Talent management is arguably the greatest challenge today for social ventures trying to scale-up in their overall impact.  I recently spoke with Deepti Doshi, Talent Manager at Acumen Fund on the subject and she commented, "We have realized that recruiting and retaining quality local talent is one of the greatest hindrances to growth and scale for enterprises serving the poor."

In the next few posts, I'm going to write about talent challenges at the BoP in the effort to spur discussion and brainstorm solutions.  In this post, I'd like to open up a discussion on recruiting.  The following scenario sets up one of the main issues:

There's an open position within your social venture and it has been very hard to fill.  One of the primary reasons for this is that there is such as small pool of qualified local people - people with the right skill and will - from which to pull from.  The country's educational system is not strong and the most qualified people end up migrating to greener pastures.  You eventually stumble across two potential hires: one has the right skill for the position, but doesn't have the will - the value and drive to build a social venture.  The other person has the will, but not the skill.  The position is considered key within the organization.  What do you do?  

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Position: Executive Director, Aspen Network for Development Entrepreneurs

Location: Washington, D.C.

Organization: The Aspen Institute, founded in 1950, is an international nonprofit organization.  Its mission is twofold: to foster values-based leadership, encouraging individuals to reflect on the ideals and ideas that define a good society, and to provide a neutral and balanced venue for discussing and acting on critical issues. The Institute is headquartered in Washington, DC, and has campuses in Aspen, Colorado and on the Wye River near the shores of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland.  Its international network includes partner Aspen Institutes in Berlin, Rome, Lyon, Tokyo, New Delhi and Bucharest, plus an array of leadership initiatives in Africa, Central America, India and the United States.

Job Description: The Aspen Institute is launching a new program - the Aspen Network for Development Entrepreneurs.  We are looking for an entrepreneurial leader to serve as Executive Director of this strategy group and practitioner association for organizations that support 'Small and Growing Businesses' (SGBs) in emerging markets. The ideal candidate brings a strong track record of working in entrepreneurial environments to launch and fund new initiatives; has experience and appreciation for the challenges faced by small businesses in emerging markets; and, can work to foster relationships and collaboration across public, private and nongovernmental sectors.

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