Product Development & Learning Specialist

 EWB Long Term Fellowship
Numida Tech. ​
(TrackApp)
Role: ​
Product Development & Learning Specialist
Organization: ​
Numida Tech.
Location​
: Ghana or Uganda, TBD
Start Date: ​
mid­September 2015
Duration: ​
12 months, with potential for renewal
Number of Positions: ​
two
Currently seeking people outraged with the status quo ­ ready to disrupt the system!
You may not know where you’re going to be in five years, but it’s clear to you that you
must put your energy towards solving important social problems. If you are ready for
the single most challenging and rewarding job of your life, then an EWB Fellowship
might be a great fit!
Engineers Without Borders Canada (EWB)​
is a social change incubator for people,
ventures and ideas. We spark and accelerate systemic innovations in Canada and
Africa that have the potential to radically disrupt the systems that allow poverty to
persist. We work in five portfolio areas: 1) Small and Growing Businesses that Deliver
Social Value; 2) Adaptable Public Service Institutions; 3) Inclusive Food Systems; 4)
Engineering Leaders for the 21st Century; and 5) A triple­bottom­line for Canadian
Mining Companies. We currently support 13 ventures across Canada and Africa. Our
biggest investment in these Ventures comes in the form of recruiting and investing
in exceptional system change leaders who work with them ­ YOU!?
The EWB Fellowship​
offers talented professionals the opportunity to complete work
placements of 12 to 20 months with the Ventures EWB incubates in Africa. Fellows
have the opportunity to develop their critical thinking skills, gain unrivalled
leadership experiences and stake an active role in systemic change. This unique
experience draws on EWB’s 15+ years of experience to provide a holistic
understanding of systems change while living and working in Africa. It is built to be
challenging and to develop Fellows’ leadership skills.
About Numida Tech.
Small and growing businesses make up the majority of the African economy, yet
their lack of access to financing means there is huge untapped potential in the
marketplace. These mom and pop shops of Africa employ the majority of the working
class, and contribute significantly to their country’s GDP. Without appropriately
designed financial products, financial institutions dedicated to serving small,
growing, and medium­sized enterprises, and cost­effective ways to measure the
credit­worthiness of these small business, their growth is systemically constrained.
Numida is working to unlock investment capital to flow into Africa’s small and
growing businesses by helping these businesses generate financial track­records that
give them legitimacy in the financial services sector. For the most part, small
businesses in Africa keep very poor financial records (if any at all), in a form that is
often not useful to the formal financial services sector. As a result it is extremely
difficult for a small business to access any form of financing from a commercial
financial institution. Numida is building a smartphone based mobile financial
record­keeping tool called ​
TrackApp ​
that will enable entrepreneurs to record the
necessary financial information needed to determine credit­worthiness, while
providing analysis as to how their business is actually performing.
This work comes out of 3 years of private investing experience in Ghana. TrackApp is
a financial inclusion initiative and we are working to unlock the capacity of small
businesses to grow by getting them closer to the much needed investment capital
they require.
About the role
Numida is in the start­up phase and you will be joining the team at a critical stage. As
Product Development & Learning Manager you will be responsible for taking 6
months of market research and turning it into a product pilot test. Within this you
will need to design quick tests, and iterations to narrow­in on the core TrackApp
features and services that will gain high traction amongst small African businesses.
As TrackApp is a mobile technology product, its success will depend on attracting
users.
Your fellowship will begin with the launch of TrackApp 1.0 in October 2015. The
launch will target 300­500 users for a 3­6 month pilot program in Ghana and/or
Uganda. You will be primarily responsible for managing this pilot, interacting with
users, learning quickly, and helping the Numida team iterate on TrackApp. You will
work closely with the Chief Technology Officer (based in San Francisco) and the
Director of Business Development. You will also likely interact with other actors in
the financial inclusion space from the aid, banking, and impact investing sectors. On
some days you may wear the hat of field grinder spending significant time with
entrepreneurs observing their interactions with TrackApp and collecting feedback,
and other days you may find yourself in the office of an investment banker from a
major financial institution learning about partnership opportunities. The role will be
incredibly dynamic, and will require flexibility and the ability to ​
make stuff happen
in several different contexts​
.
