Social Enterprise Manager, Uganda
Invisible Children (“IC”) is looking to hire a creative problem solver with a business, social entrepreneurship, and/or fashion merchandising background to manage and grow our social enterprise, Mend. Mend is geared toward improving the quality of life of women in northern Uganda who were directly affected by the LRA conflict. These women handcraft unique, high-quality bags designed to seam a personal connection between products, their makers and consumers.With plans to expand the Mend product line, we are seeking a highly motivated Social Enterprise Manager to drive the overall success of operations and production. In this position, you will work closely with the entire Mend team and seamstresses to implement overall brand strategy through new product designs. This position is an incredible opportunity to work in a developing country within a motivated cross-cultural team aimed at making an impact through social entrepreneurship.
Come work with us if you want to:
Contribute to a social enterprise that has a strong impact on actual lives using your business, fashion and/or entrepreneurial background
Be a part of creating original, well designed, high-quality products
Work in a cross-cultural team environment
Consult on a broad scope of issues as part of the ICU management team
Utilize your strong logistical, communication, and relational skills
Live in East Africa and invest in the development of a post-conflict community
Responsibilities:
- Implement and manage the production of new product designs in coordination with production deadlines; identify opportunities for best practices improvements
- Oversee the supply management / inventory of all raw materials and supplies, and work with the logistics department to ensure timely and cost-effective procurement
- Participate in local sourcing of raw materials in Africa
- Oversee and ensure quality control of products
- Oversee international shipments to and from the U.S. office
- Collaborate with the Social Worker to provide psychosocial programs and trainings for the seamstresses
- Serve as a brand ambassador for Mend by hosting international visitors and representing the social enterprise to the local community
- Manage all Mend-related social media
- Create original content for marketing and communications materials that highlight the enterprise, its impact, makers, and product, through stories, blog posts, and photography assets
- Directly oversee and support the Mend staff through training and capacity building
- Oversee Mend’s annual operating budget and financial management, in coordination with the Social - Enterprise Director and the Finance Department
- Coordinate with the Monitoring and Evaluation department to ensure compliance with all M&E data collection and reports, in order to assess program impact and inform future decision making
- Ensure that the facility and equipment are functioning at full capacity
- Provide regular reports to Invisible Children Uganda (“ICU”) and the IC U.S. Headquarters
Requirements:
- 2+ years experience working in production management, project management, and/or social enterprise.
- Bachelor’s degree required; a Master’s degree or MBA is a plus, but experience and commitment to excellence are the biggest determining factors
- International work experience is required
- Experience managing and supervising staff; excellent interpersonal and cross-cultural communication skills
- Prior experience managing and maintaining a budget
- High proficiency in Excel
- English fluency required
- Must be flexible, open-minded, and positive
- Must be able to adapt to living and working in a developing country / cross-cultural environment
Position Details:
This is a full-time, paid position, based in the town of Gulu in northern Uganda. The start date is mid-May and contract length is two years. Benefits provided include: community housing, cleaning services, meals, paid time off, home leave, in-country health care, and emergency evacuation insurance.
Learn more about Mend at http://www.mend.co. Please direct questions to jobs@invisiblechildren.com.
How to apply:
Apply here: http://bit.ly/applyMEND Closing date: 25 Mar 2013
