Ecosystem Lead - Jobtech Alliance

About

Prosper Global seeks an Ecosystem Lead to lead the Jobtech Alliance’s strategy, partnerships, community, events and campaigns for an inclusive jobtech ecosystem in Africa. The role leads DAWN’s ecosystem outcome in Nigeria, manages the Community & Events Manager and Communications Manager, and requires at least 10 years’ relevant African start-up ecosystem experience. It is full-time on project-based funding and requires up to 40% travel. Terms of service: Full-Time (project-based funding) Duty station: Nairobi, Kenya or Lagos, Nigeria

How to apply

Apply online through the official advert page on Jobvite.

Responsibilities

• Constantly evolve the strategy for how the Jobtech Alliance is useful to, and impacts, the ecosystem across all our operating countries, starting from what startup founders, users and other ecosystem actors tell us they need, and aligned with the Jobtech Alliance’s systems change model, identifying
• Translate the strategy into annual priorities, KPIs and plans with the Program Director, and make sure the ecosystem work of the team and partners is coherent, measured and adapted as we learn, and integrated across different teams within the Jobtech Alliance.
• Lead DAWN’s ecosystem outcome in Nigeria, making sure its ecosystem activities, convenings and collaborations are aligned with the project’s workplan and results framework and with the Jobtech Alliance’s wider strategy.
• Use research, community data and the ecosystem intelligence platform to identify emerging ecosystem needs and opportunities, working with the Research & Insights Director and other teams.
• Connect the ecosystem team’s work to the Jobtech Alliance’s Objectives and Workplan and six systems change domains, so every campaign, partnership and community activity is clear about which change it is driving.
• Build and run a consistent system for listening to founders and ecosystem actors, speaking with hundreds of operators each year across our markets, including those not yet in our programs, through regular 1:1 conversations, roundtables and surveys.
• Record and share what we hear (including in the ecosystem intelligence platform) so that it shapes our strategy, services, research and partnerships.
• Keep your finger on the pulse of jobtech on the continent: track what is being built, worker feedback, new business models, emerging players and shifts in the sector, and turn what you see into regular ecosystem insights for the community and the wider sector.
• Continue evolve offering of the community to its members.
• Grow the community, including through targeted geographic expansion, focusing on onboarding agents of change.
• Be our lead network weaver: know who needs what and who can help, and make high-quality, well-timed connections between startup founders, investors, funders, service providers, policymakers and other partners.
• Work with the Community & Events Manager to evolve the community model and events to maximize learning, community engagement, networking and action, including the Africa-wide Jobtech Summit and, for DAWN, convenings and networking events in Nigeria.
• Develop strategic partnerships for the Jobtech Alliance with key stakeholders including policymakers, investors, startups associations and other ecosystem builders, and make sure each partnership advances the strategy rather than simply growing the network.
• Represent the Jobtech Alliance in key ecosystem forums, acting as a connector between startup founders, investors, funders, policymakers, and other partners.
• Identify opportunities to drive behaviour change within the ecosystem through effective collective action campaigns, and decide which are worth the team’s time and partners’ attention.

Qualifications

• A minimum of 10 years of experience in ecosystem building, partnerships, community engagement, venture building and/or leadership roles in the start-up space in Africa, including experience managing teams.
• Experience as a founder or senior entrepreneur in a start-up is strongly preferred.
• Within a jobtech or platform businesses are further advantages.
• Experience designing and running campaigns or collective action initiatives that changed the behavior of other actors.
• Experience building communities and events in the start-up space in Africa, and/or diverse stakeholder management.
• Demonstrated capacity to come up with ideas and build things from scratch that are rolled out with multiple stakeholders.
• Bachelor’s degree in business, social science, international development, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Excellent communication skills, with flawless written English and an evidenced track record of developing compelling content and messages.
• Must be a strong self-starter, able to complete tasks in a timely manner while balancing several workstreams with inputs from multiple team members.