Co-founder, Strategy & Growth (Equity)

StarLab Academy; United Kingdom; Remote; GBP 50,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

StarLab Academy is seeking a Co-founder for Strategy & Growth to empower African youth through digital skills. This executive role involves strategic planning, fundraising, and operational design within a dynamic social enterprise. Ideal candidates possess strategic acumen and a deep understanding of Africa’s youth development challenges.

Benefits

Co-founder Equity

High-Impact Work

Flexible Location

Professional Growth

Qualifications

• 2+ years’ experience in business strategy or social enterprise development.
• Ability to move ideas into actionable plans.
• Strong belief in equitable opportunities for African youth.

Responsibilities

• Refine StarLab’s mission into a scalable strategy.
• Lead fundraising strategy and relationship building with funders.
• Design operational structures and success metrics for programs.

Skills

Strategic Acumen

Execution Capacity

Exceptional Communicator

Context Awareness

Mission-Driven

Collaborative Leadership

Creative Discipline

Job description

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I empower African youth through digital skills and career development | Social Impact Entrepreneur

About StarLab Academy

StarLab Academy is a mission-driven social enterprise transforming the future of African youth. We address a critical challenge:

Imagine being a bright student in an underserved African community, full of potential, but with no clear map for the future. That’s the reality for millions of youth who lack access to relevant career guidance and digital skills. This disconnect leads to poor educational choices, underemployment, and lost economic potential.

StarLab Academy bridges that gap by providing practical, user-centred training in Content, Media, Tech, and Design, paired with personalised career development programs. Our pilot Career Club at Isador Model Secondary School in Lagos is already demonstrating tangible results.

About the Role: Co-founder, Strategy & Growth

We’re seeking a highly motivated, visionary individual to join us as Co-founder, Strategy & Growth. This is a pivotal, hands-on role ideal for someone passionate about youth empowerment and committed to building sustainable, scalable impact across Africa.

As a Co-founder, you'll work closely with the founding lead to shape StarLab’s long-term trajectory and convert our grassroots programs into a continental movement.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy & Business Planning

• Refine and translate StarLab’s mission into a scalable strategy and impact model.
• Develop actionable plans for growth, regional expansion, and positioning in the African youth development space.
• Conduct market research and adapt strategy to evolving community needs.
• Lead fundraising strategy: identify and build relationships with funders (foundations, corporates, development orgs).
• Write compelling, data-driven grant proposals and partnership pitches.
• Explore earned income streams beyond grants to strengthen financial sustainability.

Business Model & Operations Design

• Build and document lean, replicable systems across key areas (e.g., volunteer management, program delivery).
• Develop operational structures that support scale without sacrificing community relevance.
• Design and monitor success metrics and impact frameworks.

Program & User Experience Strategy

• Apply user-centred design (UCD) to ensure relevance and resonance with students, mentors, and educators.
• Help shape the learner journey, from outreach to program completion and alumni engagement.

Ideal Candidate Profile

• Strategic Acumen: 2+ years’ experience in at least two of the following: business strategy, grant writing, social enterprise development, fundraising, or nonprofit scaling.
• Execution Capacity: Ability to move ideas to action and create practical systems for growth.
• Exceptional Communicator: Especially skilled in writing (grant/impact writing) and partner-facing communication.
• Context Awareness: Deep understanding of Africa’s youth development challenges and social enterprise landscape.
• Mission-Driven: A strong belief in the power of education and equitable opportunity for African youth.
• Collaborative Leadership: Willingness to share leadership, take initiative, and work in an agile environment.
• Creative Discipline: Balance of structure and innovation in problem-solving.

What We Offer

• Co-founder Equity: Significant ownership in the organisation, tied to long-term commitment and growth milestones.
• High-Impact Work: Shape the future of thousands of young people across Africa.
• Strategic Influence: Play a central role in building an African-led youth development model.
• Flexible Location: Remote-friendly; Africa-based preferred.
• Professional Growth: Deep learning in youth innovation, nonprofit leadership, and social entrepreneurship.

How to Express Interest

If you're a strategic leader excited to build with purpose and scale impact across Africa, we'd love to hear from you.

Send your LinkedIn profile and a short message expressing your interest and relevant experience to: [e-mail] or connect via LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/thankgodibeh

Let’s build something transformative, together.

Seniority level

• Seniority level

  Executive

Employment type

• Employment type

  Other

Job function

• Job function

  Business Development and Sales

• Industries

  Higher Education

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