Jobs At Accion

Accion Venture Lab is a global seed-stage investment initiative that supports early-stage financial inclusion enterprises, catalyzing innovation in financial inclusion and enhancing the way financial services are delivered to the poor. Venture Lab focuses on companies that are post-R&D but have not yet proved their concept or achieved meaningful revenue traction, filling the support void for seed-stage companies. For more information on Accion Venture Lab, please refer to our website or download our Information Sheet.

In addition to our investing work, Venture Lab is developing a “company builder” program that will identify proven fintech business models and will recruit strong local talent to build businesses and run companies. Venture Lab would also bring its market knowledge and strong technical and managerial expertise to support these companies, helping them to grow and to secure additional funding. The combination of services would improve the quality of and access to financial services for new and underserved markets, catalyze others to innovate, and generate seed-stage opportunities for impact investors. To learn more about company builder, please read our blog post.

Job Description

Job Title: Program Associate

Jobb Summary

We are currently recruiting a Program Associate, who will be based in West Africa (Accra or Lagos). S/he will report to the Senior Investment Officer of Africa for Venture Lab and will support all aspects of developing and launching the company builder program, including validating market opportunities and business models, identifying and recruiting founders, defining the nature and structure of Venture Lab’s support, and providing that support as needed. The role will be highly entrepreneurial, spanning entrepreneurship and consulting/management with a focus on cutting edge innovation in financial inclusion.

We are particularly interested in candidates with experience living and working in West Africa, working in management consulting, social enterprises or financial inclusion, and technology businesses. We are looking for someone available to start by November 2016.

Responsibilities

Model validation: Provide support on the identification and assessment of new market opportunities, including validating key financial service needs in the market, exploring potential business models, and conducting background research and interviews.

Startup support: Provide support to new founder(s) and business(es), including (as applicable) financial modeling, relationship building, strategy, MVP development, pilot execution, fundraising, and leveraging Accion resources to benefit the team.

Program design: Assist with the overall design and implementation of the company builder initiative, including defining the nature of Accion’s support on-the-ground, supporting relationship-building efforts, and liaising with internal and external partners on matters such as financial reporting, budgeting, legal compliance, and HR.

Knowledge Sharing: Research and development of thought pieces around key themes or sectors, sharing learnings within Accion and via blogs / social media.

Qualifications:

• Minimum 3 years relevant experience across technology, management consulting, venture capital, private equity, investment banking, and/or marketing.
• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA preferred.
• Passion for entrepreneurship and market-based solutions to poverty.
• Strong strategy, research and analysis skills and intrinsic business acumen. Advanced computer/web skills including Word/Excel/Powerpoint, Salesforce, and social media preferred.
• Ability to thrive in a dynamic, high performing team environment and ability to work effectively with individuals from diverse backgrounds.
• Experience working in or with start-ups or growth-stage enterprises.
• Outstanding relationship management skills and ability to earn the respect of Accion colleagues, investors and enterprises. Existing network within impact investing, VC or financial inclusion a plus.
• Domain expertise in financial products or services (in particular for the underserved), especially innovative or disruptive technology, products or delivery channels preferred.
• Exceptional written and oral communication and presentation skills. Ability to communicate data and insights in a structured fashion.
• Fluency or familiarity with West Africa. Experience working and/or living in the region is a plus. Language skills beyond English are a plus.
• Demonstrated versatility, with the ability to work seamlessly between headquarters and the field.
• Willingness to embody our values of excellence, respect and passion for social change.
  • Excellence: Accion staff should always put forth their best effort in all activities, strive for high quality of collective and individual performance; and demonstrate honesty and integrity at all times while in the workplace and while working on behalf of the organization.
  • Respect: Accion staff should value one another’s roles and responsibilities as much as their own, be encouraging, and value the diverse and unique perspectives of colleagues. They should honor obligations and commitments to each other and to external partners.
  • Passion for Social Change: Accion staff should be committed to making a difference in the lives of those less fortunate, value the greater good of the organization over personal gain, and promote a productive workplace by acknowledging the accomplishments of others.