Relationship Development, Revenue Generation, Events, Project Management, Entrepreneurship, Business Development, Communication, Tender Management
Job description
Company
Holocene is a community of outdoor enthusiasts building incredible African climate solutions. We are climate first, Africa only, and a ton of fun (at least we think so)!
Our aim is to positively impact the climate landscape in Africa by being awesome at two things: cultivating a community of talented, passionate climate enthusiasts; and investing in and helping to build early-stage African climate tech startups. Over the past four years our team has worked with over 200 ventures, served over 2, 000 entrepreneurial early-adopters and provided innovation services to the V&A Waterfront, Government of Finland, Mediclinic, British Council, and GIZ, amongst others.
We are on a mission to make climate fun, approachable and motivating all while growing an ecosystem of climate ambassadors committed to solving this hard but exciting problem.
Our Culture
Team Holocene is composed of mission-driven individuals dedicated to protect what they love and help others do the same.
The foundation of our culture is our passion for the outdoors, commitment to solving tough problems, and appreciation of each others unique talents and interests. We are resourceful and pragmatic, knowing that every journey begins with a single step. We have deep empathy for our entrepreneurs, admiration for those seeking to achieve big things, and high standards- as well as epic aspirations- for what we can accomplish together. We consciously live our virtues every day because what you do is who you are.
Director of Programs & Partnerships
Our Director of Programs & Partnerships will be a senior member of the growing Holocene team. They will be responsible for scaling the world-class program offerings created by the team while also securing new partnerships and innovative revenue streams. A focus on executing incredible events, workshops, capacity building programs and other initiatives with mission driven partners offers a unique opportunity for a stellar candidate to build on previous success while designing a new future.
The ideal candidate will be passionate to take on the climate challenge with open arms and a big smile. They will be engaging, organised, and driven, with an eye for opportunities to grow our reach with a track-record of securing strategic partnerships. An ability to operate with autonomy and high attention to detail will ensure that Holocene is always front of the wave.
The Director of Programs & Partnerships will build on the existing relationships we have with institutional partners, providing them with an excellent customer experience through world-class execution and reporting of contracted events. This individual will also be responsible for developing the Holocene community & programs calendar. This includes driving sign ups, planning and executing events, and creating an empowering and energised community of talented, passionate individuals.
As the owner of the community pillar, the Director will also own the pillars financials, including business development, P&L management and achieving revenue targets. A known and proven network across impact including government, development finance and donor community is a big plus. Lastly, the Director of Programs & Partnerships will pursue opportunities to commercialise our community and entrepreneurial content with mission-aligned organisations.
Position details
Position: Director of Programs & Partnerships
Hours: Full time position subject to 6-month probationary period
Reporting: Reports directly to Chief Executive Officer
Fixed Salary: R50, 000 - 70, 000 gross per month
Variable Earnings: Opportunity to participate in employee stock option plan
Location: Ability to work from Stellenbosch and Cape Town
Start date: 8 January 2024 or sooner
Responsibilities
Partner management
- Ensure commercial contracts are properly executed with an excellent ability to project manage & track critical metrics
- Ensure customer and stakeholder relationships are extremely strong
- Execute regular reporting, monitor success metrics and ensure timely payment of all contracted services
- Build and manage the Holocene climate community & partner communities
- Lead the development and execution of events and workshops
- Deliver engaging presentations to community audiences while project managing the team to support and shine
- Drive community sign ups and event attendance
- Lead communication with community and partners
- Find and secure funding opportunities to support the community pillar
- Locate, apply for and win entrepreneurial content and climate-related bids from DFIs and other local & international organisations
- Identify, pursue and close commercial contracts with mission-aligned customers for entrepreneurial content
- Strong mission alignment with a deep passion to preserve the planet and drive entrepreneurship in Africa
- Bachelors degree in business, marketing or similar area required
- Advanced degree such as MBA valued
- 5+ years corporate experience
- 2+ years working at a startup or startup ecosystem player preferred
- Previous employment or partnerships with a DFI or development consulting firm
- Experience running entrepreneurial programs or incubation
- Understanding of the funding ecosystem with a network of funders and track record of winning tenders
- Exceptional communication and presentation skills, both written and verbal
- Strong relationship management ability with a talent for understanding and managing key relationships at multiple levels
- Excellent project management skills including strategic planning, attention to detail, timeliness of execution, and proactivity
- Sales-oriented mentality and ability to identify, apply for, pitch, and close community funding and partnership opportunities
- Ability to manage the pillar P&L, including budgeting, managing expenses, and driving revenue
Together we can build inspiring climate solutions for our incredible epoch.
