The Telecel Group Africa Startup Initiative Accelerator Program powered by Startupbootcamp Afritech will begin Cohort 4 in November 2023. The program aims to support the next generation of early-stage disruptive African tech startups.10 selected startups go through an intense 3-month Accelerator where they prove their concepts, scale their operations, and in some cases, transform their business models. The Program takes a hybrid format and begins in Dakar, culminating in a physical Demo Day.

A key component of all our programs is our Entrepreneurs in Residence (EIRs). EIRs are experts in various aspects of company growth who join the SBC team to provide critical support to the 10 startups for the duration of the program. The program is a world-class immersive program covering every aspect of business and entrepreneurship development, which ranks our EIRs among the most well-rounded startup coaches on the continent.

We are looking for an experienced Product Partnerships Professional to join us full-time for 3 months (Contract).

About the Role 

Partnerships are a key growth area that helps accelerate our cohort startups' product adoption. They are a key component of the Startupbootcamp methodology. As a Product Partnerships Lead, you will be responsible for driving pilot initiatives on behalf of the Cohort Startups with both our portfolio of Corporate partners and new prospective Corporate targets. Your ultimate KPI will be the commercial contracts you close for the Startups.

On a day-to-day basis, you will be required to do the following:

1. Manage GTM with distribution partners by building channel partner strategy (along with the Startup team)
2. Drive new revenue channels for startups and work with our founders to develop new relationships with high-profile organizations
3. Train and support startup teams to manage and nurture established partnerships
4. Work closely with the startups’ business development team to enhance the sales pipeline
5. Contribute to defining the product vision, road map and growth opportunities
6. Aid the startups in assessing what products are in demand and worth selling and what their target market is. 
7. Research and analyze the market, the users, and the roadmap for the product
8. Keep abreast with Agile/Scrum best practices and new trends

Required Skills and Experience

The product owner and strategist will be required to have the following:

1. 5+ years of experience in business, partnerships, strategy, or sales roles
2. Experience working in a complex startup environment
3. +2 years of IT and scrum development experience 
4. Strong interpersonal and analytical problem-solving skills
5. A high comfort level with fast-paced, disruptive and high-growth environments
6. Advanced knowledge of Excel or Google Sheets
7. Good communication, presentation, and leadership skills
8. Knowledge of the regulatory environment and compliance requirements for digital tech businesses will be a big plus.
9. Strong Corporate relationships/network that spans across the continent will also be a big plus.

Benefits

By far the biggest benefit we offer is a chance to make a difference. You will get paid to travel, have a ton of fun meet the most innovative African startups, and get to contribute to their success story.

And speaking of fun, as much as we work intensely, we do know how to have fun and these 4 months will probably be one of the best and most intensely rewarding 3 months of your life. Get set!

Next steps

If you’re interested, please follow the next steps to apply here: https://forms.gle/9K8fbLcMZe9WM1Wx9

As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to providing fair opportunities for everyone regardless of age, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, parental status, or disability. Everybody is welcome and we especially encourage you reading this to apply. Send in your application and show us how passionate you are. We would be delighted to hear from you and speak with you.