Investment Officer

The Investment Officer at Inkomoko Kenya plays a crucial role in facilitating investment products for entrepreneurs. This involves responding to inquiries, introducing investment options, conducting thorough appraisals and due diligence, preparing contracts, and ensuring timely disbursement of funds. The role also encompasses active portfolio management, maintaining strong client relationships, tracking payments, and collaborating with internal teams to ensure borrower success and adherence to partnership requirements. Additionally, the officer is responsible for maintaining and optimizing the Investment Management System, ensuring data accuracy, system proficiency, and process automation.

1. Respond to inquiries from prospective borrowers and assist them in applying for investment products.
2. Introduce investment products to entrepreneurs, explaining repayment requirements and the implications of debt financing.
3. Conduct investment appraisals, collect detailed personal, business, and guarantee information, and arrange for new investment account openings.
4. Prepare and execute investment contracts and arrange for the disbursement of in-kind investments.
5. Perform due diligence on prospective borrowers, including site visits, document preparation, and coordination with Business Development Advisors and Business Associates.
6. Communicate all materials to the Portfolio Manager and assist in preparing credit reports for Investment Committee meetings.
7. Capture entrepreneur photos, secure photo waivers, and ensure stories are accurately posted on the Kiva platform for fundraising.
8. Provide excellent customer service through daily conversations, correspondence, and site visits to maintain strong relationships with borrowers.
9. Collaborate with the Business Development Services team to ensure borrower success and conduct client monitoring visits.
10. Maintain delinquency and default rates below set yearly targets.
11. Track borrower information and effectively communicate client status to key stakeholders.
12. Actively participate in weekly Portfolio Review Meetings.
13. Maintain a tracking system for borrower payments and contact information.
14. Work with the Finance & Admin team to produce invoices and reconcile investment department transactions monthly.
15. Interact with government leaders, court systems, and others for follow-up on payment defaults.
16. Ensure adherence to Kiva partnership requirements, including reporting and journaling.
17. Update both disbursements and investment repayments in the Investment Management System (LMS-powered by Odoo).
18. Maintain and demonstrate proficiency with investment software applications.
19. Collaborate with system providers to maximize application utility, streamline processes, and ensure accuracy and compliance.
20. Assist with system parameters and design to meet the needs of multiple departments.
21. Manage user security access.
22. Ensure proper segregation of duties and develop workflows for all investment stages.
23. Advise the Management team on automating key lending processes.
24. Supervise all aspects of investment operations, including payment posting, payoffs, balancing, and fund disbursement.
25. Provide the lending team with updates and procedural changes.
26. Participate in the review and recommendations of operational systems and procedures.
27. Successfully interact with lending staff to improve the accuracy and efficiency of the Investment Management System.
28. Prepare related reports and administer the system.

1. University degree in Finance or a related field.
2. Fluent in English and Swahili.
3. Experience in Islamic lending and practice is an advantage.
4. Strong financial and accounting skills, with familiarity with business financial policies in Kakuma.
5. Experience in investment management, microfinance, capital leases, and access to finance for Micro businesses and SMEs is strongly preferred.
6. Prior experience dealing with customers/debt.
7. Prior experience in a lending environment.
8. Experience providing business advice to entrepreneurs.
9. Prior experience with Investment Management System software.
10. Decisive individual with the ability to deliver unpleasant messages to debtors and assertiveness to secure full debt repayment.
11. Experience in managing difficult clients and achieving positive outcomes.
12. Very strong attention to detail and good follow-through.
13. Comfort with the civil court system, with previous experience in litigation preferred.
14. Unrelenting perseverance, personal integrity, and critical thinking skills.
15. 2+ years of work experience in a relevant or applicable field.
16. Must be legally authorized to work in Kenya.
17. Ability to manage diverse relationships, valuing differences and communicating effectively across various personalities, cultures, and backgrounds.
18. Takes initiative to deliver, thinking ahead, prioritizing objectives, implementing reliably, and identifying factors that aid or hinder goal accomplishment.
19. Fluent in technology, using it effectively to work efficiently and achieve desired outcomes.