Jobs at Vendease

Job Summary

Vendease (YC W21) is a digital platform that allows African restaurants to buy food supplies, access financial services, and power their business operations. Our mission is to "Help Food Businesses Grow" by building a global food tech brand that connects farmers, food producers, and restaurants starting with Africa. We apply the most advanced technologies and insights-driven data to empower food businesses with products, tools, and services that help them make meaningful progress with their customers. We operate in 2 countries across 16 cities with 300 employees and 4,000 business partners.

Job Details

• Category Expansion & Development: Drive the expansion and development of animal feed and veterinary product categories, catering to livestock farmers, animal husbandry businesses, and the agricultural sector. Establish bulk demand and supply chains for high-quality feed and veterinary supplies.
• Strategic Planning & Relationship Management: Develop and execute innovative strategies to secure competitive advantages and drive market expansion in the feed and veterinary sectors. Cultivate strong relationships with key industry players, feed manufacturers, and veterinary suppliers to ensure a consistent and high-quality supply of agricultural products.
• End-to-End Process Management: Oversee the entire process from category creation to market deployment, ensuring seamless operations, regulatory compliance, and quality control. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to optimize processes and reduce costs.
• Market Analysis & Growth Identification: Utilize advanced analytics to understand market trends, customer needs, and identify growth opportunities in the feed and veterinary sectors. Leverage data-driven insights to inform strategic decision-making and continuously improve offerings.
• Marketing Collaboration: Work closely with the marketing team to develop and implement effective marketing strategies that reach the target audience and align with Vendease's mission to empower agricultural businesses through innovative, cost-effective solutions.

Required Skills & Competencies

• Strategic Thinking & Market Insight: Ability to understand market trends in the agricultural sector, translating them into actionable strategies for category expansion and development.
• Relationship Building & Negotiation: Exceptional skills in building and managing relationships with key industry players, suppliers, and agricultural stakeholders. Strong negotiation abilities to secure favorable terms and competitive advantages.
• Process Optimization & Operational Excellence: Proven experience in optimizing end-to-end processes, ensuring regulatory compliance, and driving operational efficiency.
• Data Analysis & Decision Making: Proficient in using data analysis tools to inform strategy, identify growth opportunities, and make data-driven decisions.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams, particularly marketing, to align strategies and drive results.

Experience

• Minimum 6 years in leadership roles, managing high-performing teams.
• Proven track record of achieving growth targets and driving category expansion.
• Experience in the agricultural industry, particularly in animal feed and veterinary products, is preferred.
• Deep product knowledge of the agricultural space, especially as it relates to animal husbandry and livestock management.

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Job Summary

As the maestro of the CPO's office, you'll connect and work seamlessly with internal and external stakeholders, handling a variety of executive projects. The ideal candidate is a creative powerhouse who thrives in an entrepreneurial environment, combining professionalism with a dash of flair. You will be a pivotal player in an environment focused on results and excellence. This isn't just a job; it's an opportunity to excel in a role that will transform each workday into an exciting experience.

Job Details

Technical:

• Execute significant strategic, operational, and cultural initiatives that lead to substantial organizational changes
• Collaborate with the CPO and other senior executives in navigating uncertainty and mitigating risks through effective project management
• Lead analysis and program management, engage in alliances, closely collaborating with relevant stakeholders
• Foster optimised relationships and credibility between the Co-Founder and his direct reports
• Directly engage with teams on behalf of the CPO to ensure project deliverables align with scope and budget
• Delegate project tasks to relevant stakeholders based on their strengths, skill sets, and experience levels
• Follow up on contacts initiated by the CPO and contribute to cultivating ongoing relationships.
• Manage multiple complex departmental/company-wide projects, coordinating necessary Meetings

Executive Support:

(Please note that there is an Executive Assistant primarily responsible for some of the admin tasks listed below, but the Technical Assistant leads the role)

• Provide comprehensive administrative support for the CPO's activities, including calendaring, filing, expense reports, and travel logistics
• Manage scheduling and preparation for meetings, brief the CPO for all engagements, and prepare executives for team interactions
• Ensure quality control for all CPO communications, internally and externally
•  Anticipate the needs of the CPO and oversee daily operations of the executive office
•  Support the CPO's workload by managing information flow, resolving issues, and providing analysis and advice
• Research, prioritise, and follow up on incoming issues and concerns addressed to the CPO, ensuring an appropriate response
•  Serve as a communication bridge between the Executive office and internal departments, maintaining credibility and trust
• Complete critical aspects of deliverables with a hands-on approach, facilitating effective Leadership.

Executive Team Liaison:

• Coordinate and manage Executive Team meetings, setting agendas and ensuring timely follow-up.
• Facilitate information flow from the Executive Team and promote organisational alignment and support.
•  Assist in building and maintaining external relationships that align with the Executive Team Agenda. 

Communications and Partnerships:

• Drive the strategic use of the CPO's leadership voice internally and externally, in partnership with the Communications team.
• Keep the CPO's bio updated and respond to requests for materials regarding the CPO and the organization.
• Edit and complete first drafts for written communications to external stakeholders.

Knowledge & Skills

• Can anticipate and avert problems, grasp and add value to the leader’s vision, organisational and political intelligence
• Strong work ethic and impeccable professionalism
• Advanced knowledge of apple-based hardware/software products
• Fluency (not expertise) across key operational areas such as financial analysis, HR, IT, Legal, and knowledge of what foundations do and how they typically work
• Ability to use project management tools like Asana, JIRA, Trello etc.
• Action Orientation – A decisive, quick and  proven ability to accurately analyse information; identify key trends, and complete strategic operations
• A bottom-line orientation and a proven track record of exceeding goals in an international setting.
• Substantial and successful management experience
• Demonstrated ability to analyse data, to prepare concise summaries, and to provide sound recommendations related to extremely complex issues
• Expert level oral and written communication, presentation, and organisational skills
• Emotional maturity
• Excellent with follow up and attention to detail
• Proven ability to handle confidential information with discretion. 
• Experience working with high profile individuals using appropriate sensitivity
• Demonstrated proactive approaches to problem solving with strong decision making capability
• Ability to set boundaries and manage expectations
• Excellent interpersonal, collaborative and partnership development skills to work successfully with a variety of individuals and cultures
• High degree of flexibility and adaptability required or indicative of a start-up, entrepreneurial or changing work environment
• Highly resourceful team-player, self confident, creative and independent self starter, while also being collaborative who acts with diplomacy at all times

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required; Advanced degree preferred
• 6-12 years experience working with C-level Executives
• Experience and interest in internal and external communications, partnership development
• Track record of developing strong partnerships internally and externally and using influence (rather than direct authority) to make change. 
• Ability to work evenings and weekends when necessary
• Ability to travel to support high level meetings and other Executive Office work several times per year.