ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Head of Local Social Sector is a senior regional leadership role responsible for building and institutionalizing Inkomoko’s approach to partnering with, strengthening, and ultimately enabling greater independence of local social sector organizations across our markets.

Local organizations, including refugee-led, community-based, youth-led, women-led, faith-based, and other locally rooted organizations, often possess capabilities, relationships, trust, and contextual knowledge that are essential to sustainable development outcomes. Inkomoko sees an opportunity to build a more intentional institutional pathway through which these organizations can become stronger, more sustainable partners and, where appropriate, increasingly take ownership of functions that complement or extend Inkomoko’s work.

The Head will therefore own the development and evolution of the Local Social Sector strategy, portfolio, operating model, partnerships, and organizational development approach. The role is not simply to manage a programme; it is to build a new organizational capability for Inkomoko.

The successful candidate will work across Business Growth Services, Investment, MERL, Program Design & Innovation, Country Leadership, and other functions to embed local social sector engagement into Inkomoko’s broader pathway to enterprise development, employment, resilience, and sustainable impact. This role requires a leader who can move comfortably between strategy and execution: setting a regional direction, translating it into practical country models, building teams and systems, developing strategic partnerships, managing a portfolio, and using evidence to determine when and how Inkomoko’s role should evolve.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy & Institutionalization

• Develop, own, and continuously evolve Inkomoko’s regional Local Social Sector strategy and operating model.
• Translate strategy into clear priorities, country approaches, portfolio decisions, resource requirements, and measurable outcomes.
• Establish systems and standards for partner selection, organizational development, progression, quality assurance, risk management, and partnership management.
• Institutionalize Local Social Sector engagement as part of Inkomoko’s broader impact and enterprise-development model.

Organizational Development & Graduation

• Lead the design and implementation of the Local Social Sector strengthening approach.
• Build pathways through which local organizations strengthen their institutional capabilities, assume greater ownership, and become sustainable partners or independent institutions.
• Ensure that Inkomoko’s support evolves as organizational capability and market conditions change, avoiding dependency and creating pathways toward greater local ownership.
• Use evidence and learning to continuously improve the model.

Build a high-performing regional team and country capability

• Build, structure, and lead a high-performing regional team and appropriate country-level capability.
• Recruit, coach, develop, and retain strong talent while building leadership depth within the function.
• Establish effective ways of working across regional, country, and cross-functional teams.

Strategic Partnerships & Ecosystem Building

• Develop and steward strategic partnerships with local organizations, governments, funders, private-sector actors, networks, and other ecosystem stakeholders.
• Identify opportunities for co-investment, collaboration, referrals, resource mobilization, and complementary capabilities that extend Inkomoko’s reach and impact.
• Represent Inkomoko externally in relevant forums and bring external learning and opportunities into the organization.
• Build coalitions across Inkomoko and beyond the department to advance shared outcomes.

Enterprise & Impact Integration

• Work with BGS, Investment, MERL, Program Design & Innovation, and Country Leadership to identify where stronger local institutions can unlock pathways to entrepreneurship, employment, resilience, and economic participation.
• Ensure local social sector partnerships complement rather than duplicate Inkomoko’s core capabilities.
• Establish evidence and learning on what types of organizations, partnerships, and institutional-development approaches generate the greatest value.

Performance & Resource Stewardship

• Establish portfolio-level performance measures and manage impact, institutional development, risk, cost, and sustainability.
• Manage the function’s budget and resources.
• Make disciplined decisions about where to invest, deepen, redesign, transition, or exit partnerships.

Requirements

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR;

We are looking for a strategic institution-builder who combines organizational-development expertise with exceptional partnership, people, and systems leadership.

The ideal candidate will have:

• 10+ years of relevant experience, including significant leadership responsibility in organizational development, institutional strengthening, localization, partnerships, ecosystem development, or related fields.
• A proven track record of building or scaling a function, programme, partnership portfolio, or organizational capability from an early stage.
• Strong experience developing strategy and translating it into operating models, teams, systems, and results.
• Demonstrated ability to build and lead high-performing, multi-country or cross-functional teams.
• Exceptional partnership-building and stakeholder-management skills, including the ability to influence without relying on formal authority.
• Strong strategic and commercial judgment, including portfolio, resource allocation, sustainability, and risk decisions.
• Experience working with local organizations, community-based organizations, refugee-led organizations, or other locally rooted institutions is strongly preferred.
• Experience in fragile, displacement-affected, or complex operating environments is an advantage.
• Bachelor’s degree in Development Studies, Business, Organizational Development, Public Policy, Education, Social Sciences, or related field; Master’s preferred.

KEY COMPETENCIES.

