• Organisation: Pollinate Group
• Job Title: Chief Executive Officer
• Reports to: The Board
• Location: Bangalore

Introduction

The Pollinate Group empower women as leaders of change to distribute products that improve health, save time and save money for the world's most neglected communities.

To reach these customers they identify, support and develop local women who are empowered through business training to become change agents in their community. These women use their new knowledge and increased confidence to sell and service products to their peers who live on less than US$1.50 a day. Change agents earn respect and meaningful income, and act as role models who raise awareness about better alternatives. Communities in poverty, such as city slums and remote villages, can access quality household products such as solar lights, so they can save time, money, and live healthier and safer lives.

Increasing the impact on their customers and local change agents in fellowship program, which targets students and professionals from around the world and equips them with practical experiences to become the next generation of social and environmental leaders.

Since 2012 they have sold more than 111,000 products, impacting more than half a million people. Customers have saved more than US$16.5 million and displaced 1.43 million tonnes of CO2e. Their customer service focus, including after sales support, is a key differentiator and business model advantage to help break the cycle of poverty in the communities they serve.

Their impact is flourishing following a merger in 2018 between the award-winning enterprises Pollinate Energy in India and Empower Generation in Nepal.

Vision & Mission:

Leave Poverty Behind

• Pollinate Group envisages a world where women are equipped to lead their communities out of poverty. Their mission is to empower women as leaders of change to distribute products that improve health, save time and save money for neglected communities

The key areas that Pollinate Group is focusing on in the coming years are:

• Expanding their women empowerment program and product distribution network to impact as many lives as possible.
• Creating growth paths for entrepreneurs and Pollinators to provide them with a motivating career pathway, furthering their goal of helping communities leave poverty behind.
• Creating a movement of social leaders through Fellowship programs, including creating new opportunities for Executive Fellows.
• Being the #1 place to work, and identifying new ways to engage and motivate and diverse and multi-regional team.

Reason for Hire

This is a replacement hire for the organization to replace the current CEO, Alexie Seller. The expectation is for the new CEO to provide visionary leadership to a multi-cultural and multi-location team. The incumbent will be responsible for the expansion of the organisation in terms of the product mix, geographies and the team.

Reporting directly to the Board of Directors, this role will lead Pollinate Group and oversee both its social enterprise operations in India and Nepal and its fundraising and PR operations in Australia and the US.

Roles and Responsibilities:

• Responsible to provide clear leadership and direction to the organisation.
• Developing, along with leadership and staff team, organisational strategic and operating plans which are approved by the Board.
• Provide strategic input towards the growth and expansion of the organisation, along with being responsible for the implementation of this strategy to scale up of operations.
• Spearhead the relationships with potential donors, referrers, collaborators, and funders.
• Actively (with the support of the Philanthropy team) develop funding opportunities across private donors (regular and high-net-worth individuals and corporates), international foundations, and government grants.
• Provide leadership to a high calibre multi-cultural team spread across various geographies globally which include the Impact, Operations, Finance, Compliance, Technology, International PR & Fundraising Sales & Business Development functions.
• Provide mentorship to the team and strengthen and recruit as required the human resources to deliver on goals.
• Represent the organisation in various national and international events, including fundraising opportunities, conferences, panels and speaking events.
• Maintain frequent communication with the Boards and engage them in strategic planning, decision making on future growth and development, and major business updates.

Note: The roles and responsibilities outlined above are not meant to be an exhaustive list of tasks. The need for flexibility is required and the job holder is expected to carry out any other related duties that are within the employee's skills and abilities whenever reasonably required.

Must Have:

• Experience working in and passion for women’s economic empowerment, gender equity and development in a south-Asian context.
• Minimum 15 years of total experience with at least 5 years in a leadership position.
• Proven ability to jointly maximise profitability and social impact through business model innovation.
• Experience managing multiple portfolios in a growing organisation.
• Proven track record of fundraising in global markets.
• Past experience in reporting to a Board at executive management level preferably within an international organisation of similar size and complexity.
• Proven experience in organisational development and people management in a multi-location organisation.

Preferable:

• Master’s degree / Post Graduate or equivalent.
• Proven ability to create innovative business models that empower women and communities in poverty
• Experience in leading change processes within an organisation.
• Experience fundraising in India, US and/or Australia.
• Direct experience in or managing key port-folio areas of strategy, fundraising, finance, operations, HR, technology, marketing and communications with specific application to social enterprise.
• Demonstrated success in scaling mission-driven operations (preferably last-mile and women’s empowerment focused).

A full position description is available below.