Socio-Economic Development Coordinator

takealot.com, a leading South African online retailer, is looking for a highly driven Socio-Economic Development Coordinator to join our team in Cape Town. 

We’re a young, dynamic, hyper-growth company looking for smart, creative, hard-working people with integrity to join us.  We offer a market-related, Total Remuneration Package which allows full flexibility according to your needs, a great work environment and a promise that you won’t be bored as long as you are prepared for a challenge and want to build something great!

This position reports to the Group Socio-Economic Development Manager.

Purpose of the role:

The Socio-Economic Development Coordinator serves as a lead architect for the coordinating, implementing, and monitoring socio-economic development programs that align with the company's Economic Inclusion and Shared Value strategy. The successful candidate will work closely with internal stakeholders, external partners, and community organizations to drive positive social change.

Your responsibilities will include: 

Program oversight and execution:

Lead the end to end lifecycle of programs in digital skills, entrepreneurship, education, economic empowerment and sustainability.

• Design and refine comprehensive implementation plans, defining sophisticated objectives, aggressive timelines and critical resource allocations.
• Drive needs assessment and research to proactively identify emerging areas for high impact interventions collaborating with internal stakeholders.
• Synthesize internal team efforts (Marketing, Catalogue, Marketplace) to ensure cross-departmental alignment with strategy and business goals 
• Plan, Coordinate the programme logistics to ensure smooth implementation:
• Coordinate Programme Logistics: Plan and manage logistics for all programme-related activities, including scheduling, securing venues, coordinating transportation, and other on-site needs.
• Draft Implementation Plans: Develop detailed implementation plans for each programme, outlining objectives, timelines, resource requirements, and key deliverables.
• Agreement Coordination: Manage all Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and contracts associated with programme partners, vendors, and other stakeholders. Ensure compliance with agreed-upon terms and monitor deliverables.
• Manage program budgets and ensure effective resource allocation 
• Invoice Processing: Oversee the end-to-end invoice processing for programme expenses, liaising with finance teams to ensure timely payments and budget tracking.
• Budget Management Support: Assist in monitoring programme budgets, reporting variances, and ensuring that all expenses align with financial goals.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Build and maintain relationships with external partners (NGOs, government agencies, community organizations)
• Engage with internal stakeholders to ensure program buy-in and support
• Social Media and Marketing Coordination: Collaborate with the marketing team to create and implement strategies that promote programme initiatives on social media and other platforms.
• Content Development: Draft and schedule posts, coordinate visuals, and respond to public inquiries in a timely and professional manner.
• Communicate program objectives, progress, and outcomes to stakeholders

Monitoring and Evaluation:

• Develop and track key performance indicators (KPIs) for socio-economic development programs
• Conduct regular program evaluations and impact assessments
• Provide recommendations for program improvement
• Reporting and Compliance:

• Prepare quarterly reports on socio-economic development programs for executive management and stakeholder
• Ensure compliance with company policies, regulatory requirements, and international standards

BBB-EE Coordination:

• Document and ensure compliance with the ESD and SED elements of the company’s scorecard. 
• Reporting on a monthly basis on progress

Attributes Required:

• Strong program management and coordination skills
• Excellent communication, stakeholder engagement, and partnership-building abilities
• Passion for economic development and social impact
• Ability to thrive under pressure and within a matrix organization
• Strong ability to navigate unstructured environments and create self-imposed structure
• Comfortable with ambiguity
• Analytical and problem-solving skills
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a team
• Proficiency in Google Suite and project management tools 
• Passion for socio-economic development and community empowerment
• Strong integrity and ethical standards
• Flexibility and adaptability
• Results-driven and proactive approach
• Fluent in English (written and spoken)
• Proficiency in additional South African languages (advantageous)

Qualification & Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Social Sciences, Development Studies, Business Administration, or related field
• Certification in CSR, sustainability, or development studies (desirable)
• Project management experience 
• 3-5 years project coordination experience in Socio-Economic Development, Enterprise and Supplier Development, or related field
• Proven track record of implementing successful development programs

The Environment:

• takealot.com employees are entrepreneurial and dynamic, smart, customer-centric, fun and have the shared ambition of takealot.com being the leading e-commerce company in Africa.
• We have fun, work hard, take ownership, work in teams to create solutions, and are always open to direct feedback/new ideas on where we can improve.
• We are short on ego and high on output.
• We are doers and not only thinkers, it’s all in the execution after all.
• We love what we do and what we are creating.

We seek to bring into this role an Extra Ordinary Mind who

• is forthright but respectful
• is an expert at doing, who can not only design but also execute
• is analytical, able to use data to make decisions
• is competitive, self-directed and strives to be the BEST (GREAT requires a lot of work and does not only happen during business hours)
• is passionate about the potential of e-commerce and delivering a world-class customer experience
• is entrepreneurial, thrives under change and accepts it is a constant and always looks for solutions to do something better and faster
• is able to think about problems from a business perspective using technical and product input
• is curious and challenges the status quo
• is innovative and enjoys iteration
• is collaborative
• will be at the cutting edge of developing new concepts for takealot.com.
• thinks like an owner of the business.
• is SMART, has INTEGRITY and is HARDWORKING

If you meet the above you are an Extraordinary Mind so come and join us!

Takealot is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applicants from the previously disadvantaged groups and people with disabilities will be given preference.