Companies Program Senior Officer

Location: West Bank (Ramallah) with local travel as needed

Position Status: Regular - Full time.

Salary Level: 5A

Duration: 12 Months (With a possibility of extension)

Department: GazaSkyGeeks Program

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse, and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have long term impact.

The Program / Department / Team (Program / Department Summary)

Gaza Sky Geeks, established in 2011 by Mercy Corps with support from Google, is Palestine’s leading tech hub that trains, nurtures and supports emerging tech talent with the goal of creating a sustainable and inclusive digital job market in Palestine.  With 10 years of experience training globally recognized tech talent.

The Position (General Position Summary)

As the Companies’ Development Program Senior Officer, you will play a vital role in supporting and empowering early-stage startups, product based, ICT and service based companies to grow their businesses and achieve their goals.

You will be responsible for overseeing the Companies’ Development (CD) programming processes, providing guidance, mentorship, and resources to the Company Capacity Building and Market Access teams.  This will require you to contribute to program design, coach and mentor in entrepreneurship, business model development, marketing, and product launching, leading the continuous improvement of the curriculum, its delivery and impact. The role requires a strong understanding of the West Bank (WB) commercial, outsourcing and startups ecosystem, excellent project management skills, and the ability to build relationships with CEOs, founders, coaches, investors, partners and the different involved stakeholders.

 Essential Responsibilities

• Lead the CD program, including design, implementation, supervision, monitoring, communication, logistics, evaluation, and documentation and of the various activities that comprise the programs assuring high quality of delivery.
• Continuously improve and enhance the program by continuously assessing the companies needs and gaps, identifying areas for growth, introducing new initiatives, and incorporating best practices from the regional and international players.
• Provide key insights, analysis, guidance and recommendations on business and market trends, priorities and opportunities which inform the CD Program as well as wider GSG strategy and approach.
• Create and maintain clearly auditable program documentation throughout the program lifecycle, through maintaining complete and current activity archives; ensure proper program documentation that meets Mercy Corps (MC) program minimum standards.
• Coordinate with internal teams and external partners to provide companies and startups with access to relevant resources, including funding opportunities, mentorship networks, and industry experts.
• Create the program activities so that our offerings in any location are standardized and of a high quality.
• Oversee the CD budget and manage direct programmatic costs to ensure that these remain within allowable scope and threshold.
• Participate in external visibility events deemed strategic (i.e. conferences, panel discussions, webinars) to champion GSG’s programs, and represent the vision of GSG to the ecosystem.
• Develop the capacity of the team, deepen understanding of their roles and assist with career development.
• Assist team members with information, tools and resources to improve performance & reach objectives.
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one on ones and performance reviews.
• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
• Hire, orient and lead team members as necessary.
• Provide oversight on program progress, ensuring that participants are adequately meeting expectations and are on track to complete objectives, outcomes, KPIs and other markers of success.
• Support donor reporting activities through data collection and precise follow-up on program implementation progress as well as donor proposal writing activities when required.
• Develop and maintain effective relationships and lines of communication with relevant external stakeholders, such as Upwork, Payoneer, BoP(Intersect), PITA, PICTI.
• Develop a strategic approach to mentor recruitment and outreach with an initial focus on expanding linkages to Arabic speaking mentors from the MENA region.
• Travel to various parts of West Bank, Gaza as instructed by WB GSG Program Manager for activities support and follow up (including staying in locations overnight if needed)
• Conduct yourself in a manner that brings credit to Gaza Sky Geeks as a member of the Palestinian private sector and Mercy Corps and its humanitarian and developmental mission.

Supervisory Responsibility

Two to three direct reports.

Accountability

Reports directly to: West Bank Program Manager

Works directly with: West Bank Technical Training Program lead, Gaza Sky Geeks Program Team, Mercy Corps Support Functions

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring, and evaluation of our field projects.

جميع الحقوق محفوظة لموقع جوبس.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

• University degree in Business, Marketing, ICT, or any other related field, with a demonstrated record of interest and contemporary knowledge in his/her field.
• At least 5 year of proven work experience in Business/ ICT sector
• Excellent speaking and writing skills in both English and Arabic
• Excellent understanding of Tech scene in MENA region and internationally
• Experience in Customer Research, Marketing and Product Launching
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Proven track record of leveraging networks to gain exposure to diverse perspectives, industry trends, and emerging technologies.

Success Factors

• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with others who are passionate about supporting Palestine’s tech ecosystem.
• Adaptable and flexible to 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.
• Proactive, get-stuff-done mentality that always prioritizes outcomes, not just inputs
• Excellent planning and administration skills.
• Detail-oriented with the ability to manage multiple projects at a time.

Ongoing Learning

In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient, and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.

We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening, and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.

We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & Ethics

Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.

Qualified people with disabilities are highly encouraged to apply.

Interested candidates are encouraged to apply online HERE no later than Tuesday 20 February 2024, at 14:00.  Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.