Head of Commercial – Zambia Entrepreneurs Park (ZEP), Rufunsa & future locations Furrer Foundation

Are you excited to help us scale our Zambia Entrepreneurs Parks across Zambia and thereby enable more Zambian rural youth to learn a trade and become entrepreneurs?

About the Zambia Entrepreneurs Park & College (ZEP/ZEC):

We are positioning apprenticeships as a viable alternative to academic pathways by training young women and men to be high-quality craftsmen and entrepreneurs. We believe this is crucial for economic growth in general and for the advancement of individuals and families in particular.

Our first ZEP in Rufunsa started operations 2024 with 2-year apprenticeship training courses in construction, carpentry and metalwork and plans to expand to 10 professions by 2025. ZEP apprentices will benefit from best-in-class practical training by our ZEP master craftsmen as well as high-quality teaching by our ZEC lecturers and visiting businessmen- and women – all with the aim of equipping our apprentices with all the practical as well as theoretical skills needed to become the most successful entrepreneurs in Zambia.

As we are scaling our model of the Zambia Entrepreneurs Park to further locations in Eastern Zambia and beyond, we are looking for an experienced, diligent, and entrepreneurial Head of Scaling:

Your responsibilities:

• Draft procurement policies/processes and supervise procurement for ZEP expansion locations
• Ensure co-ordination and synergies between ZEP craftsmen, contractors and suppliers
• Assist with all commercial aspects related to ZEP expansion (land purchase, craftsmen contracting, etc.)
• Establish the ZEP retail offering across locations and co-ordinate marketing of ZEP products
• Set up ZEP administration, in particular IT infrastructure, employment- and rental contract
• Establish and oversee KPIs, budgeting, accounting & reporting processes for all ZEP locations
• Advise our crafts(wo)men/entrepreneurs on their business setup, organization and bookkeeping
• Co-ordinate with the Zambia Entrepreneurs College Principal on intersecting ZEP/ZEC matters
• Pot. teaching of apprentices at ZEC in your area of specialization, e.g. accounting (up to 15%)

Your profile:

• Minimum Diploma-level educated accountancy professional with full ZICA membership in good standing
• Solid bookkeeping & admin skills, incl. pension/social security, preferably gained in company w/ branches
• Significant practical experience working in the private sector, preferably in industry/manufacturing
• Expertise and seniority to lead negotiations with landowners, trad. leaders, suppliers and craftsmen
• Willingness and ability to teach/instruct an entrepreneurial subject (accounting, calculation, marketing)
• Native-level proficiency in spoken and written English and Nyanja (and Bemba)
• Creative, resourceful, and proactive relationship builder with a positive can-do attitude
• Highly reliable, trustworthy, and diligent in all business matters

Contractual aspects:

• Contract: Full-time, start date ideally April 2024 / by arrangement
• Salary: competitive and commensurate with experience, incentive structure
• Location: Rufunsa/TBD, with extensive travel to and within Eastern province