Live Show Research and Scheduling Support

Organizational Context

The timbuktoo Africa Innovation Foundation, anchored in UNDP's Regional Bureau for Africa, is a pan-African initiative dedicated to supporting African founders in starting, growing, and scaling their ventures. It aims to enroll 100,000 startups and mobilize USD 1 billion for African innovation. The Foundation hosts weekly live broadcast programs, including the "Building Africa" show, featuring conversations with founders on innovation and ecosystem development, crucial for engaging its audience of founders, investors, and policymakers.

Job Purpose

This role supports the timbuktoo Africa Innovation Foundation's weekly live broadcast programs, such as "Building Africa," "Financing Africa," and "Innovating Africa." The online volunteer will conduct essential research to ensure each episode is substantive and relevant. This involves identifying and compiling information on potential guests, preparing research briefs, and facilitating guest scheduling. The purpose is to contribute to the high quality of the shows, which aim to foster innovation and ecosystem development by connecting African startup founders with a broad audience across Africa and the diaspora.

Responsibilities

The online volunteer will support episode research and guest scheduling for the "Building Africa," "Financing Africa," and "Innovating Africa" live shows. Key duties include conducting background research on assigned episode themes and compiling structured research briefs. The volunteer will identify 3-5 relevant guest candidates from the African startup and innovation ecosystem for each episode. Responsibilities also include communicating with, confirming, and scheduling guests, and conducting pre-session briefing calls. Post-show communication, such as sending thank you emails, is also required. The volunteer will produce up to 12 research briefs per episode and manage guest communication for up to 36 guests across shows.

Work Experience

Required experience includes strong research skills with the ability to synthesize information clearly in written English. Familiarity with African startup ecosystems, entrepreneurship, or development finance is necessary. Experience using platforms like LinkedIn and Crunchbase for professional research is also required, along with the ability to work independently and meet weekly deadlines in a remote setting.

Skills

Essential skills include strong research capabilities, clear written English communication, and information synthesis. Proficiency in using professional research platforms such as LinkedIn and Crunchbase is required. The ability to work independently, manage time effectively to meet weekly deadlines, and a familiarity with African startup ecosystems, entrepreneurship, or development finance are also key competencies for this role.

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