Technical Unit Senior Officer

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

Position Status: Regular - Full time.

Salary Level: 5A

Duration: 12 Months

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)

Technical training is at the core of Gaza Sky Geeks (GSG), empowering Palestinians to earn a respectable income with tech skills and contribute to the development of a sustainable tech ecosystem in Palestine. The Tech Unit Senior Officer is responsible for overseeing all aspects of GSG’s  West Bank (WB) Technical Training programs.

The Tech Unit Senior Officer  is responsible for the strategic vision of GSG’s tech training programming. This will include the daily management of activities and staff, and ensuring appropriate systems and support mechanisms are in place to track, analyze and report results.

The Tech Unit Senior Officer will be the local voice and face of GSG to the external world, especially to those outside of Palestine from whom GSG seeks support.

The Tech Unit Senior Officer is passionate and visionary about fulfilling the purpose of GSG and maximizing the long term positive impact that tech education can make to the lives of those in Palestine. 

As the Tech Unit Senior Officer, your role is to curate a creative, welcoming, innovative environment for the emerging WB tech community to share ideas, learn, and expand.

You will help build the capacity of GSG’s tech- community by engaging new members, as well as deepening connections between members. and providing them with opportunities to enhance their skills and connections.

The Tech Unit Tech Unit Senior Officers primary metrics of success are a combination of:

• The volume of participants that graduate from the tech education programs
• The depth and quality of the tech skills that participants attain when they graduate from GSG’s tech education programs
• The income earned by participants that graduate from GSG’s tech education programs

The Tech Unit Senior Officer will work with the GSG Program Director and WB Program Manager to agree a tech education strategy which best achieves this.

Essential Responsibilities

• Lead GSG’s WB technical training component, which includes but not limited to, supervision, monitoring, communication, coordination, evaluation, documentation, and logistics of the various activities that comprise the technical training programming, assuring high quality of delivery.
• Develop the Technical Training Program and expand its capacity, meeting key internal and external objectives, outcomes, impact and reach metrics.
• Support the creation of and deliver upon the revised WB Technical Training Program strategy.
• Provide key insights, analysis, guidance and recommendations on technical trends, priorities and opportunities which inform the Technical Training Program, Company Capacity Building and Market Access focus areas as well as wider GSG strategy and approach.
• Oversee the recruitment and increased pool of high quality local and international tech mentors.
• Directly support the project with activities related to meetups, outreach, and events which bring new and more advanced talent into the GSG community.
• Foster tech community building and strengthening through member engagement activities and events.
• Take an active role in growing and nurturing the GSG tech community by shaping outreach strategies and internal networking events.
• Coordinate with other GSG team members (e.g. communications, social media) to ensure community building priorities are represented in overall strategy and execution.
• Support GSG’s Company Capacity Building and Market Access component through, but not limited to, recruiting tech talent, supporting the management of company and client relationships, providing technical advice and guidance.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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..
• 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 computer science, computer engineering, information technology or any related field.
• 5+ years of work experience in a relevant field.  Experience in information management, administration or a highly organized role in other fields will be of value.
• Up to date knowledge of technical and IT industry developments.
• Exposure to the WB tech ecosystem players, having technical people network.
• Understanding the differences between the social, political, and economic contexts of Palestinian communities, and a talent for communications with people across all levels of society.
• Excellent writing skills in English and Arabic.
• Proficiency in project management techniques to plan, execute, and monitor training initiatives effectively. This includes skills in setting goals, managing resources, tracking progress, and adapting plans as needed.
• The ability to identify training needs, analyze challenges, and develop creative solutions to address them. This might involve troubleshooting technical issues, optimizing training processes, or adapting training content to meet evolving needs.

Success Factors

• Excellent communication and coordination skills, with a strong personality.
• Excellent planning and administration skills.
• Proficiency in designing and developing training curricula that are engaging, effective, and aligned with adult learning principles.
• Excellent ability to work under pressure and carry out multiple tasks.
• Friendly, enthusiastic, and positive attitude
• Detail-oriented with the ability to manage multiple projects at a time.
• Proactive, practical that always prioritizes outcomes, not just inputs.
• Ability to present MC-GSG in the ecosystem, conferences.

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 13:00 on Thursday 22 February 2024.  Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.