Location: Tampa, FL
Date:  April 1, 2021

The VCA Architect (VCA-ARCH) is viewed internally and externally as having in-depth business acumen and expertise to lead Orchid Black’s Value Creation Assessment (VCA). The VCA-ARCH will act as a primary point of contact for the engagement team and customers during the sales cycles, planning, execution and delivery of Orchid Black’s VCA. This role will be responsible for applying their expertise to orchestrate, execute and scale Orchid Black’s Value Creation Assessments (VCA) implementations. The VCA-ARCH is responsible for the solutioning and delivery of Orchid Black’s VCA offering. In their role, the VCA-ARCH will require a deep understanding of the VCA solution and possess a foundational understanding of business operations in order to apply the offering effectively on Orchid Black client engagements.

The VCA-ARCH is expected to understand the key disciplines and stages of building a valuable company so that they are able to direct a team of Research Associates to gather, analyze and synthesize internal client information. Examples of key disciplines include:

• Company: Strategy, Market, Investment/Exit
• Team: Culture, Talent, Execution
• Product: Offering, Tech, Services
• Revenue: Brand, Marketing, Sales, Partners
• Operations: IT, Finance, Admin
  

The VCA-ARCH must have experience managing or executing the following activities, which are critical to the VCA’s success. 

• Company Data Room Analysis
• Market Research and Trend Analysis
• Interviewing Users (Stakeholders, Customers, Partners, Competitors)
• Synthesizing Quantitative and Qualitative Data into Insights
• Exploring New and Emerging Markets
• Competitive Intelligence
• Market Opportunity Sizing
• Business Model Testing and Iteration
• Developing a Long-Term Strategic Vision

The Value Creation Assessment (VCA) is Orchid Black’s proprietary IP that consists of  a comprehensive, analytical solution to determining a company's maturity and capability for growth. The VCA is specifically built for late venture and early growth stage technology companies to help determine potential strategies for value creation.  The VCA is executed by the Market Research and Analytics practice composed of our VCA Architect and a team of Research Associates who are supported by Orchid Black’s experienced Operating Partners.

Reports to: TBD
Supervises:  1-2 Market Research Associates
Travel Requirements:

• 20-40% percent travel required depending on quarterly cycles and customer needs.
• Travel will primarily be North American based. 

Physical Demands:

• Continuous sitting for prolonged periods more than two consecutive hours in an 8 hour day interspersed with mobility. 
• Keyboard use of greater or equal to 40% of the workday.

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ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The VCA-ARCH will have strong overall knowledge of both functional and technical aspects of the VCA solution.  They will use this experience to orchestrate the VCA by scoping  and deploying resources to meet the business objectives of each engagement. The VCA-ARCH must have strong interpersonal communication and writing skills as they will be a main contact point between Orchid Black and its clients.  The VCA-ARCH will utilize these skills to provide quality assurance on sales proposals and client deliverables.

The VCA-ARCH must have skills to estimate work plans to drive the drafting of sales proposals and to ensure Orchid Black’s pricing is correctly structured. They will be leveraged across multiple sales-cycles and projects, serving as a key expert for solution definition - relaying the needs, gaps, service requirements and risks to the Sales team and the VCA delivery team.  The VCA-ARCH may be utilized in certain billable activities on complex projects to provide oversight and quality assurance. Any non-client time will be spent on personal training, team training, internal projects and administrative tasks. Eventually, this role will expand to involve sales solutioning as well.

VCA Duties:

• The VCA-ARCH will serve in either a primary point of contact or a senior advisory role to assist the customer or delivery team to ensure that VCA implementation efforts meet the business objectives.
• Lead client meetings and facilitate strategy sessions.
• Project management of multiple work streams simultaneously.
• Direct management 2-3 team members along with coordination with members of our Operating Partner team. 
• Expected to identify and QA project efforts to ensure project decision/deliverables are sound.
• Oversee critical customer escalations as directed.
  

Sales Duties:

• Act as an evangelist for the VCA, able to leverage in any delivery or business development situation.
• Assess a prospect/customer’s needs communicated through formal communications, direct communication (meeting interactions, email, other) to collaboratively determine the correct resource and effort needs to drive a successful engagement.
• Provide assistance in the development of sales materials, sales training, short and long-term sales strategies.
• Communicate necessary and critical information from the sales cycle to Orchid Black sales efforts to ensure a smooth transition to implementation efforts.
• Support complex sales-cycles as directed and needed.
  

Knowledge Management Duties:   

• Participation in organization-wide leadership activities, including strategic planning and organizational, and product development, as directed. 
• Represent the company at key customer and external events, as directed.
• Act as a Subject Matter Expert for the VCA.
• Train and develop Research Associates on the VCA solution and how it is applied.
• Contribute to knowledge-base / artifact / deliverable repository for organization.
  
  

OTHER DUTIES

The VCA-ARCH may perform other duties as assigned by the supervisor.

EDUCATION

• 4-year degree in Business Administration, Finance or Accounting (MBA a plus).
• Strong working knowledge of Management Finance and Accounting.

EXPERIENCE  

• 10+ years of business experience, with proven experience in business operations (finance, operations, service/product delivery).
• Role / experience in business transformation or continuous improvement initiatives strongly desirable.
• Strong working knowledge in all functional areas of a technology business, including finance and accounting.
• Strong skills in financial modeling and/or business analytics.
• Has experience managing a team of 3-4 resources. 
• Fluent in English.

OTHER KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS ABILITIES OR CERTIFICATIONS  

• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Deliver effective executive presentations in written and verbal formats. 
• Demonstrate great attention to detail while still articulating the ‘big picture.’ 
• Think creatively when leading complex technical projects. 
• Maintain a strong executive presence while effectively handling competing priorities. 
• Work collaboratively and effectively with diverse, multi-stakeholder groups. 
• Ability to synthesize complex and diverse information. 
• Ability to transform details and facts into recommendations and action plans. 
• Ability to produce clear and informative policy and process documentation. 
• Demonstrate analytical mindset with ability to creatively solve problems. 
• Excel at operating in a fast-paced and changing environment, remaining focused on results and goals. 
• Ability to develop effective work teams, and direct and motivate staff to successful outcomes. 
• Display consistent professionalism and good judgment.

Orchid Black is a new kind of growth services firm. We partner with tech-forward companies to build smarter, better, game-changing businesses. We ensure clients hit bigger milestones and see greater returns faster. Behind Orchid Black’s customized assessments, strategy and effective execution are its people. We are skilled problem solvers, operators, and entrepreneurs ourselves. In addition to data-powered assessments and customized business blueprints, we deploy operators to roll up their sleeves, dig-in deep, and execute on our recommendations. Working side by side with our client-partners, Orchid Black mitigates financial and operational risk and builds a foundation of trust, co-accountability, and mutually beneficial outcomes. Orchid Black’s sweet spot is powering-up founder-led companies—and accelerating outcomes. We also help private equity firms, family offices, and even big brands turn the tide. Whether the end goal is market fit or an exit, Orchid Black strengthens its partner-clients. For more information, please visit Orchid.Black.