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.
The Head of Data and AI will lead the organization's data transformation initiatives, defining and executing a Data & AI Implementation Strategy aligned with organizational goals. This role involves overseeing data infrastructure, analytics, AI products, and automation to drive data-driven decision-making across all departments.
Key Responsibilities
Data Strategy & Infrastructure
- Collaborate with the Director of Products and Innovation to develop and execute a Data & AI Implementation Strategy aligned with organizational goals.
- Lead data transformation initiatives in data infrastructure, analytics, AI products, and automation.
- Define and enforce data governance frameworks, policies, and ethical AI guidelines.
- Standardize and govern all data sources including client, portfolio, operations, and external data.
- Drive adoption of data-driven decision-making across all departments.
Data Infrastructure & Engineering
- Oversee the design and management of data warehouses, data lakes, and integration pipelines.
- Design and maintain a scalable, multi-country data architecture.
- Implement scalable cloud-based data platforms (e.g., Azure, AWS, GCP).
- Improve data reliability, consistency, and accessibility across the organization.
AI/ML Product Leadership
- Lead the design, training, testing, and production deployment of AI solutions (credit scoring for thin-file clients, predictive risk models, NLP for WhatsApp/IVR, and impact forecasting).
- Champion responsible AI, focusing on bias mitigation, explainability, and ethical guardrails.
- Lead development of AI/ML models, NLP systems, generative AI solutions, and automation tools.
- Manage the full AI lifecycle from problem definition and data preparation to modeling, evaluation, and deployment.
- Introduce automation such as RPA and intelligent workflows to improve operational efficiency.
Governance & Compliance
- Own the data governance framework, including quality, lineage, access controls, and IP protection.
- Lead enterprise-wide master data management practices.
- Ensure full compliance with GDPR, central bank rules, donor requirements, and Inkomoko’s IP Policy.
Insights, Analytics & BI
- Deliver executive dashboards and drive data literacy across Programs, Credit, Finance, and Leadership teams.
- Lead predictive analytics projects for forecasting, segmentation, and decision intelligence.
- Introduce self-service BI tools and build analytical capacity across teams.
Team & Culture
- Build and lead a high-performing, interdisciplinary Data & AI team.
- Mentor staff and build data literacy across all departments.
- Oversee vendor relationships and implementation partners.
Requirements
- Master’s or Bachelor’s degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Statistics, or an equivalent field.
- 10+ years of experience in data engineering, analytics, or machine learning.
- At least 5 years of experience in a leadership role managing teams.
- Hands-on experience shipping production-ready ML models, ideally within credit or financial inclusion sectors.
- Expertise in modern data stacks (dbt, Snowflake/AWS, Airflow, etc.) and ML frameworks.
- Strong understanding of data governance, privacy regulations (GDPR), and ethical AI practices.
- Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should apply online through the Inkomoko recruitment portal on Workable. Visit Inkomoko on jobs.workable.com to submit your application.
