Strategy Associate

iwoca Published: May 16, 2018

Description

iwoca is breaking down the barriers that stop Europe’s 20 million small businesses from accessing finance. Traditional bank loans have slow application processes, inflexible terms and burdensome criteria. In contrast, we use cutting-edge technology to offer flexible access to credit with a five minute application process and a decision in hours.

Since 2012, we've lent over £400 million to over 20,000 businesses across Europe. Our customers include everything from cafés to car dealers, salons to solicitors. Along the way we have built a sophisticated technology platform, won numerous awards and grown a fun, and vibrant team.

However, we’re still near the start of our journey – our aim is to finance a million small businesses within a decade and so we need more smart, hands-on people to help us reach this goal.

REQUIREMENTS

Job Description

You will report directly to iwoca’s founder and CEO and also work closely with the broader management team on a range of strategic initiatives to drive iwoca’s success.

Here are some examples of the type of work you will do :-

  • Build business cases as well as develop and execute project plans for actioning specific growth opportunities
  • Analyse industry and market trends in small business finance to inform iwoca’s strategy
  • Provide support on other ad hoc projects such as fundraising (our next financing round is imminent) as well as PR / lobbying
  • Work with Operations to identify operational process improvements
  • Work with the Chief People Officer to gather and analyse employee engagement survey data, and shape iwoca’s people strategy

In this role, you’ll get a lot of exposure to senior management and external stakeholders (e.g. our Board of Directors), and work with a management team from a range of backgrounds such as Google, Goldman Sachs, BCG, McKinsey and other Tier 1 firms.
What we’re looking for

  • 2+ years experience in Strategy Consulting / IBD / comparable role
  • An impeccable academic background, with a top degree from one of the world’s leading universities
  • Superb analytical skills (we live, breath and sleep data) and a desire to spot, break down and resolve problems
  • Resourceful and confident to conduct & leverage primary and secondary research to derive data-driven insights in an imperfect world (ie when you never have all the data you’d like, exactly as you’d like it)
  • Proven ability or demonstrable desire to implement findings of your research, we need a ‘doer’ who is comfortable rolling up their sleeves and working across the business to see through the results of your analyses
  • Team player with a fine balance of confidence, gravitas, humility and enthusiasm: you will need to work with various teams to get stuff done in a rapidly growing environment where resources are continuously stretched
  • Driven, hard-working and uncompromising in delivering high quality work in tight timelines.
  • Exceptional levels of personal integrity, given you’ll be exposed to a number of commercially and strategically sensitive projects
  • Excited about helping small businesses thrive - belief in our mission is important!

BENEFITS

You will always have a say in the business and have the opportunity to really make a difference. Joining our team means you will be working on some cool projects and get the opportunity to really make a difference to people’s lives. We also help all our employees become top performers and reward everyone in numerous different ways. Everyone at iwoca is smart, humble and motivated to do a good job so you are bound to love working here.

In addition to a competitive salary, we also provide the following:

  • A smart, fun and internationally diverse team - together, we represent over 35 different nationalities
  • Company retreats in great locations - we have at least two per year in places like the French Alps and by the Spanish seaside
  • A really lovely office in central London - we’re right by Tottenham Court Road, and close to the bars, theatres and restaurants in Soho and Fitzrovia
  • Pool, ping pong, foosball tables and tournaments, morning yoga and an ever-growing number of active clubs (you can set up your own!) - such as climbing, chess, cycling, football, running, boxing, etc
  • Regular novelty perks such as free massages, which can be proposed by anyone in the team
  • Plenty of drinks and snacks in our office kitchen
  • Cycle-to-work scheme for great value bikes
  • Company-wide talks with internal and external speakers
  • Enhanced maternity/paternity leave and shared parental leave
  • Stock options for all employees after 6 months within the business
  • 25 days holiday a year, plus all UK Bank holidays, plus a day off for your birthday
  • The opportunity to give your time to support a charity of your choice, via a paid volunteering day
  • Additional leave so that you can take more time to go travelling or to study, outside of your holiday allowance
  • Tickets to exciting tech conferences across Europe
  • A calendar of tech meetups hosted on the premises
  • Flexible working, including flexible hours and working from home days - all made easy with video conferencing and slack