Head of Sales & Marketing

Our client is a leading credit-only microfinance institution in Kenya, currently executing a strategic transformation into a fully-fledged, deposit-taking bank regulated by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK). They're currently looking to hire a Head of Sales & Marketing who will provide strategic and operational leadership for revenue growth, customer acquisition, brand development and product innovation across all channels, driving a high-quality loan book and building the customer base, deposit-ready product pipeline and market presence required for the Company's transition into a bank. Key Duties and Responsibilities Strategy and Business Growth Develop and execute the annual sales and marketing strategy aligned to the corporate strategy and the banking transition roadmap. Grow the net loan book, disbursement volumes and fee income across logbook loans, title deed loans, check-off loans, asset finance, LPO and import financing. Design the go-to-market plan for future bank products (savings, transactional accounts, deposits) so the Company launches with a ready customer pipeline upon licensing. Identify and open new branches, agencies and partnership channels based on market intelligence and financial viability. Sales Management Set, cascade and monitor sales targets for regions, branches, relationship officers and digital channels; run monthly performance reviews. Build and enforce a sales governance framework that balances growth with credit quality, ensuring first-payment default and early-arrears indicators remain within risk appetite. Drive cross-selling and customer retention programmes to increase products per customer and repeat borrowing. Marketing, Brand and Customer Experience Own the marketing budget and calendar; deliver campaigns with measurable return on marketing investment. Reposition the brand for the banking era, ensuring all communication meets CBK consumer-protection and market-conduct standards. Champion customer experience, complaints insights and Net Promoter Score improvement across all touchpoints. Digital and Product Innovation Grow digital origination (mobile, web, USSD) as a share of total acquisition and reduce cost per acquisition. Lead product research, development, pricing and profitability reviews in liaison with Credit, Risk and Finance. Leadership and People Recruit, coach and develop a high-performing salesforce; embed a performance and compliance culture. Prepare board and executive committee reports on sales, marketing and market developments. What Success Looks Like (First 12 Months) Loan book growth: 30% year-on-year growth in net loan book Disbursements: KES 500M in average monthly new disbursements Customer acquisition: 1,500 new active borrowing customers onboarded per month Portfolio quality: First-payment default rate on new sales 2% Product diversification: 3 new products launched, including a board-approved bank-ready (deposit/transactional) pipeline Digital channel share: 40% of loan applications originated digitally Channel expansion: 5 new branches/agency outlets opened, break-even within 12 months Marketing effectiveness: ROMI 5:1; cost per acquisition reduced by 15% Customer experience: NPS 60; CSAT 90% People leadership: 80% of sales staff meeting target; regretted attrition 10% Qualifications and Experience Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Commerce, Business Administration, Finance or a related field; a Master's degree (MBA) is an added advantage. Professional qualification such as CIM, MSK or equivalent; membership in a relevant professional body. At least 10 years' experience in sales and marketing within banking, microfinance or financial services, 5 of which at senior management level. Demonstrable track record of growing a loan book or revenue line and leading multi-branch or regional sales teams. Working knowledge of CBK prudential and market-conduct requirements, the Data Protection Act and consumer-protection regulations. Key Competencies Strategic thinking and commercial acumen with strong numerical and analytical skills. Proven leadership, coaching and performance-management capability. Deep understanding of digital marketing, channel economics and product development. Excellent negotiation, communication and stakeholder-management skills. High integrity, results orientation and resilience in a fast-paced environment.