver with strong decision-making capabilities.
• Experienced in handling confidential information with discretion and sensitivity.
• Excellent interpersonal and stakeholder management skills with the proven ability to build strong relationships, influence outcomes, and gain respect as a trusted advisor.
• A deep understanding that our people are our greatest strength, serving as the champion for employee support, safety, well-being, and development.

We're open to being surprised. If you embody Inkomoko's spirit, care deeply about economic empowerment, and bring something unique, we want to hearfrom you.