Director of Brand and Storytelling

Director of Brand and Storytelling

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 where African solutions are unleashed to solve African problems. Founded in 2012, Inkomoko has provided business advisory and access to finance for thousands of entrepreneurs across the region.

Job Type: Full Time

Qualification: MBA/MSc/MA

Location: Job Field Marketing and Communication

About the Opportunity & Responsibility

Reporting to the VP of External Affairs, the Director of Brand & Storytelling is responsible for defining and driving a distinctive, credible, and client-centered brand narrative across all markets. We are looking for a creative and strategic leader excited to push beyond traditional development communications and help reshape narratives around displacement affected entrepreneurs through bold, credible, and client-centered storytelling.

This role sets the strategic direction for communications, brand, and storytelling, ensuring that Inkomoko stands out with clarity, credibility, and consistency regionally as well as across Rwanda, Kenya, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Chad.

The Director leads through a team of managers responsible for brand, digital, campaigns, and regional communications, focusing on alignment, quality of narrative, and impact, rather than direct execution.

Success in this role is measured by brand strength, narrative clarity, leadership trust, and measurable influence, not just outputs.

Core Responsibilities:

Brand & Narrative Leadership

Define and refine a clear, distinctive brand positioning rooted in client impact and credibility. Own the organization’s core story, messaging framework, and narrative priorities. Ensure all communications reflect a client-first perspective and stand out from generic sector narratives. Set and maintain a high bar for clarity, authenticity, and evidence-based storytelling.

Ensure all country and functional communications efforts reinforce a unified brand narrative while remaining locally relevant and audience-centered. Push the organization toward more creative, modern, and differentiated storytelling approaches that reshape how audiences understand entrepreneurship in displacement-affected communities and its impact.

Strategic Communications Direction

Set overall communications and thought leadership strategy and annual goals that elevates Inkomoko’s brand, increases its reach, and aligns quarterly priorities with organizational goals. Align senior leadership and country teams around clear messaging and positioning, including strategic positioning and resource mobilization. Provide strategic guidance on high-impact opportunities, risks, and external communications including with partners and donors. Lead crisis communications direction and protect the organization’s reputation. Build and maintain relationships with national and regional media, identifying unique press opportunities to amplify thought leadership content from senior leadership. Shape and lead internal communications that keep teams informed, connected, and aligned around organizational priorities, culture, and impact.

Team Management and Development

Lead and coach managers across brand, digital, campaigns, and regional communications. Ensure strong coordination across the regional and country to drive consistent messaging. Build clear planning, review, and approval systems that help teams deliver high-quality work without unnecessary bottlenecks. Drive focus and prioritization so all work aligns with core narrative goals. Oversee collaboration with the Development and Advocacy teams to align communications strategies with fundraising, donor engagement, policy influence, and organizational visibility goals. Foster a culture of clarity, accountability, creativity, and strong editorial standards across the communications function.

Influence and Stakeholder Positioning

Develop and lead Inkomoko’s media relations strategy across regional and country markets, in alignment with organizational priorities and external affairs goals. Strengthen external credibility with donors, governments, media, and clients. Prepare the CEO, senior leaders, and country spokespeople for media interviews, panels, public events, and high-visibility external engagements. Work with country and regional teams to manage media opportunities in ways that are accurate, locally relevant, client-centered, and risk-aware. Provide strategic communications counsel on messaging and external positioning to the CEO and senior leadership in partnership with the VP of External Affairs. Translate organizational priorities into clear external positioning for high-value stakeholder moments.

Who We Are Looking For

We are seeking a strategic and creative communications leader who has experience building a distinctive brand, shaping compelling narratives, and elevating organizational visibility with credibility and clarity. This person is both a strong storyteller and a strong strategist - someone who can see the bigger picture, guide teams toward high-quality execution, and help Inkomoko stand out through authentic, client-centered storytelling.

Qualifications, Skills, and Requirements:

Master’s degree in communications, journalism, international affairs, or a related field. 10+ years of experience in communications, brand, storytelling, media, or related fields. Demonstrated ability to develop fresh, culturally relevant, and nontraditional storytelling approaches that shift audience perception and engagement. Ability to ensure storytelling is evidence-based, accurate, and grounded in client impact and organizational results.

Required Skills:

Strong strategic thinking skills, with the ability to translate organizational priorities into clear communication direction. Experience leading and developing high-performing teams. Ability to simplify complex ideas into compelling, clear, and audience-relevant messaging. Strong understanding of reputation management, thought leadership, and external visibility strategies. Experience working across multiple markets or countries, ideally within Africa or emerging markets contexts. Ability to build trust and influence across senior leadership, country teams, donors, partners, and external stakeholders. Strong creative instincts paired with disciplined execution and attention to quality. Comfortable operating in fast-moving, entrepreneurial, and mission-driven environments. Media relations experience, including journalist engagement, spokesperson preparation, press materials, and reactive messaging.

Additional Requirements:

Understanding of ethical storytelling, informed consent, safeguarding, and responsible representation of clients or communities. Ability to define communications KPIs and use performance insights to improve strategy and execution. Experience managing P&L’s/communications budgets, vendors, consultants, agencies, or cross-market teams.

Competencies

We are looking for someone who thinks and plans strategically - identifies opportunities using future-focused thinking (5+ years ahead); creates a strategic path to operationalize work plans. Coaches - facilitates skill development by asking the right questions and providing motivational feedback; enables others and builds their confidence and self-esteem to solve problems independently. Manages complexity - making sense of information to effectively solve problems. Leadership - operates with commitment to values and culture, while supporting the growth and development of others.

Benefits

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.

Method of Application

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