Organization: Nike Foundation
Location: Portland, Oregon, US
Strategic Initiatives Manager - Nike Foundation
As our Strategic Initiatives Manager, you'll work to influence leaders in the public and private sectors to direct dollars, innovations, policies, staff and other resources towards adolescent girls in poverty. The Strategic Initiatives team at the Nike Foundation is focused on unleashing the Girl Effect (
www.girleffect.org) at scale by working to create, shift and leverage major systems to work better for girls. Examples of systems at scale are international aid agencies, private foundations, private sector organizations, social networks and national governments. This role requires the ability to understand complex systems and then lead multi-functional teams to identify and implement elegantly disruptive innovations within these systems. In collaboration with the Strategic Initiatives Director, you'll evaluate and drive high leverage resource mobilization strategies that support Nike Foundation's mission of unleashing the Girl Effect at scale. You'll manage a portfolio of projects that mobilize other's resources for adolescent girls in poverty. Opportunities may come from various sources: NIKE Inc; Other companies, foundations, multilateral and bilateral aid agencies, NGO's and other such institutions focused on and or looking to focus on economic development activities. You'll lead virtual teams across the Nike Foundation, key partners within Nike and key external parties, ensuring that all concepts, strategies and initiatives are born from the collective creativity and intelligence of these networks. In addition, you'll manage all aspects of external partnerships -- communications, governance, operational and contractual issues, etc.
Requirements for the position include:
- Bachelor's Degree
- At least 8 years' experience in business and or international development
- Masters in Business Administration or Masters in International Relations, Public Policy or Ph.D from a top university preferred
- Minimum 2 years' experience in a leading international management consultancy
- Strong analytical abilities (both quantitative and qualitative); a systems thinker
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including meeting facilitation and presentations
- Proven experience with preparation and delivery of executive level presentations
- Passion for international development, demonstrated by a strong interest and prior exposure to global issues such as economic development, global health, or education
- Detailed knowledge of, and experience in international development programs, policy and advocacy in developing countries
- Experience living and working in different cultures (time spent in developing countries strongly preferred)
- Professionalism and demonstrated experience working with senior officials in the public and/or private sector
- Sensitivity to the political and cultural environments of international public agencies or similarly complex environments
- Ability to work in a fast-paced entrepreneurial, team-oriented, highly demanding environment
- Experience in the conception, design and management of strategies, initiatives and programs related to motivating an enhanced governmental response
- Strong project management skills
- Ability to work independently and drive multiple projects at the same time
- Proven track record of turning ideas into executable strategies and actions
- Strong sense of ownership, work ethic and follow up skills
- Ability to travel up to 50% domestically and internationally
- Ability to learn fast; think big; design and deliver for impact at scale
We're interested in learning more about you and appreciate you taking the time to apply online.
Nike, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer (EOE) that strives to create a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture.
Corporate & Social Responsibility
OR-Portland
Full-time
Yes, 50% of the time
No
No
Yes
Yes
To apply: https://nike.taleo.net/careersection/10020/jobdetail.ftl?lang=en&job=239754
Read more...
Organization: Mountain Association for Community Economic Development
Location: Berea, Kentucky, US
Ed. note: While not operating in the developing world markets that NextBillion's Career Center generally covers, we felt that MACED's approach is very relevant as it is aimed at enterprise development for the base of the U.S. economic pyramid.
Overview
MACED is looking for a highly motivated and experienced manager to join its staff as the enterprise development director. This senior position will guide MACED's efforts to grow enterprises (for-profit and nonprofit) that create employment, strengthen important sectors and foster entrepreneurship. Central to this position is a commitment to sustainable development and experience with rural community development, enterprise development and commercial financing. The enterprise development director will manage our growing enterprise development effort and focus on strengthening enterprises related to new energy (energy efficiency and renewable energy) and sustainable forestry. The enterprise development director serves on MACED's management team.
Background
The Mountain Association for Community Economic Development (MACED) is a 34 year-old multi-strategy sustainable economic development organization that seeks to create economic alternatives that work for people and places in need throughout Central Appalachia (eastern Kentucky, southeast Ohio, southwest Virginia, northeast Tennessee and West Virginia).
MACED is a fast-paced, dynamic and growing organization with a 25-person staff that manages $17 million in total assets. The organization focuses its efforts on sustainable development and change strategies that generate economic and environmental benefits to local people and places. These strategies include: 1) providing financial capital and expertise to individuals, businesses and communities, 2) conducting research and engaging in effective communications to support good public policy, and 3) demonstrating effective community economic development efforts that make a difference. MACED has recently completed a new strategic plan that focuses on two sectors (new energy and sustainable forestry), deepens our commitment to entrepreneur and enterprise development, and promotes the development of a new economic vision in Appalachia.
