Internship Volunteer Social Business Consultant, Tirana, Albania
Job Description
In a Nutshell
Join our 3-6 month volunteer program and help us develop innovative and exciting social business models for Albania. Together with our team in Tirana, you will identify, support, and train exceptional social business entrepreneurs and help us connect them to the global social business community.
About the Adventure
Social businesses combine the strengths of civil society and the business world. They have a social mission but operate as businesses and are financially sustainable, bringing market discipline to the social sector. At Yunus Social Business (YSB), we believe that social entrepreneurs can be a driving force behind the development of countries and societies. We are dedicated to equipping social entrepreneurs with the tools, training, and ultimately the confidence to become successful and build showcases for social business in the country. We are entering a new and exciting phase by establishing an accelerator program in 2014 that will help entrepreneurs to fast track their social business idea from concept stage to investment-readiness.
What we are looking for
This is a perfect position for someone who knows how to think differently, to challenge what others take for granted, and to take leaps of imagination. As someone who has experience in launching and developing creative projects or businesses, you know what it means to jump off a cliff and build a plane on the way down. You know how to excite others about your ideas and even if things get ugly, you know how to keep smiling and make the best out of it. And, of course, others regularly call you things like do-gooder, tree-hugger, or idealist, but you’ve always considered it a compliment. In plain, bullet-point speak, this means you should have:
• A demonstrated commitment to make a difference and sustainably improve people’s lives;
• Extensive experience in at least one of the following:
o Entrepreneurship (building and growing businesses);
o Product Development (developing and testing new products);
o Marketing & Communications (building brands, buzz and communities);
o Implementing social projects in cooperation with NGOs or international development agencies;
o Strategy consulting and project management;
• Demonstrated leadership and a high level of passion, entrepreneurial energy and personal initiative;
• An excellent understanding of “social business”;
• Strong cultural understanding and skills to manage differences;
• An intuitive approach towards team work.
Your role
As a Social Business Consultant, you will be taking the lead on new social business projects and/or existing businesses in the portfolio. You will work closely with entrepreneurs and partners on the development of a network and ecosystem for social business in Albania.
• Increase the number of idea submissions and applications
• Help us identify and select the most promising social business ideas (due diligence)
• Train and coach entrepreneurs in your area of expertise, such as marketing, distribution, sales, production, product development, finance or leadership
• Work with existing portfolio businesses on growing and expanding their impact through advising, coaching and hands-on work
• Help our global team in Frankfurt to identify and approach new partners and investors
What we offer to you
• An awesome opportunity to use your talent, skills and enthusiasm to help create social businesses with us
• An exciting work environment with great scope for taking on significant responsibilities
• A tremendous team of experts from entrepreneurship, venture capital, consulting, investment banking and international development work
• A great opportunity to help Albania address its most fundamental needs through a pioneering approach
• A lot of joy in all our projects and a friendly, young, international team.