Full-Time Business Development Fellow
Job Description
Got a degree in Finance, Economics or Business?
Spent 2-3 years in an start-up NGO, multinational, consultancy or similar?
Want to make a lasting difference using your business skills?
…Interested in working in Guatemala?!
If so, Alterna has a unique opportunity for you.
At Alterna we’re looking for bright and talented people to join our Business Development Fellowship Program. With the skills you bring, and a can-do attitude, it’s a unique chance for you to support the growth of social entrepreneurs across Central America – and to contribute to an innovative and sustainable solution to economic development.
Previous Alterna fellows have experienced a deep immersion in a Social Entrepreneurship community and exited the program with genuine ground experience and know how.
What will you be doing?
Alterna’s Business Development Fellowship Program is for professionals with relevant experience eager to take on a new challenge in the field of social entrepreneurship and business management where it matters most.
A fellowship can last from six months to one year. It’s the type of hands-on involvement that will allow you to generate a lasting, sustainable impact, while all the time developing your professional skills – and learning with, and from, other Alterna fellows and Alterna’s senior leaders.
The work you’ll be doing will be varied and challenging. For example, you could be:
● Helping the social entrepreneurs that Alterna works with to create high-quality business plans focusing on social and environmental impact.
● Supporting entrepreneurs to achieve and assess their business goals and impacts.
● Developing Alterna’s strategy – building the program and integrating Alterna into the social entrepreneurship ecosystem.
● Using your financial expertise to support our entrepreneurs with cost and data analyses and financial forecasts.
● Designing marketing and sales plans tailored to the needs of each project.
● Improving the logistics of our enterprise partners (the social ventures Alterna has set up directly).
What skills and qualifications do you need?
● a degree, ideally an MBA or Masters, in Business, Economics or Finance
● fluency in Spanish and professional working proficiency in English
● strong analytical, business judgment and problem-solving skills
● financial savvy
● outstanding interpersonal and communication skills
● proficiency in Office suite
● knowledge of, and passion for, social entrepreneurship and impact investing.
The following would be great, but not essential:
● a solid professional trajectory, ideally in a multinational, consultancy or leading NGO
● familiarity in working with entrepreneurs and/or social enterprises
● experience working in or with a developing country.
Supporting social SMEs in the field is not an easy task. We´re looking for resourceful, flexible and creative individuals. You’ll also need to enjoy working on your own and as part of the team, be proactive, be passionate about making a difference – and have a sense of humor!
Business Specialization Areas: Sales and marketing, finance and accounting, logistics.
Priority Sectors: Agro-industry, fair trade, retail, clean tech, micro finance, organic produce.
About Alterna
Alterna is based in Guatemala’s beatiful highland city of Quetzaltenango, a few hours from Guatemala City. From our base here we have three complementary pillars of work:
● We cultivate entrepreneurship across Guatemala’s under-served communities – identifying small businesses creating social and environmental value and providing them with hands-on mentorship to help them grow.
● We create and launch high-impact social ventures – to serve as examples of sustainable business models that can provide solutions to critical local needs.
● We bridge the support gap between local entrepreneurs and the resources that can accelerate their impact – leveraging partnerships with the private, public and academic sectors.
For more about us and what we do, have a look at our website: www.alternaimpact.org.