Program / Department
Summary: Mercy Corps has been
operational in Kenya since 2007 and currently implements programs in Rift
Valley, Central and Wajir districts with funding from USAID, Gates Foundation,
ICDF and private Horn of Africa drought response funds.
Mercy Corps’ efforts
are focused on supporting youth so they have a voice and opportunities for
growth. We are also helping drought affected communities recover and be more
resilient.
Social Venture Customer Development Internship - Nairobi
Program / Department Summary: The Social Venture Team has three phases (assess, prove and scale) for ideas that receive grant funding from the Social Venture Fund and can become a sustainable social business.
Each phase must meet
certain criteria to be eligible for the next phase with the ultimate aim of
spinning the business off on its own as a successful social business.
The team is in the
early stages of the assess phase testing a youth employment social enterprise
of an online and mobile marketplace for short term and repetitive jobs.
The aim of this
marketplace is expand the networks of youth to allow youth to become more
productive and hire additional staff to meet growing needs as well as stimulate
job creation for new services to capture latent demand by the growing lower to
middle class.
This business
functions both via mobile and web, leveraging SMS and mobile payments to link
youth to individual employers for specific jobs followed up by individual
reviews.
You will be a part of
a cross-functional team working on new products development, in a startup-like
environment, following Lean Startup methodology.
You’ll bridge
technical and business worlds as you participate in the design of new products
using rapid, customer-focused iterations. You will also take part in
brainstorming, evaluation and development of ideas gathered through internal
company innovation pipeline.
The intern(s) will support and participate in the work of the social business.
Areas of focus may
include:
1. Supporting program
in recruiting customers and validating profiles.
2. Supporting field
tests and interviews documenting key learnings and summaries.
3. Supporting business
team in developing business models and measuring key metrics.
Learning Objectives:
During the internship
you will have a chance to get familiarized with following concepts
- Lean
Startup
- Customer
Development
- Business
model design and prototyping using business model canvas.
- Idea
brainstorming,
- Idea
evaluation
- Marketing
research
Deliverables:
The Intern will
support the team through the following activities:
1. Support the design
of monitoring and database indicators, forms, and tools of data collection
instruments.
2. Work with team to
organize, summarize and utilize data and data findings.
3. Assist in
preparation, participate and coordinate pilot development, business product
development, and trainings.
4. Supporting program
team in incorporating social media into business.
Ideal candidate should possess the following qualifications:
- Last
year students with strong interest in entrepreneurship and new emerging
technologies.
- Excellent
organizational and analytical skills with strong technical abilities
- Excellent
written and oral communication skills
The following skills will be considered as advantage:
- Programming
- Experience
with Agile Software Development
- Experience
developing Internet products and technologies
- Experience
with Google analytics or similar analytics tool
- Online
and social marketing
Mercy Corps interns and volunteers represent the agency both
during and outside of work hours and are expected to conduct themselves in a
professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies,
procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.
Interested candidates who meet the above required qualifications and experience should submit on or before August 1, 2014 a cover letter, detailed Curriculum Vitae (CV) listing three professional references to hrkenya@ke.mercycorps.org.
Applicants must
clearly indicate on the email subject: “Social Venture Intern”.
Applications without
the right subject heading will automatically be disqualified.
Please do not attach
any certificates.
Only qualified
short-listed candidates will be contacted.
NB: Mercy Corps does
not charge any fee at any stage of the recruitment process.