Program Manager, Gaza Sky Geeks Tech Hub and Startup Accelerator

Job Description

PROGRAM/DEPARTMENT SUMMARY:

Gaza Sky Geeks (GSG) is Gaza’s first and only startup accelerator, run by Mercy Corps and founded with an initial grant from Google in 2011, and now a tech hub in the Google for Entrepreneurs partner network. GSG aims to provide Gaza’s most talented youth with opportunities to develop their skills and succeed as tech entrepreneurs. It conducts workshops and outreach to educate Gazans about technology and entrepreneurship, hosts major community events like hackathons and Startup Weekends, incubates promising startup teams each year, and facilitates seed investments into accelerated startups. GSG also hosts and trains freelancers and software outsourcers in its co-working space in downtown Gaza City.

GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY

As a GSG Program Manager, your job will be to work closely with the GSG Director in support of GSG operations in Gaza and external communications with international stakeholders and supporters. As a Program Manager at Gaza Sky Geeks, you will have significant operational and communications responsibilities supporting all areas of GSG programming, fundraising, and logistics. You will work very closely with the Director, primarily assisting with day-to-day operations on the ground in Gaza to ensure the co-working space is a productive, fun, lean, entrepreneurial, and rigorous office. You will work closely with our energetic local staff and volunteers to ensure flawless execution of our most complex logistics, travel, procurement, and operational challenges. Additionally, you will support and manage high-priority communications and outreach with external partners who are critical to our work (mentors, investors, and donors), as well as other tasks as needed.

ESSENTIAL JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

External Communications, Fundraising, and Community Engagement

• Assist the Director, GSG Mentorship Engagement Manager, and coordinate with other Mercy Corps staff as need to manage a rich community of thousands of supporters from around the world, from major foundation, corporate, and investment partners to individual donors and pro-bono mentors who support GSG’s work.
• Keep this community up-to-date and engaged by drafting monthly newsletters, blog posts about GSG and our startups, using social media, and/or identifying opportunities to harness the energy in this community.
• Ensure GSG’s website is well maintained and regularly updated with relevant content (working in coordination with GSG’s volunteer webmaster)
• Oversee regular social media output as drafted by local GSG team members and offer guidance on English social media output on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
• Assist the Director with research new funding opportunities, drafting and reviewing fundraising proposals
• Support the Director and Board Chairperson in managing and fully utilizing GSG’s Board of Advisors and Advisory Committee, including scheduling quarterly board meetings, preparing board meeting materials, and sending regular updates to the board
• Represent Mercy Corps / Gaza Sky Geeks with traditional and online media, reaching out to media directly and cultivating relationships with journalists and influential
• Occasionally represent GSG in meetings with partners inside and outside Gaza

Operations Management Support

• Manage international GSG volunteers based abroad (e.g., and ambassadors promoting GSG to recruit mentors; social media volunteer based abroad, and other supporters representing GSG)
• Ensure excellent execution of logistics supporting incoming visitors (mentors, donors, investors), Gazans who are traveling outside, and upcoming major programming events. Accompanying visitors during their visits, as needed
• Provide oversight management to a talented team tracking daily/weekly/monthly calendar of GSGs co-working space programming
• Work closely with local GSG and Mercy Corps staff to ensure all entry/exit permits, visas, travel itineraries, and any other required documents and coordination are taken care of for staff, visitors, and GSG startups traveling in and out of Gaza
• Provide oversight and support to GSG’s and Mercy Corps team members to ensure the timely and efficient procurement of goods and services to support GSG’s tech hub operations

Monitoring and Evaluation of Program Impact

• Provide oversight to local staff to ensure the timely collection of survey and other data measuring GSG’s performance as required by investor or donors, Mercy Corps, and the Gaza Sky Geeks Director
• Using that data, assist in preparing and reviewing progress reports to existing donors including major international corporations and foundations

Team Management

• Provide team members with information, tools and other resources to improve performance and reach objectives, including supporting HR performance review processes and recruitment of local staff
• Contribute to country team-building efforts, help team members identify problem solving options and ensure the integration of all team members into relevant decision-making processes.
• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence

Organizational Learning: As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve - we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.

Accountability to Beneficiaries: Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts towards accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY: Gaza Sky Geeks social media, procurement, logistics, and content creation staff, as well as volunteers based in Gaza and abroad

ACCOUNTABILITY

REPORTS DIRECTLY TO: Gaza Sky Geeks Director

WORKS DIRECTLY WITH: West Bank / Gaza Country Director, Finance, Procurements, HR, and Logistics teams, Mercy Corps HQ-based Resource Development team

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE

• BA/S or equivalent required
• 2-4 years of experience in a fast-paced and demanding work environment, such as a management consulting firm, bank, tech company, online startup; or other directly applicable experience overseeing fast paced operations and communications
• Excellent English written communication skills required; ideally have experience drafting compelling written/online communications for advocacy and/or fundraising. Arabic language skills not required but are a plus.
• Previous experience collecting and/or analyzing data using spreadsheets
• Familiarity with online tools for community/customer engagement (e.g. Salesforce, Mailchimp) and Google office tools
• Previous work experience in the Middle East preferred; may be substituted with experience in other frontier markets or resource constrained environments
• Attention to detail, and ideally have familiarity planning trips, complex events, and/or hosting a wide variety of visitors.

SUCCESS FACTORS

Gaza Sky Geeks is a unique and fast-moving program within Mercy Corps made up of a small and incredibly dedicated team that is committed to growing Gaza’s technology ecosystem. The ideal candidate is familiar with and interested in technology and entrepreneurship, and eager to have positive social impact in a challenging, but inspiring place. You are a proactive, natural problem solver always thinking several steps ahead, and try every possible solution before raising any issue with your boss. You have strong emotional intelligence and love building relationships. You are highly perceptive and exercise good judgement in uniquely complex political and social situations that involve diverse stakeholders. You are flexible and quick to adapt to new challenging situations. You do not flinch at power outages or border crossing delays.

LIVING CONDITIONS/ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS

The position will be based in Gaza City during the work week and Jerusalem on the weekends, and will involve commuting in/out of Gaza weekly. Occasional weekend and evening work may be required. It may require frequent visits to the West Bank and occasional travel to regional locations (Jordan, Dubai, etc.) and the possibility of others (United States, Europe). Housing in Jerusalem is in individual accommodation, full freedom of movement and excellent amenities, access to medical care, and access to a car. In Gaza, there is shared apartment accommodation with freedom of movement if accompanied by local staff and using Mercy Corps drivers(depending on the security situation).

Mercy Corps Team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TDY to a field posting. Staff 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.

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About the Organization

Mercy Corps exists to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive and just communities. Since 1979, Mercy Corps has provided over $575 million in assistance to 73 nations. The agency's programs currently reach 5 million people in more than 25 countries, including the United States. Mercy Corps is a nonprofit organization with headquarters offices in Portland (Oregon), Seattle (Washington), Washington, DC, and Edinburgh, Scotland. Known for its quick-response, high-impact programs, over 95 percent of the agency's resources are allocated directly to programs that help those in need.