Business Associate-Market Linkages-Assosa

ABOUT INKOMOKO 

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 650+ staff across offices in Kenya, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Chad.  By 2030, we will expand to 3 additional countries to serve more than 550,000 entrepreneurs and deploy a $30M USD investment fund.

INKOMOKO VALUES

All staff at Inkomoko are connected to a shared set of organizational values:

• Purpose: be solutions-oriented, produce high-quality work, and be a global leader.
• Achievement: push yourself to reach beyond what you previously thought possible. 
• Improvement: Be Bemble, engage in continuous growth through open & accurate feedback.
• Bravery: willing to take risks, create a safe space for others, be compassionate, and 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 AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Inkomoko is seeking an exceptional Business Associate 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 BA will be responsible for interacting with the local business community, looking out for market opportunities suitable for our clients, and building 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.

Specific tasks include:

• Buyer engagement (30%): 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: Support (15%): To 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 (15%): To support 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.
• Market Research (20%): Research and meet potential buyers in the local and regional markets, work will involve meeting buyers in various sectors, and understanding their supply and procurement needs.
• Collaboration with Programs Manager (20%): Work closely with the Programs Manager to align market linkages activities with the overall Business Growth Services strategy; explore market system development initiatives and value/supply chains in the region; generate and share insights and recommendations to contribute to the development of meaningful market linkages services for our clients.

Requirements

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

The ideal candidate will fulfill the following requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Economics, or a related field 
• 3+ years of experience in sales and marketing working with MSMEs is preferred.
• Excellent communication in local languages spoken in the town/camp in the region, including but not limited to Arabic, English, Amharic e.tc.
• Experience working in refugee settings with different nationalities across refugee camps in the respective region.
• Experience in Market linkages, fostering value chain integration, will be an added advantage.
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills.
• Excellent computer skills, especially with MS Excel, Word, and ERP, project management tools (i.e., Odoo, MS Dynamics, Asana, Trello, etc.)
• Exceptional business acumen.
• Good skill in digital marketing, e-commerce platforms, and social media tools for business and market linkages.
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain partnerships with buyers.
• Previous understanding of tender and procurement processes - bid preparation and application process would be a huge plus.
• Strong work and collaboration skills.
• Reside in Assosa town or nearby camps/towns around the refugee camps: Bambasi, Tsore, Shrkolle, and Ura.

Competencies 

Manages Diverse Relationships – Relates well to a wide variety of personalities, values differences, and communicates effectively across diverse communication styles, cultures, and backgrounds.

Takes initiatives to Deliver – Thinks several months in advance, prioritizes objectives, implements reliably, and quickly identifies what will help or hinder goal accomplishment.

Proficient in Technology – Uses technology effectively to work efficiently and achieve desired outcomes.

Benefits

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. 

TO APPLY

If you’re excited about this role, please submit your CV, and tell us why you are the right fit for this opportunity. 

APPLICATION DEADLINE: May 25, 2026

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 applying, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures.