Business Development Summer Intern
Rising Academies, Ghana
Job Description
The context:
Across the developing world, more children than ever are in school but they are not learning. A recent study estimated that less than 1% of school children in Sub-Saharan Africa attend a school where the teaching meets basic standards of quality. At Rising Academies, we’re changing that, and we want your help. Our mission is to create the best schools and the most powerful teaching and learning tools for the people that need it most. We’re one of the fastest-growing quality-focused education companies in Africa, and a Certified B Corp.
About us:
We own and operate our own great value private schools, partner with governments to improve the quality of public school systems, and use our content and technology to help other education providers. Founded in Sierra Leone in 2014, we provided emergency education to children kept out of school by the Ebola Epidemic before opening our first school in April 2015. Today, we serve more than 250,000 students across more than 900 schools in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana and now Rwanda.
Through great curriculum, intensive teacher coaching and actionable data, we help teachers and school leaders bring quality to every classroom. And we get results: independent studies show Rising students make more than twice the progress of their peers in comparable schools.
We have recently closed our Series A funding round and won a multi-year, multi-million dollar grant to accelerate the development of our digital ed-tech solutions for low-income students across the globe. Our ‘Bambai’ suite of digital tools already includes a school information system, school observation tool, chatbot tutor, accelerated learning program and teacher coaching app. This is just the start. We want to expand our range of digital products to help improve the quality of education for millions of students around the world. If you want to make a difference to the lives of teachers, students and parents, then we are the right place for you.
About the role:
We are seeking a motivated and dynamic Intern to join our exciting and newly established business development team at Rising Academies. The Business Development Intern will play a crucial role in supporting our efforts to expand our reach, establish partnerships, and contribute to the growth of our organization. Working closely with Rising’s Chief Strategy Officer, and Head of Business Development, this internship will provide a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience in business development, donor relations and fundraising within the education sector.
The Business Development Intern will:
- Conduct research on education industry trends, competitor analysis, and potential partnership opportunities to support strategic decision-making.
- Support the development of proposals and presentations for potential partners, outlining the benefits and value of collaborating with Rising Academies.
- Analyze data related to business development activities, providing insights and recommendations for improvement.
- Work closely with Rising’s business development team to brainstorm and implement creative strategies for achieving organizational goals.
- Maintain accurate and up-to-date records of business development activities, ensuring information is readily available for analysis and reporting.
Location and reporting:
This is a full-time summer internship, based in Accra, Ghana. This role will be reporting to the Head of Business Development and supported by Rising’s CSO.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. The target start-date will be June 3, 2024
Requirements
Qualification and Experience:
- Currently enrolled in a Master's degree program in Business, Marketing, or a related field.
- Experience conducting industry research and competitor analysis.
- Experience drafting proposals.
- Experience working in a developing country is a plus.
- Experience working in education is a plus.
About You:
This is a hands-on position, and we are looking for people who don’t mind rolling up their sleeves to get things done. This internship would particularly suit candidates who are interested in pursuing a career in Business Development, global education, social enterprise, venture philanthropy or impact investing after graduation, and would like to gain first-hand experience of the challenges involved in scaling-up a young social enterprise.
- Strong commitment to the mission and organisational ethos of Rising Academies.
- Outstanding people skills and ability to work across boundaries.
- Highly organized with excellent attention to detail.
- Self-starting, proactive, and hands-on problem solver.
- Great