About You
Numida is a start­up, and as such, you will, at different times play different roles. We
are looking for someone who is naturally entrepreneurial, adaptive, flexible, and can
thrive in ambiguity. Specifically, the ideal candidate will have the following
characteristics:
● At least 6 months of experience working in a developing country (preferably in
sub­saharan Africa)
● Undergraduate degree in Engineering, Business or Development Studies
preferred
● Experience working with small­scale African businesses is desired but not
absolutely necessary
● Experience in project management/product­development/user (cohort)
testing
● Experience with human centered design/design thinking
● Experience building partnerships
● Entrepreneurial experience an asset
● HTML5, CSS, JavaScript skills an asset
● Experience with React/Flux and Python/Django an asset
● Believe that small business development in Africa is a huge economic driver
that can lift millions of people out of poverty
In addition, we are looking for someone who is/has:
● Incredibly independent ­ you can thrive without direct supervision of your
work, but you know when to reach out for support
● Strong personal management and communications skills ­ you will likely be
the only person from the Numida team in country
● Strong cross­cultural communication skills
● Naturally entrepreneurial ­ you see problems as opportunities
● A positive attitude ­ you recognize that creating change in a developing
country is not easy, you will be resource constrained, but you will not resort to
complaining about all the things that don’t work
● Naturally curious ­ you ask good questions, you dig deep, you are always
wondering, Why?
● Effective at quickly articulating learning to the management team and
advising how to move forward
Benefits of the EWB Fellowship
People are attracted to Engineers Without Borders because of the personal and
professional benefits that come from working within a learning organization, and to
become part of a dynamic network you join for life. Many of Canada's top employers
recognize Engineers Without Borders as a source for highly skilled and motivated
young leaders. EWB alumni have gone on to be successful in many different career
paths.
Other benefits include:
● A three­week system change leadership training program in Toronto and 40
hours of online learning prior to departure.
● An orientation upon arrival overseas
● Deep integration into the local culture
● Two professional development retreats organized by EWB (typically in the
Spring and Fall)
● Health, Safety & Wellness support from EWB (including health insurance)
● Direct management & coaching from the leadership of the hosting Venture
● Eligibility to attend EWB’s National Conference in the second year overseas
● Belonging to EWB’s dynamic community of system change leaders
Compensation
All costs relating to the placement are either paid for directly by EWB (airfare,
insurance, vaccinations, trainings) or indirectly through a living stipend, which
covers food, living expenses, local travel, etc. The stipend covers basic living expenses
for a modest lifestyle in each geography. Stipends are sometimes adjusted based on
experience. Fellows also receive an honorarium that can be used to assist with
repatriation costs or additional costs during the duration of the placement.
Application Process
The goals of the application process and interview are threefold ­ to better
understand: what motivates you, your personal characteristics as they relate to being
an EWB Fellow, and your thoughtfulness on macro and micro issues in systems
change for global development. The selection process consists of the following steps:
1. Resume & Cover letter (send ​
by June 29)
Please send us your resume and cover letter using ​
this onine form​
. In your
cover letter, please address the questions below. We encourage all applicants
to treat these questions seriously as they are the only metric that we can use to
determine if we should invite you to an interview. Please feel free to answer the
questions in either French or English in your cover letter. ​
Applications close
on​
June 29 ​
at 11pm EST​
.
Application questions
● Why EWB and TrackApp? How does this fellowship fit into your career
aspirations? (max. 400 words)
● What motivates you and gives you energy on a day­to­day and
long­term basis. What matters most to you, and why? (max. 400 word)
● Share an example of when you were entrepreneurial? What was the
result?
● Describe why you are passionate about social entrepreneurship and
and/or international development, how this interest came about and
how you have acted on this passion in the past. (max 400 words)
● Describe one experience that has prepared you well for this role. (max
400 words)
● In your view, what role should Western development
workers/consultants play overseas? (max. 200 words)
● Please share anything else you feel is important that your application
did not cover (max. 200 words)
● What information led you to apply?
2. Interviews​
(July 6 ­ August 17)
There will be a minimum of two rounds of interviews. The first round is led by
EWB staff members who gauge your fit with EWB’s basic selection criteria.
You will be provided with a reading assignment that will form a basis for the
conversation. Successful candidates will move on to the second round of
interviews led by Venture Leaders who will explore your fit with the specific
role they are hiring for. A successful interview with a Venture Leader may
result in an offer being made, or a return to the pool of candidates to be
interviewed by another Venture Leader for a different position.
To submit your resume and cover letter for this position please use the following
online form​
and select "EWB Long Term Fellowship ­ Fall 2015" as the “Opportunity
type” and Numida Tech. as the “Organization”. If you would like to submit your
candidacy to more than one role, please fill out separate forms. If you experience
technical difficulties, feel free to simply send your resume & cover letter addressing
the questions specified above to ​
recruitment@ewb.ca​
. For further details, please read
our​
Frequently Asked Questions​
​
,​
our website​
​
and our​
manifesto​
​
.