Enterprise Development
MACED's enterprise development program combines two of our core strategies-investing capital and providing capacity building efforts to grow entrepreneurs and community leaders. MACED provides loan capital, technical assistance and market knowledge as key tools to help build enterprises and entrepreneurs that provide important development benefits to the region. We lend between $2 and $3 million and provide meaningful technical assistance to more than 50 entrepreneurs a year.
Our efforts are currently focused in three directions-1) developing efforts to strengthen energy efficiency and sustainable forestry related enterprises and opportunities, 2) focusing on enterprises in the community services, natural resources and cultural assets areas, and 3) refining our efforts to provide effective support to micro-entrepreneurs and enterprises. The Enterprise Development team partners closely with other MACED programs with sector expertise. The enterprise development program staff will soon anchor a new MACED office in southeast Kentucky. Our technical assistance strategies include staff- and consultant-delivered one-on-one technical assistance focused on financial systems and reporting, business planning and marketing. We also provide some classroom-based training.
Our enterprise development team is consists of four full-time staff. We work closely with our portfolio support team to monitor the health of our loan fund. We are working to expand the team to six full-time staff. We currently operate from two Kentucky offices, in Berea and Paintsville.
We are seeking an enterprise development director who can build from the strength of the current team and emerging strategy by deepening the impact of these efforts on low-income people, communities in the region and the natural systems we all depend on. This position should also help the organization identifying ways in which the strategic investment of capital grows meaningful sustainable development opportunities in the region.
Position Description
The duties and responsibilities of the program manager include but are not limited to the following.
Program Management and Development
- Ensure that the enterprise development program is aligned with MACED's overall mission, vision and goals.
- Guide the enterprise development team in sharpening MACED's overarching enterprise development strategies, approaches to our work and how we communicate them to others.
- Coordinate with operations and finance director to oversee the loan fund, monitor its overall health and take action as needed to improve operations of lending and technical assistance.
- Work with program staff and the president to develop innovative new program through research, discussion and grounded learning.
- Participate in and, where appropriate, lead program evaluation.
- Ensure integration of enterprise development efforts with MACED programs, related sector strategies and support functions.
- Manage the successful implementation of MACED's enterprise development activities through supportive coaching, problem solving and other forms of direction and assistance.
- Prepare and monitor program budget including earned revenue.
- Supervise enterprise development staff.
- Identify and assess potential new sources of grant funding and earned revenue.
Enterprise Development Assessment
- Identify meaningful enterprise development opportunities.
- Help staff assess and improve enterprise development opportunities by marshalling resources, connecting to partners and developing innovative solutions.
- Review and approve loan proposals before they go to loan committee.
Networking and Marketing
- Develop and implement new ways for MACED's work to be informed by connections to ideas, people and institutions across the region and across relevant practitioner networks across the country.
- Participate in relevant networks of community economic development and sustainable development practitioners across the state, region and country.
- Develop and implement a program marketing plan that utilizes network relationships as a primary referral resource.
- Identify and develop new markets for lending and consulting services.
- Work with staff to communicate about impact of our work and share stories of partners.
General Management
- Ensure effective annual and trimester work planning.
- Participate actively on MACED's management team.
- Assist in the development of written proposals and assist in fundraising efforts as needed.
- Represent MACED at conferences, events and functions when needed.
- Practice safety in all aspects of the job.
- Other duties as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications and Characteristics
- Commitment to sustainable development.
- Minimum of five years of broadly defined community economic development experience, including experience with lending and capital-based programs.
- Minimum of a four-year college degree in business, economics, management or related field.
- Successful experience in project design, planning and management, including budget responsibility.
- Successful experience in supervision and group facilitation; able to work successfully on a team with diverse members.
- Ability to skillfully and respectfully supervise the work of others.
- Strong written and interpersonal communication skills.
- Committed to strategic thinking and innovative action.
- Strong computer skills.
- Highly self-motivated.
- Commitment to economic, environmental and social justice.
- Well-organized, attentive to detail, creative, able to work on multiple projects at once.
- Keen sense of humor!
Preferred Qualifications and Characteristics
- Significant knowledge of and appreciation for the Appalachian region.
- MBA.
