Venture Partner, Anzisha at African Leadership Academy

Key Responsibilities

  Coaching:

• Provide one-on-one coaching and mentorship to young entrepreneurs, supporting them in the development of business plans, financial models, and marketing strategies, and help them set achievable goals. 
• Provide coaching to participants in other African Leadership Programs such as AL4Education.  
• Guide entrepreneurs in identifying and solving challenges and obstacles they encounter in their entrepreneurial journeys, and build an empathy driven relationship with the entrepreneurs. 
• Discover, understand and articulate needs of portfolio entrepreneurs.  
• Travel to meet with your portfolio of fellows in their countries and visit their offices. 
• Stay up to date with industry trends and best practices in entrepreneurship to provide the most current and relevant guidance. 

  Program Development and Project Management:

• Own and drive program initiatives, including operations and administration, end-to-end, efficiently and precisely.  
• Conceptualize and develop services, tactics and projects that explore how best to support very young entrepreneurs. 
• Organize and lead workshops and training sessions on entrepreneurship, leadership, and business development for program participants. 
• Scope and deliver 3rd party reliant tailored interventions for portfolio fellows. 

• Draft updates on completion of activities and inputs to be included in the venture building fellowship monthly reports. 

  Networking:  

• Connect young entrepreneurs with relevant industry experts, potential partners, and resources to facilitate their growth and development. 
• Regularly identify and share potential partners and fellow candidates for the program 
• Engage with identified potential ecosystem partners in different countries around the continent. 

  Selection: 

• Regularly identify and share entrepreneur candidates for the program. 
• Grade assignments and provide general support to the process of selecting fellows. 

  Tracking and Reporting: 

• Monitor the progress of young entrepreneurs in your portfolio and track their successes, offering feedback and recommendations for improvement. 
• Gather comprehensive, timely and accurate data throughout all initiatives. 
• Provide reports on your portfolio of fellows’ progress and performance within the different modules assessing it against the learning outcomes. 

  Collaboration:  

• Regularly share insights from your experience of supporting entrepreneurs through various platforms such as written articles, podcasts, social media lives, etc; 
• Share the ALA and Anzisha story and achieve buy-in at information sessions and other events. 
• Conduct Prize tours in different countries and support the Movement team in developing content to be shared on our media outlets. 
• Actively contribute to wider team goals outside of core stream of work. 
• Support in conducting research and collating relevant information to enable the development of a better understanding of the macro & micro challenges facing entrepreneurs in Africa. 
• Work closely with other program staff, volunteers, and partners to ensure the alignment and synergy of our efforts. 

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business, entrepreneurship, or a related field (master's degree is a plus). 
• Proven experience as an entrepreneur, business consultant, or coach, with a strong understanding of entrepreneurship principles. 
• Experience of facilitating or participating in programs delivered by African Leadership Academy, African Leadership University or similar institutions. 
• Proven leadership skills, including emotional intelligence, empathy, and excellent communication and interpersonal skills 
• Proven experience of working with and developing young people. 
• Excellent project management skills including planning, execution, reporting and assessment. 
• Data driven decision-making that involves collecting data based on measurable goals or KPIs, analysing patterns and facts from these insights, and utilizing them to develop strategies that will benefit the program 
• Strong problem-solving and critical thinking abilities. 
• Passion for nurturing the entrepreneurial spirit in very young individuals and a commitment to the mission of the organization. 
• Preference for those who have started / run their own business in Africa at some point. 
• Experience in NGO/Non-profit industry a bonus. 
• Competence in other languages spoken widely in Africa (e.g. French) is a plus 
• Great relationship management skills and proven ability to manage both internal and external stakeholders.