Entrepreneur Consultant

Job Description

Position Summary:

Sinapis is looking for 3-4 qualifed consultants to work with its 2013-2014 entrepreneurs.

Entrepreneur consultants will have two primary functions:

            July-December 2013:      Consultant, investment analyst, and lecturer

            January-July 2014:                Consultant and Sinapis Operations Team

Consultant, investment analyst, and lecturer

During the term as consultant, investment analyst, and lecturer, the entrepreneur consultants’ primary roles include:

1.        Consulting and field work alongside the entrepreneurs                          15-20 hrs / wk

2.        Analyzing investment-worthiness of Sinapis companies                          10-15 hrs / wk

3.        Leading class lectures and discussions as needed                                                5-10 hrs / wk

The most important aspect of our training program is the in-field mentorship component. To provide this support, each consultant will be paired with 4-5 entrepreneurs and spend their time working as partners to help the entrepreneurs:

1.        peform comprehensive market research for their business idea including designing focus groups, surveys and performing informational customer interviews;

2.        design  a repeatable sales process to capture visionary customers which includes creating sales/marketing materials, networking to get customer meetings and attending sales pitches;

3.        develop a plan to scale by moving from visionary customers to mainstream customers;

4.        create pro forma statements and project long-term financials;

5.        improve their busines operations to increase efficiency and effectiveness; and

6.        create a well-developed business plan, pitch and financing request for potential investors.

Consultant and Sinapis Operations Team

During the term as extended consultant and working on the Sinapis Operations Team, the entrepreneur consultants’ primary roles include:

1.        Operating field work as consultant to portfolio companies                     10-15 hrs / wk

2.        Developing the Sinapis growth / scale strategy                                        15-20 hrs / wk

3.        Leading Sinapis program development work                                           5-10 hrs / wk

The most important aspects of working as a consultant for the portfolio company is the training and development of the Sinapis entrepreneurs and team building. The entrepreneur consultant will be paired with one to two of the companies which he/she mentored as a consultant. As a team member, the entrepreneur consultant will fill such roles as:

1.        developing workplans and training team members to create and meet milestones;

2.        creating and leading sales pitches for potential customers and partnerships;

3.        sourcing raw materials and physical assets;

4.        coaching entrepreneurs on written and oral communications as well as effective task, meeting, and people management skills;

5.        leading recruitment and hiring process for a full-time replacement and other new employees.

Position Term:

The position will begin in July 2013 and end July 2014 and includes 1 cohort of 15 entrepreneurs. 

Responsibilities:

·         Attend all training classes with assigned entrepreneurs;

·         Teach business case studies in class;

·         Meet with each entreprenuer 2-3 times per week to help them implement concepts learned in class within in their own business and create a world class business plan;

·         Attend all field events with entrepreneurs including market research events, sales pitches, investor meetings, etc;

·         Meet with Sinapis leadership weekly to provide a standardized update on each entrepreneur’s progress;

·         Provide once monthly review of the strengths, weaknesses and risks of each assigned entrepreneur and their business as well as an overall investment recommendation.

·         Any and all other tasks that Sinapis Leadership need help with (as a start-up we must maintain an “all hands on deck” policy)

Desired Skills & Experience

Candidate Profile and Experience Prerequisites:

We are a small, young, energetic team, so we are looking for candidates that are comfortable in a start-up environment. Because our entrepreneur consultants are the closest to our entrepreneurs, they have the most direct influence on the level of our social impact. Thus, we are looking for highly qualified candidates from some of the best business schools and firms in the US. Generally,
a successful candidate will have:

Required

·         Undergraduate or graduate degree in business administration from a top school;

·         At least 2 years of work experience in business;

·         A heart and passion for our mission of creating businesses in Kenya that will alleviate poverty; and

·         The patience required to mentor entrepreneurs in a context which can at times be difficult.

Preferred

·         3+ years of work experience in business;

·         Expereince in management consulting, entrepreneurship, investment banking, private equity, venture capital, or deep functional experience in areas such as marketing/sales, operations, finance, PR, HR, etc; and

·         Any kind of teaching or mentoring experience is a plus.

Our previous entrepreneur consultants include

·         Management consultants from McKinsey & Company and PriceWaterhouse Coopers

·         Investment bankers from Greenhill Partners, and

·         PhD economists from London School of Economics.

Application Requirements and Process:

Please send a cover letter, CV, and three references to Connor McCarthy at marketing@sinapisgroup.org and complete our biodata form which can be found at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HXS7H26. The cover letter should include more detail about your business expertise, reason for applying, passion for our cause and commitment to our Christian beliefs. The resume / CV should not exceed one page.

Company Description

Sinapis is a social enterprise with a mission to empower aspiring entrepreneurs in the developing world with innovative, scalable business ideas by providing them with a rigorous business education, Christian business and ethics training, world-class consulting and mentoring services and access to seed capital. Through these means, we strive to create Kingdom business leaders, sustainable employment and an improved quality of life for many that we may glorify God in service of His people. 

Sinapis begins by selecting 15 of the most innovative entrepreneurs in Kenya and puts them through 6 months of intensive training similar to a mini-MBA but customized for early stage enterprises. Throughout the training program, entrepreneurs must implement what they have learned in class in their own businesses and meet certain milestones. Only the highest performing entrepreneurs advance through the program, the best of which receive seed capital for their businesses of between $10-$100,000. The businesses that receive seed capital are also eligible to receive full-time support from a Sinapis Entrepreneur Consultant for up to six months following receipt of capital. 

Sinapis has both a non-profit branch called Sinapis Group which handles the training and mentoring aspects of the organization and a for-profit branch called Sinapis Capital that allows external investors to invest in our highest performing entrepreneurs.