Application Guide
How to Apply for Head of Francophone Africa Export Manufacturing and Venture Builder
at Africa Jobs Fund
🏢 About Africa Jobs Fund
The Africa Jobs Fund is a mission-driven fund that combines venture building and financing to create export manufacturing and international labor mobility ventures that raise incomes for Africans. Unlike traditional investors, they don't just write checks—they actively source founders, co-build companies, and provide hands-on operational support from opportunity identification through scaling. This is a rare chance to shape entire industries across Francophone Africa while working at the intersection of job creation and industrial development.
About This Role
As the Head of Francophone Africa Export Manufacturing and Venture Builder, you will be the on-the-ground architect of new export factories and processing businesses across multiple countries. You'll be responsible for finding and convincing founders, scoping competitive markets, structuring deals, and then rolling up your sleeves to help portfolio companies vet sites, connect with buyers, and scale from zero to one. This role is both strategic and hands-on—you're not just assessing investments, you're building them.
💡 A Day in the Life
Your day might start with a call with a potential founder in Dakar, followed by a site visit to an industrial zone in Abidjan to assess a factory location. In the afternoon, you'll analyze financials for a revenue-based financing deal and then hop on a call with a buyer in Europe to open export channels for a portfolio company. Every day is a mix of sourcing, deal-making, and hands-on problem-solving across multiple countries.
🚀 Application Tools
🎯 Who Africa Jobs Fund Is Looking For
- 5–25 years of experience building or operating a manufacturing or export business in Francophone Africa, with deep knowledge of light manufacturing or agri-processing value chains.
- Fluent French and English, with the ability to negotiate deals, build trust with founders, and navigate regulatory environments across multiple Francophone African countries.
- A proven track record of sourcing and convincing founders or entrepreneurs to partner with you, ideally in a venture-building or investment context.
- Hands-on operational expertise: you've vetted industrial sites, opened buyer connections, and helped a business scale from early revenue to sustainable export operations.
- Strong financial acumen, including experience with cost-effectiveness analyses, revenue-based financing, or equity structuring in emerging markets.
📝 Tips for Applying to Africa Jobs Fund
Highlight specific export manufacturing or agri-processing ventures you've built or operated in Francophone Africa—name the countries, products, and your exact role in scaling them.
Demonstrate your founder-sourcing ability by describing how you've identified and convinced entrepreneurs to launch new ventures, ideally with examples of deals you structured.
Show fluency in French by including a French-language cover letter or summary of your experience, even if the application is in English.
Emphasize your hands-on operational experience: mention times you've vetted industrial sites, negotiated with buyers, or solved on-the-ground scaling challenges.
Connect your experience to the Africa Jobs Fund's mission by quantifying the job creation or income growth your past ventures achieved.
✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter
In your cover letter, focus on: (1) your direct experience building or operating an export manufacturing business in Francophone Africa, including specific countries and sectors; (2) your ability to source and convince founders, with concrete examples of entrepreneurs you've brought on board; (3) your deal-structuring expertise, particularly with revenue-based financing or equity in early-stage ventures; and (4) your fluency in French and cultural competence across Francophone Africa, showing you can navigate diverse markets.
Generate Cover Letter →🔍 Research Before Applying
To stand out, make sure you've researched:
- → Research the Africa Jobs Fund's existing portfolio companies and investment thesis to understand their specific focus within export manufacturing and labor mobility.
- → Study the industrial zones and export incentives in key Francophone African countries (e.g., Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Benin) to identify where factories can compete globally.
- → Investigate recent trends in light manufacturing and agri-processing exports from Francophone Africa, including success stories and common pitfalls.
- → Look into the backgrounds of the fund's leadership and their previous ventures to align your pitch with their strategic priorities.
💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics
Based on this role, you may be asked about:
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Avoid generic statements about being passionate about Africa—instead, provide concrete examples of your work in specific Francophone African countries and sectors.
- Don't overemphasize high-level strategy without showing hands-on operational experience; this role requires someone who can both plan and execute on the ground.
- Avoid applying without demonstrating French fluency—this is a hard requirement, and any hint of weak French will disqualify you.
📅 Application Timeline
This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.
Typical hiring timeline:
Application Review
1-2 weeks
Initial Screening
Phone call or written assessment
Interviews
1-2 rounds, usually virtual
Offer
Congratulations!
Ready to Apply?
Good luck with your application to Africa Jobs Fund!