Job - VP/Director of Acceleration and Incubation Programs, Foundation for Armenian Science and Technology, Armenia

VP/DIRECTOR OF ACCELERATION AND INCUBATION PROGRAMS

ORGANIZATION NAME: Foundation for Armenian Science and Technology (FAST)

TITLE: VP/Director of Acceleration and Incubation Programs

START DATE: ASAP

LOCATION: Yerevan, Armenia

JOB DESCRIPTION

FAST seeks an experienced individual to develop and manage acceleration and incubation programs. The Director will be responsible for overall leadership of all innovation, entrepreneurship, and startup development and growth programs, including developing a network of mentors, investors and startups. The candidate will be responsible for seamless program creation, delivery, and quality control and evaluation. In this newly established role, the incumbent will ensure every program is innovative, delivered successfully, and managed with care. This is an extraordinary opportunity for an individual with program development and team management experience. The successful candidate will build new programs, lead them, and partner and work collaboratively with a high-pace management team. The Director is expected to uphold the values and vision of the organization.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Initiate, develop, and implement acceleration and incubation programs according to the strategic objectives of the organization;

• Plan programs from start to completion, including deadlines, milestones, and processes;

• Develop and implement strategies that will maximize the synergies among program areas;

• Plan the activities, resources, budgets and operations of Acceleration and Incubation Programs;

• Generate deal flows, screening of proposals, research, working with entrepreneurs for their proposals, sending proposals to the next level for selecting incubates;

• Induct new entrepreneurs, create incubation plans and implement them, assist in writing business plans, keep track of the incubation process, help the startups prepare proposals for getting funding, etc.;

• Plan various workshops/events/webinars for programs;

• Create the best possible environment in which science and technology related startups can grow and succeed;

• Develop the mentor network for the incubator and work with them to make the Incubated venture successful;

• Forge partnerships with other organizations for providing services to the startups or the Foundation; marketing the program, sponsorships…etc. Liaison with the government and industries;

• Actively promote programs through various channels;

• Establish KPI benchmarks, monitor and measure effectiveness;

• Work with co-ordination with management for setting up grant support and seed funds for start-ups;

• Administration of the acceleration/incubation programs and any other activities which requires the Director’s involvement;

• Coordination of the development, evaluation and implementation of programs goal and objectives;

• Development of relevant, quality training, advisory and mentorship programs, as well as ongoing mentorship of program participants;

• High level coordination with program partners;

• Design and implementation of a robust communications strategy to promote programs.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s degree in Entrepreneurship, Management, Business Administration, or another relevant field;

• At least 5 years of experience in program development role;

• At least 3 years of experience in a team management role;

• Demonstrated success developing, evaluating, selecting, and successfully operationalizing innovative programs;

• Experience working with information and communication technology to develop and implement program evaluation systems and metrics;

• Strong project execution skills, managing complex, multifaceted projects resulting in measurable successes and program growth;

• Outstanding knowledge of data analysis, reporting and budgeting;

• Experience working with a high-performance, collaborative, constructive peer group;

• Strength in hiring, recruiting, managing, developing, coaching, and retaining individuals and teams, empowering them to elevate their levels of responsibility, span-of-control and performance;

• Deep understanding of human resources, plans for employee performance improvement, and corrective action policies;

• Demonstrated results in managing through complex systems and proven experience negotiating win-win agreements;

• Personal qualities of integrity, credibility, and commitment to FAST’s mission;

• Analytical mindset with great problem-solving abilities;

• Excellent understanding of innovation processes;

• Excellent command of English, knowledge of Armenian and/or Russian is highly desirable.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

All interested candidates are kindly requested to submit their CVs by e-mail to hr@fast.foundation. Please indicate the title of the position “VP/Director of Acceleration and Incubation Programs” in the subject line of your e-mail. FAST is grateful to all interested applicants; however, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for the interview.

ABOUT FAST

Foundation for Armenian Science and Technology (FAST) is conceived as a comprehensive platform to foster technological and scientific breakthroughs in Armenia.

FAST aims to revive the country’s strong Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) traditions, establishing a favorable regime for the innovative environment, fostering science and technology education, and actively developing a venture capital ecosystem.

One of the most pivotal tasks of FAST is to engage tech and scientific communities in raising the profile of Armenia as a hub for technological and scientific discoveries and developments.

APPLICATION DEADLINE:  February 15, 2018

Note: Employment decisions are made without regard to race, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability or other characteristics protected by law.