Job Description: Chief Executive Officer, Pan-Africa Venture Philanthropy Association (PAVPA) The Opportunity Throughout the world, Venture Philanthropy (VP) and Social investment (SI) have proven to be a powerful way to create social impact by deploying private funds with discipline, transparency and accountability. Conditions are ripe for VP/SI to play a major role in improving lives in Africa. The right kind of ecosystem support could greatly expand the amount of capital deployed and enhance its effectiveness and impact. With such goal in mind a new pan-African network, the Pan-Africa Venture Philanthropy Association (PAVPA), will be launched to connect organizations that provide the financial, human and intellectual capital required to make VP/SI successful. The organization will be African-based, African-led and substantially African-funded. Although the vision is pan-African, the network will have anchors in East, West and Southern Africa. The headquarters will be in Nairobi, with Lagos and Johannesburg hosting smaller offices. The organization will serve as catalyst and facilitator to enable providers of financial, human and/or intellectual capital -- including private investors, high-net-worth families, foundations, corporations, professional services firms, universities and government-related agencies -- to realize their full potential for impact. It will do this by focusing on these essential functions: 1. Creating a platform for connecting diverse parties who desire to engage in VP/SI, including an annual conference enabling Members and other players – both African and international – to meet, engage, learn from each other and collaborate. 2. Adding value for members by providing services that enhance their effectiveness, including: Development and dissemination of best VP/SI practices such as due-diligence, portfolio management, fundraising and impact measurement, as well as other value-added services such as practical advice and hands-on assistance on how to do effective VP/SI, through webinars and training sessions; development of tools such as a deal-sharing platform; facilitation of efforts to influence practice and policy. 3.
Linking efforts in Africa to similar networks of like-minded parties in Asia and Europe.
As the PAVPA is getting ready for launch we are seeking an ambitious and capable executive to take on the role of CEO and lead its start-up and ongoing operations. This position is for a person seeking to make a lasting impact on the growth of strategic philanthropy and effective social investment in Africa.
Role Profile The CEO is the leader and chief spokesperson for the Pan-Africa Venture Philanthropy Association. She or he will report to and be accountable to the board of directors. The CEO’s primary responsibilities include the start-up of the network’s operations; member acquisition; development and effective delivery of value-added services to the network’s members; robust financial management, including fundraising to ensure the sustainability of the operation. These responsibilities should be carried out in
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accordance with the directions provided by the board of directors and within established guidelines so that organizational, fundraising, budgetary, member service objectives are fully achieved. More specifically, the CEO will be responsible for the following set of activities: 1. Act as the public face of the Pan African VP/SI network, at regional events and as an advocate for venture philanthropy as an effective approach to creating significant social impact 2. Manage the team based at the hub in Nairobi and recruit country leaders/representatives for the offices in Johannesburg and Lagos. All in all, the CEO will lead a team of around 10 professionals across the three offices. 3. Manage for the organization’s financial well-being and its long-term sustainability. As part of this activity, the CEO will lead the fundraising efforts across Africa from both grant-makers and corporate sponsors for regional and country specific expansion initiatives. 4. Drive the outreach, engagement and conversion of further organizations who have the potential to become new members of the network. 5. Develop a highly compelling set of member services customized for the African markets and member needs, and ensure a reliable and most effective delivery to add member value and increase social impact. 6. Coordinate closely with the Board, to ensure it is adequately updated and can provide effective guidance to the network’s activities. 7. Liaise with the leadership of other VP/SI networks (EVPA, AVPN, India) to facilitate the transfer of learnings and best practices. 8. Develop and implement market entry strategies for specific regions or countries that will over time merit more direct engagement (e.g. French West Africa, Ethiopia, etc.) 9. Expand the African network’s role as a catalyst and facilitator for the creation of a new Venture Philanthropy Organisations (“VPOs”) across the Sub-Saharan African region.
Person Profile The ideal candidate will be driven by the following motivations: • • • •
Be seeking to play a significant role in transforming philanthropy in Sub-Saharan Africa with the goal of enabling substantial improvement in outcomes for beneficiaries. Have a strong belief in the power of VP/SI approaches (i.e. deployment of private funds with discipline, transparency and accountability) to unlock and propel effective social impact. Feel challenged and invigorated by an early stage leadership opportunity and being ready to lead an entirely new and vibrant organization, shaping its strategy and execution from the outset. Be passionate about promoting innovation, collaboration and learning within the major social issues and sectors, including children, education, health, environment, women empowerment and others within Africa and globally.
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To be successful in this role the candidate will have the following qualifications and personal characteristics: •
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Be a very successful senior executive, with at last 15 years of experience, in Africa, mostly in international leadership roles, including managing teams in remote offices, and financial management. Most likely have developed his or her career in the private sector or in organizations with strong focus on business development, client acquisition or fundraising. Be a strong communicator and have enough gravitas to interface with senior leaders from private family offices, government, private equity, corporates and foundations. Ideally have substantial experience dealing with boards and governance matters. Have an ability to operate effectively in cross-cultural settings, being effective in building partnerships not only with African organizations from across the entire continent, but also with international institutions. Be perfectly fluent in English. Command of French or other languages relevant in Africa would be a plus. Be ready to leverage and expand her or his own robust networks to engage a variety of organizations to win them over as new members, sponsors of the network, or funders. Have experience in starting up new initiatives, and be prepared to put in the hard work to start up a new organization, with limited support and infrastructure, across a very wide geographic region. Be ready to conduct significant travel throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. Have a high-energy level and a passion for the mission. Be a person of highest personal integrity and professionalism. Be a national of a Sub-Saharan African country, and already be based in Sub-Saharan Africa.
For more specific information and a confidential discussion please contact:
Alex Alvarez
[email protected]
Last updated: July, 2017
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