EWB Long Term Fellowship - Business Development Services Africa Zambia (BDSA)
Role: Business Consultant
Venture: BDSA
Website: www.bdsaafrica.com
Location: Lusaka, Zambia
Start Date: Training May 2017, placement start date June 2017
Duration: 12 months
Engineers Without Borders Canada (EWB) is a Canadian NGO that invests in people and ventures to create a thriving and sustainable world. Bolstered by its network of 40 chapters and 1300 members, EWB provides seed funding, talent and mentorship to social enterprises throughout sub-Saharan Africa. For more information on EWB, visit http://ewb.ca.
The EWB Fellows Program
The EWB Fellows Program exists to develop a cadre of Systems Change Leaders by equipping them with the opportunities, competencies and skills needed to build a more thriving and sustainable world. Every year we recruit 25-30 outstanding people for the 12-month Fellowship, placing successful candidates in one of our early-stage Ventures located throughout sub-Saharan Africa. This Fellowship opportunity is with BDSA and is based in Lusaka, Zambia.
About BDSA Zambia
BDSA is a consultancy service and its mission is to make shared value the new way of doing business. Since 2011, BDSA has been delivering management and technical advice to actors in the private sector in Zambia to further the expansion of business models and norms that increase economic, social and environmental prosperity.
Our mandate is to leverage capital, data and innovative ideas to develop a self-reliant and sustainable form of poverty reduction; we focus on creating win-win business models and operations within their client organizations such that commercial and competitive mandates can be met while improving the livelihoods of an organization’s customer and supplier segments, who are generally the urban and rural poor and emergent agro-preneurs.
BDSA Zambia has been registered as a company limited by guarantee in Zambia since August 2014 and has been a venture supported by EWB since 2011.
About the role
As BDSA has been running as a consultancy firm exclusively for six years, all of our current staff are
quite involved with their clients. We are therefore in need of a very proactive and independent fellow who can focus on moving our new products and services from concept to action. The work of the fellow is very important to the continuation and success of the team; therefore, management will be available to support the fellow through the process when needed.
As a Business Consultant for BDSA, your responsibilities may include:
Key Responsibilities:
● Reviewing the market research for 8 new products and research and filling in any remaining gaps
● Developing (with the support of management) a plan for moving the market research into the pilot testing stage
● Determining the financial viability for these new products and services
● Beginning the launch of pilot programs and pivoting on ideas as testing moves forward
● Activities that may be piloted include:
- Including small and medium enterprises (SMEs) into BDSA’s client base (a shift from our current corporate clients)
- Developing SME specific services o Event planning and coordination
- Supporting companies to be BCorp certified
- Bringing new companies/programs into Zambia
- Choosing small and medium enterprises for BDSA to invest in o Scoping and writing relevant grants
Sound exciting? Here’s who we are looking for.
Skills & Qualifications
Education
● A Bachelor’s degree or master’s degree in a relevant subject
Professional Background
● 2+ years of professional work experience
● Experience with the Private Sector and NGOs
Required Skills
● Experience working in a developing country (ideally in Southern Africa)
● Project management
Desirable Skills
● Finance background
● Business background
● Experience working with SMEs
Character Traits
● Independent worker
● Proactive and opportunity seeker
● Flexible (living, work environment, and work deliverables)
● Optimistic on the role of business to create social change
● Entrepreneurial mindset
*Please note: You must be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or landed immigrant in order to apply. No exceptions.**
Compensation
All costs relating to the placement are either paid for directly by EWB (airfare, insurance, vaccinations, trainings) or indirectly through a living stipend, which covers food, living expenses, local travel, etc. Fellows also receive an honorarium to assist with repatriation costs. The stipend covers basic living expenses for a modest lifestyle in your placement country. You should not expect to save money during this year or use the stipend to cover previous expenses (e.g. student loans).
Additionally, EWB offers a range of benefits including insurance, a settlement allowance, professional development opportunities, and more.
HOW TO APPLY:
Application Instructions
Submitting your application for the EWB Fellowship involves two steps:
Step 1: Under the subject line “Business Consultant - BDSA”, submit your CV/Resume to devonmatthews@ewb.ca.
Step 2: Complete the following online application form. Please select "EWB Long Term Fellowship - BDSA" as the “Opportunity type”. If you would like to submit your candidacy to more than one role, please fill out separate forms.
Applications will be reviewed, and interviews scheduled on a rolling basis, so please submit your application as soon as possible. If the posting is still on our website, consider the role available.
For further detail about EWB, please visit our website.