Manager, Institutional Partnership and Growth

• Department: Shari’ah Financial Solutions
• Reports To: Director, Institutional Partnership and Growth

About Kifiya

Kifiya is an AI-powered financial and market infrastructure company advancing inclusive economic growth across Africa. We design and deploy risk decisioning systems, intelligent financial infrastructure, and market linkage platforms that unlock credit, insurance, payments, and capital access for MSMEs and smallholder farmers. We build the AI, data, and financial infrastructure that helps financial institutions serve hard-to-finance segments at scale.

Business Unit Description

The Shari’ah Financial Solutions Office is responsible for designing, governing, and scaling Kifiya’s Shari’ah-compliant financial infrastructure and ecosystem platforms. The Office develops digitally enabled Islamic financial solutions that allow partner financial institutions, marketplaces, and ecosystem actors to deploy Shariah compliant, asset-backed, and ethically structured financing at scale. Leveraging Kifiya’s AI technology platforms, the Office structures and commercializes Shari’ah-compliant financial products and market solutions across areas such as SME and supply-chain finance, asset and device financing, embedded finance, marketplace ecosystems, and emerging Takaful and Islamic capital market instruments.

The Office also institutionalizes the governance frameworks, financial structuring capabilities, and market infrastructure required to support the sustainable growth of Islamic finance within Kifiya’s ecosystem. By integrating Shari’ah governance, aligning with international standards such as AAOIFI and IFSB, and enabling ecosystem-wide deployment, the Office advances inclusive financial access and scalable Shari’ah-compliant financing solutions for SMEs, agricultural value chains, women and youth enterprises, and digital marketplace participants.

Position Summary

The Manager, Institutional Partnerships and Growth is responsible for managing and scaling Kifiya’s institutional relationships with financial institutions and ecosystem partners participating in the Shari’ah-Compliant Financial Solutions platform.

The role oversees the commercial growth, operational deployment, and performance management of partner institutions implementing Shari’ah-compliant financial solutions across Kifiya’s digital platforms. This includes coordinating product rollouts, managing financing portfolio performance, optimizing liquidity utilization, and ensuring partner institutions operate within approved Shari’ah governance and risk frameworks.

Working closely with product, technology, risk, and Shari’ah governance teams, the Manager ensures that institutional partnerships translate into sustainable financing growth, disciplined portfolio performance, and scalable ecosystem expansion aligned with the Office’s strategic mandate.

Key Responsibilities

Institutional Partnership Development

• Manage strategic relationships with assigned partner financial institutions including full-fledged Islamic banks, conventional banks with IFB windows, MFIs, and development finance partners.
• Support the acquisition and onboarding of new institutional partners aligned with the Office’s expansion strategy.
• Develop partnership engagement frameworks including commercial agreements, collaboration models, and growth roadmaps.
• Maintain structured engagement with partner executives, operational teams, risk functions, and Shari’ah governance structures.

Institutional Growth and Commercial Performance

• Drive financing growth, revenue generation, and liquidity deployment across assigned partner institutions.
• Monitor and manage institutional performance indicators including:
• Financing disbursement volumes
• Liquidity velocity
• Portfolio at risk and non-performing financing ratios
• Customer activation and repeat financing
• Conduct structured monthly and quarterly business reviews with partners to assess portfolio performance and identify growth opportunities.
• Translate performance data into corrective action plans and expansion strategies.

Product Deployment and Institutional Enablement

• Lead the rollout and operationalization of Shari’ah-compliant financial products across partner institutions.
• Coordinate with Product Development, Technology, Risk, and Operations teams to ensure product readiness and smooth deployment.
• Oversee go-live readiness assessments including partner training, operational alignment, and process integration.
• Ensure institutional implementation aligns with approved product structures and certified Shari’ah documentation.

Governance and Shari’ah Compliance Coordination

• Serve as a key interface between partner institutions and Kifiya’s Shari’ah governance framework.
• Support preparation of materials for Shari’ah committee reviews, regulatory discussions, and product certification processes.
• Monitor partner adherence to approved product structures and escalate any potential compliance deviations.
• Ensure operational documentation and reporting remain aligned with AAOIFI governance standards and applicable regulatory expectations.

Risk-Aware Portfolio Management

• Work closely with Credit Risk and Analytics teams to monitor portfolio performance and early warning indicators.
• Support implementation of risk mitigation and recovery strategies where required.
• Ensure growth initiatives remain aligned with approved risk frameworks and Shari’ah-compliant financing principles.

Cross-Functional Institutional Coordination

• Represent the voice of partner institutions internally across Technology, Product Development, Risk, and Capital Solutions teams.
• Translate institutional feedback into product improvements and platform enhancements.
• Facilitate smooth coordination between commercial teams and operational functions to ensure successful partner implementation.

Performance Monitoring and Reporting

• Maintain structured institutional performance dashboards and operational reporting systems.
• Prepare weekly and monthly performance reports highlighting growth trends, risks, and strategic opportunities.
• Provide data-driven insights and recommendations to the Director and senior leadership.

Team Supervision and Institutional Capability Development

• Supervise Associates supporting institutional partnerships.
• Develop institutional engagement playbooks and standardized operating frameworks.
• Contribute to building a disciplined, performance-driven culture across institutional partnership teams.

Key Outputs

• Growth in financing volume and revenue generated through partner institutions
• Improved liquidity utilization across partner financing programs
• Stable portfolio quality within approved risk thresholds
• Successful and timely deployment of Shari’ah-compliant financial products
• High partner satisfaction and institutional engagement
• Compliance with Shari’ah governance and regulatory standards
• Accurate and timely institutional performance reporting

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Economics, Business Administration, Islamic Finance, or related discipline.
• A Master’s degree or professional certification in Islamic Finance is an advantage.

Experience

• Minimum 8 years of experience in banking, fintech, institutional partnerships, or financial ecosystem development.
• Experience working with financial institutions, DFIs, or fintech platforms.
• Exposure to Shari’ah-compliant financial products or Islamic finance operations is strongly preferred.
• Experience managing institutional portfolios or commercial partnerships is highly desirable.

Core Competencies

Strategic and Commercial Competencies

• Institutional partnership management
• Commercial growth and ecosystem development
• Financial portfolio performance management

Technical Competencies

• Understanding of Islamic finance principles and Shari’ah governance
• Financial analysis and portfolio analytics
• Product deployment and operational integration

Leadership and Behavioral Competencies

• Strong stakeholder and executive relationship management
• Data-driven decision making
• Structured problem solving and risk awareness
• High ethical integrity and governance sensitivity
• Excellent communication and presentation skills