We are looking for someone who;

• Synthesizes Data - Leverages key information, data, and insights to enhance both client and team member experiences.
• Adapts Approach to Situations - Adjusts the team's approach to meet the shifting demands of impact; able to quickly adapt to suit the context and drive to positive outcomes for their department.
• Enhances Competitive Advantage - Creates new and better ways to drive organizational success, with a future-focused mindset (at least 2 years ahead), through innovation and leveraging external relationships and opportunities.
• Uses his/her Technical expertise to coach and guide staff to meet and exceed expectations.

WHAT YOU’LL GET

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

• Meaningful work that directly contributes to sustainable livelihoods and job creation across East and Central Africa.
• Competitive salary, and potential Performance-based bonus
• Incredible company culture, with opportunities for learning and growth
• Diverse colleagues across the region, and policies that demonstrate commitment to equity and inclusion
• A dynamic and entrepreneurial team environment committed to innovation and social impact
• Health insurance for self and family
• Staff savings and provident fund, negotiated bank rates for long-term employees
• Generous annual leave, parental leave, and sabbatical options.

• Develop, own, and continuously evolve Inkomoko’s regional Local Social Sector strategy and operating model.
• Translate strategy into clear priorities, country approaches, portfolio decisions, resource requirements, and measurable outcomes.
• Establish systems and standards for partner selection, organizational development, progression, quality assurance, risk management, and partnership management.
• Institutionalize Local Social Sector engagement as part of Inkomoko’s broader impact and enterprise-development model.
• Lead the design and implementation of the Local Social Sector strengthening approach.
• Build pathways through which local organizations strengthen their institutional capabilities, assume greater ownership, and become sustainable partners or independent institutions.
• Ensure that Inkomoko’s support evolves as organizational capability and market conditions change, avoiding dependency and creating pathways toward greater local ownership.
• Use evidence and learning to continuously improve the model.
• Build, structure, and lead a high-performing regional team and appropriate country-level capability.
• Recruit, coach, develop, and retain strong talent while building leadership depth within the function.
• Establish effective ways of working across regional, country, and cross-functional teams.
• Develop and steward strategic partnerships with local organizations, governments, funders, private-sector actors, networks, and other ecosystem stakeholders.
• Identify opportunities for co-investment, collaboration, referrals, resource mobilization, and complementary capabilities that extend Inkomoko’s reach and impact.
• Represent Inkomoko externally in relevant forums and bring external learning and opportunities into the organization.
• Build coalitions across Inkomoko and beyond the department to advance shared outcomes.
• Work with BGS, Investment, MERL, Program Design & Innovation, and Country Leadership to identify where stronger local institutions can unlock pathways to entrepreneurship, employment, resilience, and economic participation.
• Ensure local social sector partnerships complement rather than duplicate Inkomoko’s core capabilities.
• Establish evidence and learning on what types of organizations, partnerships, and institutional-development approaches generate the greatest value.
• Establish portfolio-level performance measures and manage impact, institutional development, risk, cost, and sustainability.
• Manage the function’s budget and resources.
• Make disciplined decisions about where to invest, deepen, redesign, transition, or exit partnerships.

• Organizational development expertise
• Partnership leadership
• People leadership
• Systems leadership
• Strategic thinking
• Translating strategy into operating models, teams, systems, and results
• Building and leading high-performing, multi-country or cross-functional teams
• Partnership-building
• Stakeholder management
• Strategic and commercial judgment
• Portfolio management
• Resource allocation
• Risk management
• Experience working with local organizations, community-based organizations, refugee-led organizations, or other locally rooted institutions
• Experience in fragile, displacement-affected, or complex operating environments
• Synthesizes Data
• Adapts Approach to Situations
• Enhances Competitive Advantage
• Uses his/her Technical expertise to coach and guide staff

• 10+ years of relevant experience, including significant leadership responsibility in organizational development, institutional strengthening, localization, partnerships, ecosystem development, or related fields.
• A proven track record of building or scaling a function, programme, partnership portfolio, or organizational capability from an early stage.
• Strong experience developing strategy and translating it into operating models, teams, systems, and results.
• Demonstrated ability to build and lead high-performing, multi-country or cross-functional teams.
• Exceptional partnership-building and stakeholder-management skills, including the ability to influence without relying on formal authority.
• Strong strategic and commercial judgment, including portfolio, resource allocation, sustainability, and risk decisions.
• Experience working with local organizations, community-based organizations, refugee-led organizations, or other locally rooted institutions is strongly preferred.
• Experience in fragile, displacement-affected, or complex operating environments is an advantage.
• Bachelor’s degree in Development Studies, Business, Organizational Development, Public Policy, Education, Social Sciences, or related field; Master’s preferred.