- Entrepreneurial experience.
- Experience in accounting, spreadsheet development and financial analysis.
- Experience with evaluation.
- Understanding of marketing.
Additional Information
The position offers a competitive salary, based on experience, plus a generous benefits package. Position is based in Berea, Kentucky. Berea is a beautiful, small college town, an hour south of Lexington, on the edge of the Appalachian region. MACED is an equal opportunity employer.
Please e-mail your resume, three references and a cover letter specifically explaining why you are interested in working in Appalachian Kentucky and why you are a good fit for this position toDirector@maced.org. Application review will be on-going and continue until the position is filled. For more information about MACED, visit www.maced.org.
Read more...
Authored by: Tayo Akinyemi
This post is part of a series that introduces iuMAP, a web-based social enterprise directory developed by Ayllu and launched in media partnership with NextBillion. The purpose of the series is gathering feedback from the NextBillion community as the map unfolds and to share some of the information we've collected and analyzed. You can help triple iuMAP's size by submitting social enterprises and giving feedback. You can also catch up on the series reading the first, second and third entries.
* * *
This post is the second entry in a series focused on microfranchising, a common way many social enterprises distribute their products. There has been some great discussion of microfranchising recently (such as this SSIR article). This series provides an overview of different types of microfranchising, profile many enterprises that are employing the method, and provide information for both investors and those looking for funding. The last post gave a general overview of what will be covered in the series. This post focuses on one of the most common models- the business-in-a-bag.
Business-in-a-bag. It's a blissfully self-explanatory moniker. For VisionSpring, a social enterprise that trains men and women to sell reading glasses to members of their village communities and beyond, the business-in-a-bag contains everything its vision entrepreneurs need to run their microfranchises- eyeglasses, eye charts, repair kits, uniform, marketing materials, forms, etc., "Like Subway has a franchise store, our backpack is our unit of franchise. That backpack has all the contents people need to start their little business," says VisionSpring founder Jordan Kassalow. The same is true for LivingGoods, a social enterprise in East Africa with a similar model that focuses on the sale of health products, which prevent or treat diseases like malaria and promote family planning, reproductive health and personal care. LivingGoods was born out of the realization that prevention and treatment for diseases like malaria and diarrhea weren't lacking, but a systematic mechanism to distribute such items to those in need certainly was. Another example is ToughStuff, which sells solar panels through village entrepreneurs in Madagascar with a 'Business in a Box' model.
Continue reading this story...
Authored by: Rishabh Kaul
This is the second post in the Stories from Sarvajal series, where Rishabh Kaul describes his experience during this summer working at Sarvajal, a for profit enterprise trying to solve the water crisis in India. To get the maximum out of this post, do check out part 1.
After spending some time in North Gujarat, where things run pretty smoothly as far as issues of pricing and competition go, I made my way towards South of Gujarat. And boy was this was a whole new turf.
The South of Gujarat, especially the Valsad district, is a major industrial hub. In fact, Vapi, a major city in this district which is home to many chemical industries houses Asia's largest Common Effluent Treatment Plant and is amongst the most polluted places in the world. This means there is a clear demand for purified water.
However, the pricing of the water brings into account various factors at play. Unlike the villages in the North where our machines are located, the south - apart from having regular houses - also has apartments (with no elevators). Also, unlike the North, labor costs are quite high. To transport the bottle from the ground level to the 4th floor, one has to pay up to 25 Rupees. Existing pure water players sell water in the range of Rs 25-40.
However, a bigger challenge that confronts new players is the existence of water syndicates. These syndicates have strong tie ups with the local communities.
How can Sarvajal operate under these conditions? The challenges are numerous.
Firstly, we have to understand that our franchisee owner/operator is from the village and hence is aware of these forces. At the same time, for us to ensure that he adheres to the rules without feeling like it isn't a profitable business, we have to sit down with him and clearly make him understand how it is that a low margin high volume business works.
Secondly, what should prevent him from directly supplying to the syndicates at our rate (Rs 9) and then letting these syndicates sell the water at whatever price it is that they want to sell? After all, using this tactic, he can enter communities which he doesn't have access to.
Some might think that the second bit isn't really a challenge. Some of the cleverer lot might even suggest why not bypass these middlemen and directly enter these communities and market forces will take care of the rest, right? It makes good business sense right?
Well, not really. One reason is because, if the franchisee directly supplies to these communities (that have been served by syndicates for a long time) his fuel costs increase. Let's suppose that due to the high volume of customers, that's not an issue. There's a bigger problem of the syndicate attacking the operator, his house, our machine or his delivery van while he is in their territory.
