About Caribou:

Caribou is a global consultancy working with ambitious foundations, companies, and governments to accelerate and deliver impact in a digital age. We apply deep technical expertise and rigor to strategy design, fund and program management, impact measurement, and actionable research. We work towards a world in which digital economies are inclusive and sustainable, driven by secure livelihoods, innovative business models, and bold climate action.

About the role

Caribou Digital is supporting the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Women and Economic Empowerment (WEE) team as a Learning Partner on their portfolio of gender-focused investments across seven African and Asian countries. Caribou’s work involves generating and synthesizing internal and external evidence and insights to inform and support the Foundation’s investment strategy and promote peer learning among its grantees. Grantees include fintech, job-tech, e-learning, and e-commerce providers that have built digitally-enabled business models and practices to deliver gender-international services to micro-entrepreneurs, formal and informal workers and job seekers across Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

We are seeking a candidate for a flexible part-time (0.8 FTE) to full-time position as a Gender and Digital Economies Strategy Consultant within the aforementioned learning partnership with the Gates Foundation.

Responsibilities:

Your responsibilities may vary according to the needs and priorities of the client, but will generally include the following:

Development of Thematic briefs:

Collaborate and coordinate with the team to develop comprehensive slide deck reports and presentations that translate complex findings into synthesized and strategic recommendations.
Own policy-focused recommendations contextualized in impact evidence and research produced by the Caribou team
Own relationship with the Strategy and Policy Management team at the Gates Foundation. Ensure deliverable format and communication of content aligns with their evolving strategic narrative and key questions from leadership.

Donor landscape analysis:

Monitor and analyze the gender program strategies of key donors and philanthropic organizations. Identify and synthesize trends and assess the comparative advantage of Gates Foundation for maximum effectiveness and scalability.

Business Development

Outside of our project with the Gates Foundation, the candidate will be required to spend about ~10% of their time on supporting business development activities. This would include:
- Cultivating and maintaining strong relationship with prospective clients in the gender and digital space, understanding their evolving needs and developing a pipeline of opportunities.
- Leading on a select number of business development activities and proposal writing
- Participating in a number of high profile events and developing relationships with thought leaders, senior policymakers and others with significant influence in the region.

Cross-portfolio support on programs with a gender focus

The candidate may also be required to provide ad-hoc, strategic advice and support to other teams on the aspects of their programs with a gender focus

Who you are:

This role is ideal for a dedicated professional with strong expertise in gender and digital economies, and with a strategy consulting background. Candidates should be eager to make a significant impact in addressing complex gender and development challenges on a global scale. We seek candidates who meet the following requirements for this role:

Minimum requirements

Core Expertise:

8+ years of gender-focused strategic consulting experience in African or Asian markets, working with international development or philanthropic capital organizations.
Deep understanding of women’s economic empowerment, gender-lens investing, and a familiarity with gender analysis tools and methodologies.
Deep understanding of digital economies and digital tools (e-commerce, gig and platform economies, digital finance, digital infrastructure, etc)

Strong quantitative and qualitative analytical skills, with the ability to convert insights and data into high-quality, strategic recommendations.
Strategic mindset, exceptional oral and written communication skills, and the ability to present complex information clearly and impactfully.

Proven ability to produce clear, engaging slide deck reports and presentations tailored to development practitioners. Comfortability working in PowerPoint is essential.
Proven track record in management consulting or similar environments.
Passionate, self-driven, and results-oriented professional.

Remote work at Caribou Digital

Our global organization primarily operates remotely, enabling us to tap into the best talent from various regions. Our remote team members spend about 90% of their time in home offices or local co-working spaces. Periodically, teams come together in person for workshops, client presentations, and during our annual staff retreats. We continuously improve our remote-first approach by learning more about what contributes to better results for our staff and clients.

We’re excited to meet you.

We are looking for people who have high standards, act with integrity, and care about making the digital world more fair and inclusive. Cariboux comes from all sorts of backgrounds, but we’re united by our mission to create a better and more ethical digital world. We value different perspectives and people who think critically and aren’t afraid to question things.

Application and timelines

We will be reviewing applications on an ongoing basis until January 31, 2025 and hope to fill the position in Q1 2025.