Startup Assistant - Mercy Corps Gaza Office
- Position Title : Startup Assistant
- Position Type : Regular, Full Time
- Location : Mercy Corps Gaza Office
- Duration : One Year with Six months’ probation period
ABOUT MERCYCORPS:
Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Now, and for the future.
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: -
You will support the content and overall execution of the Startup Acceleration and 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 Acceleration Program Coordinator, the startup Academy Program Assistant and other staff, you support and help execute the plan for startup programs’ cycles, and program delivery. You will also play a leading role in developing an outreach strategy for the startup programs and continuously engage the programs’ participants in our plans and activities.
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS: -
The role is full time and situated on site in Gaza Sky Geeks office in Gaza.
Primary responsibilities:
Startup Academy related responsibilities:
- Work closely with the Startup Academy Assistant and Startup Program Manager on planning, designing, and execution of the different modules of the startup academy including but not limited to Market Research and Ideation, Marketing, Leadership, Strategy Planning, and Financial Analysis and Planning
- Research different startup academy structures and modules to identify compelling models for GSG to learn from and adapt to fit Palestinian needs
- Design a comprehensive outreach strategy for the Startup Academy Modules and lead the execution of the strategy with the relevant team members
- Support in planning to develop Arabic content for entrepreneurship in Palestine
- Deliver workshops on relevant topics to the different modules of the academy especially market research and marketing
- Increase your own knowledge of business topics, particularly in the areas of customer research, Ideation, financial, and leadership
- Provide mentorship and facilitate connections to program participants and alumni to support their growth and development
- 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
- Identify new ways to attract great talent and expertise to GSG’s community and pipeline of the program (including technical expertise and management expertise)
- Integrate community building and peer-learning into every aspect of GSG programming as it is continuously refined
- Continuously assess quality of program and sessions, facilitate discussions with program participants, document action items, and support accountability to meeting reasonable requests on time
- Organize program debriefings and learning sessions 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
Startup Acceleration related responsibilities:
- Support the Startups Acceleration Coordinator with the execution of the acceleration program by delivering workshops, conducting mentorship meetings, and reviewing deliverables
- Work actively to foster collaborations between participants in the acceleration program and the startup academy to launch joint initiatives that support the development of startups in Palestine and the talents of programs participants
- Help the startups with preparing their pitch decks to be on global standards
- Work with the GeeXelerator program team to share experiences and learnings between the Startup Academy and GeeXelerator
General responsibilities:
Ensure that the startup programs documentation and program minimum standards are consistently up to date and new lessons learned and adjustments to the program design are reflected
Support programs’ alumni with seeking continuous learning, connection with mentors, and understanding their challenges
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
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 Startup Acceleration Coordinator, Startup Academy Assistant, Mentorship Coordinator, Logistics Coordinator, Community Engagement Coordinator, External GSG volunteers, MC finance, MEL, and procurement
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.
Team members, service contractors, volunteers, and interns are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.
QUALIFICATIONS, KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
- University degree in Business, Marketing, ICT, or any other related field, with a demonstrated record of interest and contemporary knowledge in his/her field.
- Excellent business experience and understanding of startups business topics
- Excellent speaking and writing skills in both English and Arabic
- Experience in Customer Research, Marketing and Strategy in a startup context
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Resilience, high problem-solving abilities, attention to detail and a great sense of humor.
- Proficiency in Project Management tools, Slack, and Google products (Drive, Sheets, Docs). GSG does not use email internally. We use Slack.
- Strong understanding of the social, political, and economic context of Palestine.
- Willingness to work outside of normal business hours as required.
SUCCESS FACTORS:
- Ability to learn fast and always seeking to grow experience across business fields. You regularly try to improve and enjoy researching and learning about new topics
- Ability to work in a flat, fast paced environment with others who are passionate about supporting Gaza’s technology ecosystem
- Comfort with uncertainty and change—We seek staff who are adaptable and pitch in on what needs to be done.
- Strong listening abilities in order to understand the needs of Palestne’s startup and business community
- High degree of self introspection and leadership potential
- Superb attention to detail
- Positive attitude and passion for your work
- Proactive, get-stuff-done mentality that always prioritizes outcomes, not just inputs
- Strong interpersonal, conflict resolution and negotiation skills;
- Excellent time and organizational management skills;
- Excellent ability to work under pressure and carry out multiple tasks simultaneously.
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. 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.
How to Apply
Qualified persons with disability are highly encouraged to apply.
Interested candidates are encouraged to submit an application online HERE no later than Sunday 28 Feb 2021
Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
Please apply separate application for each position you are interested in.