Director of Brand and Storytelling

Inkomoko, a rapidly growing social enterprise, seeks a Director of Brand & Storytelling to define and drive its distinctive, client-centered brand narrative across East and Central Africa. Reporting to the VP of External Affairs, this strategic leader will reshape narratives around displacement-affected entrepreneurs through bold, credible storytelling. The role focuses on setting strategic direction for communications, brand, and storytelling, ensuring clarity, credibility, and consistency regionally, rather than direct execution.

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 e

• 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.
• 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.
• Understanding of ethical storytelling, informed consent, safeguarding, and responsible representation of clients or communities.