This is where tough choices have to be made. In such cases our marketing efforts have to be carefully executed. True, it's a tough business and one has to move in aggressively, especially in the summer months when the demand is high, however one has to be tactful in doing so. So in my case, I suggested the franchisee operator to focus on areas that had no reach, to go to the poorest of the poor and explain to them the hazards of drinking contaminated water.
In my case, I was living with the franchisee operator so I got to interact with his neighbors and increase the word of mouth marketing of our product. One way of increasing market share was by using existing linkages. Say, if we're supplying water to a shop, we'd ask him to consider buying water from us for domestic usage and thus enter into his community.
It's still risky, mind you.
To counter the first problem, it's only the numbers that can motivate the operator. So we embark on a massive marketing spree where we visit each household in our catchment area. Within a matter of 2 days, we were able to increase his customer base by 70 customers (or 140%). This showed him that people did like the value proposition that we offered. Slowly, over a period of time, these people would spread the Sarvajal message to their neighbors (who were paying nearly 4 times the price) who would then approach the operator to sign them up as well. This is a much different approach than aggressive marketing in other providers' catchment area and risking the security of our operators and their assets.
Organization: Villgro Innovation Foundation
Location: Chennai, IN
VILLGRO INNOVATION FOUNDATION
Previously known as Rural Innovations Network, Villgro Innovations Foundation was established in 2001 by its founder, Paul Basil, to empower rural development by identifying and incubating innovations that positively impact the rural poor. Since its inception Villgro has identified over 1,500 innovators, funded over 40 start-ups, touched over 350,000 lives and created social returns of ~$5 million.
Villgro is establishing a fund management company with the aim to raise and investfunds in social enterprises in order to scale sustainable business practices that benefit the poor while encouraging their participation and growth in the economy.
The fund aims to bridge the gap in financing encountered by very early stage enterprises that have outgrown their startup capital but are not able to attract the attention of mainstream venture capital despite being poised for growth. The fund will maintain a strong rural oriented outlook with a focus on agriculture, energy and livelihoods generation amongst other sectors, and will place a strong emphasis on supporting technology and service innovations.
JOB POSITION:
Chief Executive Officer, Villgro Ventures Pvt ltd
Villgro Innovations Foundation invites applications from highly driven individuals to spearhead and direct the creation of a proposed fund management entity “VillgroVentures Pvt Ltd” and engage in the raising and execution of it’s first fund “Villgro Fund for Innovation and Rural Enterprise – V.FIRE”
Reporting to the Board of Directors, this role will initially revolve around the establishment and registration of the fund vehicle and the fund itself and later drivegrowth and profitability by providing direction in the execution of strategies in order to achieve Villgro venture fund’s social and business targets.
JOB LOCATION:
Chennai, India
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Fund Raising and Fund Vehicle Establishment
· Utilize the infrastructure of Villgro Innovations Foundation to establish, register and market the proposed Villgro venture fund vehicle;
· Lead the ongoing fund raising activities;
Fund Management and Leadership
· Direct, develop and execute policies and strategies aligned with the fund’s social and business objectives;
· Ensure portfolios are managed effectively and in line with their respective
· investment guidelines and in compliance with all regulatory/legal requirements;
· Oversee the development of investment vehicles company research and portfolio construction;
· Oversee development of client base through marketing efforts; advise existing
and prospective clients on the fund’s range of investment products
Team Building and Operations Management
· Build his/her own team;
· Manage a professional team including performance , career development,retention and other employee development initiatives;
· Prepare regular reports on investment performance, highlighting effectiveness and future plans
CANDIDATE PROFILE AND QUALIFICATIONS
· Proven fund management / direct investment experience;
· An existing network in which to raise the fund, preferably in one or more financial markets, including India;
· Strong leadership and management skills;
A master’s degree, preferably in Finance/Accountancy /Business/Economics/ an
· Agro-focused or engineering discipline or equivalent with significant experience in dealing with innovation, agriculture and social investments.
· Minimum of 10-12 years working experience where at least 5 years work experience in a managerial position in an established investment bank, capital management or asset management company, or micro finance fund. Alternatively, the candidate should have a mix of experience in establishing andmanaging an enterprise combined with direct involvement in finance, investments or fund management, totalling 10-12 years.
The CVs of the interested candidates are to be sent to villgrofund@villgro.org.
Read more...
entities 
entities
