Vice President of Digital Transformation

About Inkomoko

Inkomoko develops 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 nearly 100,000 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 700 colleagues 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.
• Improvement: Stay humble, embrace continuous learning, and welcome open feedback.
• Bravery: Take risks, foster inclusivity, and create safe spaces for all.
• We Eat Goat: Celebrate success and support one another, embodying unity—turikumwe, tuko pamoja, abren nen, kula na sawa, on est ensemble.

About the Role

The Vice President (VP) of Digital Transformation will lead Inkomoko’s strategic adoption of technology to drive operational efficiency, financial inclusion, and client empowerment. This role is critical in advancing automation, optimising data collection, and integrating digital solutions across the organisation’s diverse operational regions. The VP will spearhead the adoption of AI-driven tools, fintech innovations, and off-the-shelf digital platforms to enhance service delivery, improving financial inclusion and the overall digital experience for entrepreneurs. By implementing cutting-edge digital solutions, the VP will play a pivotal role in aligning Inkomoko’s technological evolution with its mission to support and scale small businesses across Africa.

Reporting directly to the COO, the VP will oversee a team of approximately 20 professionals across multiple operational regions. The role is one of a strategic nature, but will also oversee technical leaders, so should be conversant in the standards of agile IT project management, user experience, and knows how to leverage both technical and non-technical resources to reach Inkomoko’s digital transformation goals. The philosophy underpinning the role is one that leverages technology for Inkomoko’s scale in low-tech environments, and will need to balance developing robust, forward-looking technology plans with the realities of digitally/technologically constrained environments.

This role requires a leader who can navigate complex regulatory landscapes, implement data-driven decision-making, and drive organisation-wide digital adoption, deploying key platforms and solutions that accelerate the implementation of Inkomoko’s mission and scalability of our social impact.

The VP will lead a high-performing digital team, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record in digital transformation, API integration, fintech, or telecom industries, with strong technical expertise and strategic leadership. They must be able to engage C-suite executives, external partners, and cross-functional teams to drive change and create impactful digital solutions for underserved communities. This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of digital financial inclusion and entrepreneurial empowerment across Africa.

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.

Key Responsibilities

1. IT Leadership for Growth

• Drive Change Management Initiatives: Collaborate with leadership to spearhead change management efforts, promoting digital adoption and ensuring that all teams are aligned with the organisation's digital objectives.
• Lead Digital Transformation Team: Guide and mentor a high-performing team dedicated to digital transformation, fostering a culture that values innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Promote a Culture of Innovation: Foster an environment that encourages curiosity, experimentation, and digital adoption.
• Promote Data-Driven Decision-Making: Encourage and facilitate the use of data analytics in decision-making processes, ensuring that strategies are informed by accurate and relevant information.
• Engage External Stakeholders: Represent Inkomoko in industry discussions, partnerships, and cross-sector collaborations to align with business/impact objectives.
• Resource Mobilization and Allocation: Participate in raising funds for tech/digital initiatives, engaging with potential donors and partners, and allocating resources for maximum impact.
• IT Management: Supervise technical team, including the IT Director for compliance, regulatory, data protections, policies, etc

2. Digital Strategy For Organizational Scale

• Develop and Implement Digital Transformation Strategy: Create a future-facing digital roadmap that emphasises scale, rapid-deployment, automation and user-experience to enhance operational efficiency. Audit current practices/plans against industry options, to develop a transformation strategy for internal systems as the organization grows.
• Lead Deployment of Digital Platforms: Oversee the implementation of seven critical digital platforms, using a "buy, not build" strategy where possible to leverage existing technologies and accelerate time-to-market. Platforms include a Core Banking System and we are seeking a new ERP in 2025/2026.
• Enhance Efficiency through Integrations: Facilitate an integration strategy among Inkomoko’s platforms and those of our partners to ensure smooth interoperability – this could range from APIs integration with our banking partners to ensuring single-source-of-truth data flows within Inkomoko various internal platforms and user interfaces.
• Establish Governance Frameworks: Implement robust governance structures for IT operations, digital transformation initiatives, and data security protocols to ensure compliance with industry standards and safeguard client information.

3. Develop Digital Solutions for Clients

• Automate Data Collection and Analytics: Develop AI-driven methods to improve real-time data gathering, analysis, and decision-making capabilities.
• Transition to Digital Platforms: Lead the shift from manual record-keeping to digital solutions, ensuring these platforms are user-friendly and meet the specific needs of clients.
• Adopt AI-Driven Client Tools: Procure and customise AI-based support systems such as chatbots, AI agents, and other LLM-integrated tools to improve client interactions.
• Adopt Fintech and Digital Banking Solutions: Investigate and implement financial technology innovations and digital banking services to optimise financial service delivery, particularly targeting underserved communities to promote financial inclusion.

Does this sound like you?

• Proven track record in leading digital transformation efforts, particularly in system automation, AI product development, fintech solutions development/innovation.
• Experience in a senior digital leadership role (VP, CDO, CTO, or equivalent) with strong technology management expertise.
• Background in financial services, telecom, or digital banking preferred.
• Strong leadership and people management skills, with the ability to guide cross-functional teams through organizational change.
• Expert in emerging technology trends and a passion for leveraging digital tools to enhance impact.
• Scale-up experience and demonstrated ability to operate in high-growth, agile environments.
• Ability to engage and influence C-suite executives, external partners, and industry stakeholders.

Why Join Inkomoko

With a decade of impact-driven growth, Inkomoko is at the forefront of economic transformation in East Africa. Our commitment to empowering entrepreneurs and fostering financial inclusion has positioned us as a leader in social enterprise and innovation.

As the Vice President of Digital Transformation, you will lead the next phase of Inkomoko’s growth by building and executing a digital strategy that strengthens our service delivery, enhances borrower experience, and supports operational efficiency across multiple countries. From digitising loan and advisory processes to adopting and integrating AI solutions to support efficiency and scale, you’ll help select, integrate, and adopt the systems and tools that power

our impact.

You will collaborate with cross-functional teams across finance, advisory, and investments — as well as external tech partners — to drive innovation that directly supports the growth of our clients and communities. This is a unique opportunity to reimagine how technology can scale inclusive entrepreneurship in frontier markets.