Build something incredible
Does all this talk about solving tough problems, working with awesome people, and pursuing a passion for the outdoors have you jumping out of your seat?
Then you've come to the right place. Check out our open positions below and see if your skills, passion, and values make you the right fit to help us build incredible climate solutions, together.
Director of
Programs & Partnerships
Our Director of Programs & Partnerships will be a senior member of the growing Holocene team. They will be responsible for scaling the world-class program offerings created by the team while also securing new partnerships and innovative revenue streams. A focus on executing incredible events, workshops, capacity building programs and other initiatives with mission driven partners offers a unique opportunity for a stellar candidate to build on previous success while designing a new future.
The ideal candidate will be passionate to take on the climate challenge with open arms and a big smile. They will be engaging, organised, and driven, with an eye for opportunities to grow our reach with a track-record of securing strategic partnerships. An ability to operate with autonomy and high attention to detail will ensure that Holocene is always ‘front of the wave’.
The Director of Programs & Partnerships will build on the existing relationships we have with institutional partners, providing them with an excellent customer experience through world-class execution and reporting of contracted events. This individual will also be responsible for developing the Holocene community & programs calendar. This includes driving sign ups, planning and executing events, and creating an empowering and energised community of talented, passionate individuals.
As the owner of the community pillar, the Director will also own the pillar’s financials, including business development, P&L management and achieving revenue targets. A known and proven network across impact including government, development finance and donor community is a big plus. Lastly, the Director of Programs & Partnerships will pursue opportunities to commercialise our community and entrepreneurial content with mission-aligned organisations.
Position details
Position: Director of Programs & Partnerships
Hours: Full time position subject to 6-month probationary period
Reporting: Reports directly to Chief Executive Officer
Fixed Salary: R50,000 - 70,000 gross per month
Variable Earnings: Opportunity to participate in employee stock option plan
Location: Ability to work from Stellenbosch and Cape Town
Start date: 8 January 2024 or sooner
Responsibilities
Partner management
-
Ensure commercial contracts are properly executed with an excellent ability to project manage & track critical metrics
-
Ensure customer and stakeholder relationships are extremely strong
-
Execute regular reporting, monitor success metrics and ensure timely payment of all contracted services
Community building
-
Build and manage the Holocene climate community & partner communities
-
Lead the development and execution of events and workshops
-
Deliver engaging presentations to community audiences while project managing the team to support and shine
-
Drive community sign ups and event attendance
-
Lead communication with community and partners
Business development
-
Find and secure funding opportunities to support the community pillar
-
Locate, apply for and win entrepreneurial content and climate-related bids from DFI’s and other local & international organisations
-
Identify, pursue and close commercial contracts with mission-aligned customers for entrepreneurial content
Qualifications and experience
-
Strong mission alignment with a deep passion to preserve the planet and drive entrepreneurship in Africa
-
Bachelor’s degree in business, marketing or similar area required
-
Advanced degree such as MBA valued
-
5+ years corporate experience
-
2+ years working at a startup or startup ecosystem player preferred
-
Ideal candidates will have the following:
-
Previous employment or partnerships with a DFI or development consulting firm
-
Experience running entrepreneurial programs or incubation
-
Understanding of the funding ecosystem with a network of funders and track record of winning tenders
-
Skills requirements
-
Exceptional communication and presentation skills, both written and verbal
-
Strong relationship management ability with a talent for understanding and managing key relationships at multiple levels
-
Excellent project management skills including strategic planning, attention to detail, timeliness of execution, and proactivity
-
Sales-oriented mentality and ability to identify, apply for, pitch, and close community funding and partnership opportunities
-
Ability to manage the pillar P&L, including budgeting, managing expenses, and driving revenue
Investment Analyst
Holocene is looking for an ambitious, curious, driven Investment Analyst passionate about startups and venture investing with a desire to immerse themselves in climate tech. The Analyst's main responsibilities will include investment due diligence and assisting portfolio companies with their fundraising and financial modelling activities- so geeking out with numbers and a real passion for quantitative analysis is a must.
Our Investment Analyst will be stoked to marry numbers with research- and ideally will be driven by curiosity to go deep on topics in their spare time. Transferring this analytical knowledge into clear, concise, and insightful communication to a variety of stakeholders in formats that include investment memos, presentations at conferences, and meetings with entrepreneurs, partners and investors will allow the right candidate to leverage strengths while growing into new areas of expertise.
Through this role, the Analyst will be exposed to the world of climate tech startups learning about the highs, lows, and major uncertainties that starting a business entails. Therefore this individual will thrive in exploring the unknowns and not be intimidated by ambiguity and lack of data. As part of our small but growing team, our Investment Analyst will also excel at taking initiative, owning tasks, managing and executing projects from start to finish, and delivering an extremely high quality of work that will drive us to be “front of the wave” together.
This is a unique opportunity to work hand-in-hand with CFA chartered professionals with 30+ years of combined advisory, startup and investment experience ranging all the way from Fortune 50 companies to pre-revenue startups. The sky is the limit.
Position details
Position: Investment Analyst
Hours: Full time position subject to 6-month probationary period
Reporting: Reports directly to Venture Principal
Fixed Salary: R30,000 - 40,000 gross per month
Variable Earnings: Opportunity to participate in employee stock option plan
Location: Ability to work from Stellenbosch and Cape Town
Start date: 8 January 2024 or sooner
Responsibilities
Investment due diligence
Support Venture Principals with market research, financial analysis, scrutinising business model, testing pricing, competitive analysis, customer calls & testimonials, and getting to the merits of a good investment opportunity.
Developing investment theses
Support the team with in-house research on different climate and investment topics to feed into Holocene's early-stage climate tech investment theses.
Investment screening
Review incoming investment applications in accordance with internal investment scorecards and criteria. Marry investment insights with on-the-ground experiences to create a blend of book knowledge and real world insights.
Portfolio company support
Assist portfolio companies with their financial and fundraising needs, a significant component of this will be financial modelling and reviewing financial management accounts. Experience modelling debt and complex capital structures is a big positive.
Pipeline building
Attend demo days, get out to conferences, do desktop research, and help Holocene find the best early-stage climate tech startups in Africa. Generally be stoked to get-out-of-the-building to help us locate Africa’s best early-stage entrepreneurs.
Qualifications and experience
-
Strong mission alignment with a deep passion to preserve the planet and drive entrepreneurship in Africa
-
Bachelor’s degree in quantitative-focused subject: Accounting, Finance, Engineering, Mathematics, etc.
-
Advanced degree such as MBA, CA, or CFA valued
-
3+ years corporate experience
-
Ideal candidates will have the following:
-
M&A, fundraising or investment experience
-
Operational and financial startup experience (CFO-type work)
-
Experience modelling debt and complex financial structures
-
Skills requirements
-
Exceptional financial modelling and quantitative analysis abilities
-
Strong researcher with a talent for synchronising large quantities of data into clear insights and usable concepts
-
Outstanding project management skills including task prioritisation, attention to detail, timeliness of execution, and proactivity
-
Self starter with the focus and drive to fully own tasks with a high level of independence
-
Excellent communication and presentation skills, both written and verbal
-
Comfort with ambiguity and a high level of resourcefulness to glean insights and recommendations given imperfect information
