Startup Academy Program Assistant

Position Title : Startup Academy Program Assistant
Position Type : Regular Full Time
Location : Gaza Sky Geeks /Mercy Corps Gaza Office
Duration : One Year

PROGRAM/DEPARTMENT SUMMARY: -

Gaza Sky Geeks (GSG) is Gaza’s leading co-working space, tech education hub, and startup accelerator, run by Mercy Corps, a nonprofit international relief and development organization with programs in the occupied Palestinian territories since the 1980s. Mercy Corps founded GSG in partnership with Google.org in 2011. We bring together online freelancers, outsourcers, and startup founders together under one roof to share ideas, best practices, code, and build brighter futures through the power of the internet. Gaza Sky Geeks’ overarching goal is to build an internationally competitive technology ecosystem in Gaza through online freelancing, outsourcing, and startups.

GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY: -

The Startup Assistant will support the content and overall execution of the Startup Academy, acting as a contributor to program planning, needs assessment, program design, and implementation as well as participants support, logistics support, and reflecting on program development and ways to improve it. In coordination with the Startup Program Manager and other staff, Startup Assistant support and help execute the plan for startup academy cycles, and continuously improve our women support initiatives, program delivery, and our outreach. Startup Assistant will also play a leading role in developing a strategy around Diversity and Inclusion in the startup program and continuously engage the startup Steering Committee in our plans and activities.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS: -

Primary responsibilities:

● Support the Startups Program Manager with the planning, designing, execution, and outreach for the academy and continuously reflect on the program progress and deliverables to improve future cycles of the program
● Build strong connections with actors in the ICT sector in Gaza, including ICT companies and key team members in those organizations
● Ensure that the startups' academy program documentation and program minimum standards are consistently up to date and new lessons learned and adjustments to the program design are reflected
● Organize a large program debriefing and learning session after the completion of each module to reflect on the needed adjustments, best practices and models that need to be adopted in upcoming modules and the new cohorts
● Plan and participate in regular check in meetings with all participants to ensure continuous commitment in the program and support participants’ progress and advancement in the curriculum and embed continuous learning in their culture
● Providing ongoing follow-ups with participants on program structure, delivery, and outcomes in the form of surveys, roundtable discussions, and 1:1 meeting to ensure our program is delivering the highest value for people
● Support alumni that have finished the program with seeking continuous learning, connection with mentors, and understanding their challenges
● Integrate community building and peer-learning into every aspect of GSG programming as it is continuously refined
● During the program, participate in every regular meeting, workshop, and events to assess quality, facilitate discussion, document action items, and support accountability to meeting reasonable requests on time
● Work with the GeeXelerator program team to share experiences and learnings between the Startup Academy and GeeXelerator
● Support startups program manager and Gaza MEL manager to setup robust monitoring, evaluation and learning program quality system to foster program learning and best practices across the startup academy program
● Work cross-functionally in coordination with other Mercy Corps departments including Finance, Procurements, HR, Logistics, Security, Communications, and Resource Development
● Identify new ways to attract great talent and expertise to GSG’s community and pipeline of the program (including technical expertise and management expertise)
● Increase your own knowledge of startup topics, particularly in the areas of customer research, financial, legal, and product development issues
● Model professional etiquette, communications, processes, and workflow management for participants as well as other GSG staff (e.g. demonstrate 100% reliable use of a calendaring application, note taking and following up on action items, punctually arriving in the office and starting meetings on time, professional address of startup teams and other staff members)

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY: Not Applicable

ACCOUNTABILITY: -

REPORTS DIRECTLY TO: Startups Acceleration Manager

WORKS DIRECTLY WITH: GSG Mentorship Coordinator, Logistics Coordinator, Community Engagement Coordinator, External GSG volunteers, MC finance, MEL, and procurement

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QUALIFICATIONS, KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

1. University degree in Business, Marketing, ICT, or any other related field, with a demonstrated record of interest and contemporary knowledge in his/her field.
2. Excellent speaking and writing skills in both English and Arabic
3. Very good understanding of entrepreneurship in MENA region and globally
4. Experience in Customer Research, Marketing and Product Launching in a startup context
5. Strong written and verbal communication skills.
6. Resilience, high problem-solving abilities, attention to detail and a great sense of humor.
7. Proficiency in MS Office, Slack, Google products (Drive, Sheets, Docs). GSG does not use email internally. We use Slack.
8. Strong understanding of the social, political, and economic context of the Gaza Strip.
9. Willingness to work outside of normal business hours as required;

SUCCESS FACTORS:

1. Ability to work in a flat, fast paced environment with others who are passionate about supporting Gaza’s technology ecosystem
2. Comfort with uncertainty and change—GSG is a small program but growing rapidly. Just like our program, we seek staff who are adaptable and pitch in on what needs to be done.
3. Strong listening abilities in order to understand the needs of Gaza’s startup community and GSG’s tech community
4. High degree of self introspection and leadership potential
5. Superb attention to detail
6. Positive attitude and passion for your work
7. Proactive, get-stuff-done mentality that always prioritizes outcomes, not just inputs
8. Strong interpersonal, conflict resolution and negotiation skills;
9. Excellent time and organizational management skills;
10. Excellent ability to work under pressure and carry out multiple tasks simultaneously.

Qualified persons with disability are highly encouraged to apply.
Interested candidates are encouraged to submit an application online HERE no later than Thursday, 13 February 2020
Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
Please apply separate application for each position you are interested in.