The Otesha Project UK is a youth-led charity that mobilises young people to adopt more sustainable lifestyles and become inspiring leaders on climate change, social justice and ethical consumption. Otesha seeks to harness its unique strengths to build an income-generating for-profit arm that will help make the world a cleaner, greener, more ethical place while also helping Otesha to diversify income streams and reduce reliance on grant income.

Otesha need help putting their best ideas into practice. We’re looking for someone who’s a big-picture thinker with lots of drive and enthusiasm but who also knows the nuts and bolts of business planning, market research and the world of start-ups, and who’s ideally worked within a social enterprise before.

You should have an interest in exploring the relationships between global issues and personal actions and be passionate about creating a more sustainable world. This post is ideal for someone with loads of motivation and ideas who wants to have a big role in a highly collaborative organisation – not get the coffee!

This role is a great opportunity to develop and launch a successful social enterprise, as well as tap into diverse networks, learn how a small and growing charity works, gain access to training opportunities and work within a highly collaborative and innovative team. You will gain experience in market and user research, business planning, financial modeling and strategic thinking. You will also get to hone your facilitation, communicating, organising and networking skills. If you’re looking to build up relevant experience before starting up your own social enterprise or project, this is a great opportunity. The position will be based at the Otesha office, with occasional evening and weekend work.

Roles and responsibilities
1. Conduct in-depth research on Otesha’s top three potential business ideas to map out the competitive and collaborative landscape, expected demand and other key factors for each option
2. Arrange interviews with potential users to gather additional insights and information (what we call ‘people research’)
3. Prepare a report summarizing the research & put forward one recommendation for further development
4. Develop a full strategic plan for the recommended option including timelines, promotional plans, financial forecasts, management needs and funding / investment needs
5. Implementation (if time allows): plan and carry out a pilot to test out the idea and secure initial funding or investment
6.Take part in team meetings and participate in strategic planning across programmes
7. Report back: help document the business development in fun and creative ways
8. Provide office support as needed (although core support is not an official part of any paid internship roles at Otesha, everyone is expected to chip in when needed)

Essential skills and experience
1. Market research and business planning experience (either real-world experience or as part of an MBA programme)
2. Excellent time management and organisational skills
3. Strong written skills and experience writing project plans, funding bids or equivalent
4. Basic financial literacy
5. Experience working within a team environment
6. An interest in social and environmental sustainability and a willingness to learn more

Additional preferred skills and experience
1. Familiarity with Otesha, our ethos and our programmes
2. Experience working in a social enterprise or leading a start-up
3. Experienced in financial forecasting and creating and managing budgets

If you do not meet all the additional skills criteria but feel you’d be great in this role, we still encourage you to apply. All candidates must hold a valid UK work permit.

The role is to be a fixed-term internship, that will ideally be full-time though this can be flexible. The role is expected to last from February - May 2012 with the possibility of an extension. The role will be based in London and remuneration will be £14,650 p.a. (pro rata). This position has a rolling application deadline.

To apply, please send your CV and cover letter to Jo Clarke at jobs@otesha.org.uk with “_________[Your Name] CV” in the subject area.