Startup Partnerships & Intake Manager (Contract) at Slice Finance Africa

Reports To CEO

Works With

• Compliance & Tax Operations Lead (lateral coordination); Legal, Licensing, and Audit Partners (as needed)

Location: Nigeria (Lagos, Abuja, or Hybrid within Nigeria)

Employment Type: Fixed-Term Contract (6 months, with potential extension)

Mission 

Source, qualify, and structure high-intent startup demand from global founders seeking entity formation, licensing, audit readiness, and compliance certifications—ensuring only fit-for-model clients enter delivery without overloading operations or compromising standards.

Outcomes (What Success Looks Like)

• ≥60% of accepted leads convert to active engagements
• Zero onboarding of out-of-scope, high-risk, or policy-violating clients
•  
• At least 5 startups onboarded monthly
• Leveraging relationships within the startup ecosystem and referrals to build a strong, qualified pipeline.
• No delivery bottlenecks traceable to intake decisions

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Lead-to-qualified rate (quality > volume)
• Qualified-to-engaged conversion rate (target: ≥60%)
• % of post-onboarding scope changes (target: <5%)
• Average intake cycle time (target: ≤5 days)
• Number of founder escalations per week (target: ≤3, all justified)

Pipeline value sourced per month (tracked, not incentivized)

Core Competencies (How the Work Is Done)

• Fintech Ecosystem Fluency: Understands startup pain points around entity setup, licensing, and compliance.
• Structured Qualification: Uses standardized frameworks to assess jurisdiction, risk tier, service scope, and documentation readiness.
• Commercial Discipline: Communicates clear pricing bands.
• Compliance Mindset: Prioritizes reputational risk, regulatory alignment, and auditability.
• Clear Escalation Protocol: Brings only complex/high-value cases to founders with full context.
• Stakeholder Clarity: Sets accurate expectations before handoff to operations.

Accountabilities (What the Role Owns)

• Proactively source and manage inbound leads from VC networks, accelerators, tech events (e.g., GITEX, SIGMA, Lagos Startup Week), and founder referrals.
• Conduct discovery calls to understand client requirements for U.S. tax filings, including resolving any prior delays or penalties,  entity registration (U.S., EU, Africa), licensing (MSB, Money Transmitter licenses (MTL)VASP, etc.), year-end audit prep, and certifications (PCI DSS, ISO 27001).
• Qualify leads against capacity, minimum engagement thresholds, risk policies, and geographic scope, and represent Slice Finance(SF) at relevant tech events to source opportunities.
• Scope service requirements using approved decision trees (e.g., "Does the founder need a U.S. C-corp + state registrations + PCI DSS roadmap?").
• Position Slice Finance's packaged offerings within pre-approved pricing bands. For startups that do not require licensing, prioritize the annual audit product (financial books closure plus tax filing) or our CFO-as-a-Service offering.
• Enforce intake guardrails: reject non-compliant, under-resourced, or out-of-scope requests.
• Ensure founders provide KYC/B, other docs, and business model clarity before acceptance.
• Coordinate seamless handoff to the Compliance & Tax Operations Lead with complete intake dossier.

Decision Rights

Can Decide:

• Whether a lead qualifies for standard onboarding within defined guardrails.
• Intake prioritization and scheduling based on capacity and strategic fit.
• Decline leads that fail minimum criteria without founder consultation.

Cannot Decide (Explicit Exclusions):

• Provide tax, legal, or licensing advice.
• Offer bespoke pricing, discounts, or custom service bundles.
• Accept clients in excluded jurisdictions (e.g., sanctioned countries).
• Commit to delivery timelines or outcomes beyond standard SLAs.
• Own client delivery or post-onboarding relationship management.

Preferred Background

• 2–5 years in a fin-tech-heavy VC firm, accelerator, incubator, or startup platform.
• OR experience in fintech sales, startup services, or compliance enablement (e.g., entity formation, licensing support).
• OR operational role at major African/Nigerian tech events (e.g., Lagos Startup Week, Abuja Startup Expo, Deep Tech Summit, GITEX Africa, SIGMA Conference and others).
• Demonstrated ability to engage founders, understand technical/compliance needs, and filter noise from signal.

Why This Role Exists

During peak operational periods like U.S. tax season, Slice Finance must continue building its pipeline of high-quality startup clients but without distracting founders or accepting misaligned engagements. This role acts as the strategic front door: sourcing, qualifying, and structuring demand from global founders who need help forming entities, securing licenses, preparing for Annual audits, and achieving certifications like PCI DSS or ISO 27001. This is a sales role with risk-filtering function rooted in ecosystem access and operational discipline.

Who You Are

You've spent time in the trenches of the startup world—whether at a VC firm evaluating fin-techs or tech startups, an accelerator, or a conference team connecting startups with service providers. You understand what it takes for a founder to launch a regulated business across borders. You're commercially aware but compliance-conscious. You know how to say "no" gracefully and "yes, here's how we can help" clearly.

Key Responsibilities

• Source & Engage: Build relationships with VC associates, accelerator managers, event organizers, and founder communities across Africa, North America, and Europe to generate qualified inbound leads.
• Discover & Diagnose: Conduct 15–25 minute discovery calls to understand the founder's goals: e.g., "We're a Nigerian fintech raising seed round—need a Delaware C-corp, U.S. bank account, and PCI DSS certification by Q3."

Scope & Package: Map needs to Slice Finance's service modules:

• Entity formation (multi-jurisdiction)
• And bank account opening
• Regulatory licensing support (MSB, VASP, PI, etc.)
• Year-end financial statement preparation & Audit
• Compliance certification roadmaps (PCI DSS, ISO 27001, SOC 2)
• Position & Protect: Present offerings within approved pricing bands; never promise custom solutions or discounts.
• Enforce Guardrails: Reject leads that fall below thresholds or introduce reputational risk—no exceptions without founder approval.
• Handoff Cleanly: Deliver a complete intake package to the Compliance & Tax Operations Lead, including scope, timeline expectations, and risk notes.
• Report Weekly: Share pipeline metrics, conversion trends, and escalation rationale every Monday.

Required Qualifications

• 2+ years working directly with early-stage startups or founders.
• Demonstrated exposure to fintech, regulatory compliance, or global tech business setup.
• Excellent communication, active listening, and judgment skills.
• Proficiency in CRM tools (HubSpot, Salesforce, or Notion CRM).
• Ability to work independently in a fast-paced, founder-led environment.

Preferred Experience

Worked at or partnered with firms like:

• VCs
• Start-up Accelerators
• Events: Lagos Startup Week, Abuja Startup Expo, GITEX Africa, SIGMA Conference, Deep Tech Summit etc

Fintech Service Providers

• Familiarity with terms like EIN, W-9, FATCA, MSB registration, VASP, PCI DSS SAQ, ISO 27001 ISMS.

What This Role Is NOT

• A consultant giving legal/tax advice.
• A delivery manager owning client outcomes.
• A negotiator creating custom deals.

Success in 90 Days Looks Like

• A steady flow of qualified leads converting into engagements with zero scope creep.
• 5 deals closed monthly.
• Founders spending <2 hours/week on routine intake decisions.
• No compliance breaches or reputational risks introduced at onboarding.
• Strong feedback from the Operations Lead on intake quality and completeness.