Startup Acceleration Program Coordinator

Position Title : Startup Acceleration Program Coordinator
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: -

Startup Acceleration Coordinator will play a leading role in building the content and overall execution of GSG’s acceleration vertical supporting startups, acting as a contributor to program design, startup coach, and mentor in entrepreneurship, business model development, marketing, and product launching. In coordination with the Director, Acceleration Manager, and other staff, Startup Acceleration Coordinator supports and helps execute the plan for acceleration cycles, and continuously improve our curriculum, program delivery, and our outreach. Startup Acceleration Coordinator will also play a leading role in developing strategy around mentorship and leading recruitment and retention of mentors (especially from the MENA region) across all GSG verticals (Entrepreneurship, Freelancing, Coding).

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS: -

• Lead the planning, designing, execution, and outreach for the GeeXeelrator program with support from Startups Program Manager; and continuously reflect on the program progress and deliverables to improve future cycles of the program
• Set the Acceleration programs OKRs and ensure continuous tracking and improvement to achieve high program end results
• Support startup teams with developing a clearly defined business model and marketing strategy, including:
o Providing ongoing guidance for startups to iteratively assess their business models and adjust according to lessons learned
o Communicate effectively with Product Development Coordinator to ensure startups’ business models form the basis of the development of their products
o Providing guidance on developing a marketing strategy with explicit goals and objectives as well as the implementation plan
• Work in coordination with the Startup Program Manager, Acceleration Assistant, Mentorship coordinator, and Entrepreneur in Residence to drive adherence to regular daily, weekly, and monthly check-ins with startup teams to coach on and facilitate business and user validation, product development, product-market fit, and growth.
• Lead the planning for the startups’ roadshow after completion of the GX program
• Participate regularly in remote and in-person mentorship sessions with accelerated startup teams in order to assess mentor quality, as well as any deliverables agreed to between mentees and mentors
• Identify new ways to attract great talent and expertise to GSG’s community and pipeline of tech startups (including technical expertise and management expertise)
• Be an entrepreneurial role model for other teams using case studies and examples from own professional experience
• Model professional etiquette, communications, processes, and workflow management for startup teams 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)
• Support alumni startups (those that have finished the acceleration program) to help them grow, expand into new markets, and obtain follow-on investment
• Integrate community building and peer-learning into every aspect of GSG incubation and acceleration programming as it is continuously refined
• Work cross-functionally in coordination with other Mercy Corps departments including Finance, Procurements, HR, Logistics, Security, Communications, and Resource Development
• Working hand in hand with GSG’s Mentor Coordinator, Startup Acceleration Manager, and GSG Director, develop a strategic approach to mentor recruitment and outreach with an initial focus on expanding linkages to Arabic speaking mentors from the MENA region
• Work closely with the Mentor Coordinator on facilitating mentor visits to Gaza, including handling logistics and operations during such visits.
• Act as the go-between for startups and the mentor network by assessing individual startup mentorship needs, and then selecting the optimal mentors from our network or recruiting mentors online and through our collective personal networks. You will be responsible for identifying tactical and specific needs that can be solved with one off or continuing mentorship engagements with startups.
• Work effectively with the Women’s Inclusivity Coordinator to ensure consistent and successful growth of women across all GSG verticals including recruitment of female mentors

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.