The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Innovative Startups & SMEs Fund
TERMS OF REFERENCE
Programs Manager
Position: Programs Manager
Location: Amman – Jordan
Reports to: Chief Executive Officer
Type of contract: Annual
Period of contract: 1 Year
Reference No:JO-JLGC-258383-CS-INDV
ABOUT THE INNOVATIVE STARTUPS & SMES FUND
The Innovative Startups and SMEs Support Fund (ISSF) aims to mobilize and increase early stage equity finance for innovative small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) in Jordan. ISSF puts into practice the first recommendation of the Jordanian Economic Policy Council to set up a fund to facilitate financing for innovative startups and SMEs in an effort to increase the level of startups with high-growth potential. The fund was established and is to be managed based on best international investment practices.
The ISSF is designed to mobilize Jordanian capital to support Jordanian innovative companies through equity investments. ISSF accomplishes this by matching the equity investments of lead investors in innovative start-ups and SMEs. This effectively de-risks seed, early stage and venture capital investments by freeing up capital to diversify investment risks.
Additionally, the ISSF supports the creation of investment funds through investment in existing or new funds. ISSF hopes to impose a professional discipline on fund managers (existing and new) enabling them to better serve the start-up and SME domain.
Finally, the ISSF has funds allocated for the support of the ecosystem, to enable the increased creation and support of innovative start-ups and SMEs. ISSF support targets existing service providers, incubators, accelerators seeking to support SMEs, entrepreneurship and the innovation space. The ISSF is created as a special purpose vehicle with contributions from the Central Bank of Jordan and the World Bank bringing the total working capital of the ISSF to US$98 million.
The ISSF’s initial investment strategy will be to use a combination of direct investments in SMEs alongside private investment funds seeking to leverage financing on specific deals, and indirect investment in SMEs through funds.
ABOUT THE POSITION
An extraordinary opportunity for a professional with entrepreneurship program design development and team management experience to develop, implement, monitor, evaluate and improve the quality of programs promoted, supported and offered by the ISSF.
The Programs Manager will be responsible for supporting initiatives aimed at building the Jordanian entrepreneurship ecosystem, in order to improve the quality and quantity of Jordanian entrepreneurs at various stages (Angel, Seed, Early Growth, Late Stage Growth, etc.) and increase the quality and quantity of deal flow for the funds and funding partners supported under the ISSF and within the national eco-system. This may include support for startup
development and growth programs, networks of organizations, institutions, mentors and investors centered around the requirements and needs of the Jordanian ecosystem.
The candidate will be responsible for programs’ monitoring, delivery, and quality control and evaluation.
In this role, the Manager will ensure every program is well designed, focused, managed with care, delivered successfully, and followed through post implementation. The manager will also be responsible for making sure that programs integrate with each other to produce quality, investable deal flow. In addition to building innovative programs, the successful candidate will partner and work collaboratively with qualified, different management teams locally and globally to execute such programs and build networks.
The ISSF is a new project, and this role presents an excellent opportunity to create and shape a series of activities to support Jordanian entrepreneurship, and to help build the ISSF itself.
MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Organizing programs and activities in accordance with the mission and goals of the ISSF.
2. Map out the existing national institutions, programs and initiatives which constitute the innovation and SME ecosystem, identify their individual objectives and activities and identify how they can be leveraged cooperatively by ISSF to achieve the ISSF’s national objectives
3. Develop a ISSF strategy for the further development of the Jordanian entrepreneurship ecosystem, including opportunities and gaps in capability and infrastructure, and a prioritized action plan that align with the ISSF’s direction
4. The national strategy should include a plan to address existing weaknesses in existing business/technology Analytics and Insights to increase deal-flow; the number of innovative and high-growth startups in Jordan, and to increase the number of firms in early-stage investment opportunities
5. Develop partnerships with national, regional and global corporations, universities and research institutes, diaspora and to support the creation and growth of startup communities and various support programs throughout the Kingdom
6. Design and oversee implementation of high quality programs which:
▪ Reflect best practices in entrepreneurship design and delivery
▪ Are synergistic with existing initiatives, support networks and stakeholders
▪ Have realistic and well targeted, resources, budgets and operations
▪ Have sensible and user-friendly eligibility and selection criteria and administration.
7. Create a business development plan, including opportunities for institutional growth and sustainability options, and draft proposals for raising equity investment, grants and funds for the ecosystem.
8. Plan various workshops/events/webinars for programs to provide information and intelligence, and to build linkages and networks.
9. Assist with Liaising with the government and industries and actively promote programs through various channels.
10. Design and implementation of a robust communications strategy with the marketing and communication officer and possibly a third-party entity to promote programs.
11. Developing an evaluation and monitoring method to assess program strengths and identify areas for improvement.
12. Ensuring goals are met in areas including customer satisfaction, quality output.
13. Implementing and managing changes and interventions to ensure project goals are achieved.
14. Meeting with stakeholders to make communication easy and transparent regarding project issues and decisions on services.
15. Producing accurate and timely reporting of program status throughout its life cycle.
16. Analyzing program risks.
RELEVANT EXPERIENCE & KEY COMPETENCIES
1. Good project management skills
2. At least 12 years of experience in the related field
3. Procurement experience
4. Auditing experience is a great asset.
5. Professionalism: Ability to deliver professional deliverables on short deadlines, good writing and editing skills.
6. Technology awareness: Fully proficient computer skills and use of relevant software and other applications, e.g. word processing, PowerPoint or equivalent, internal databases, Internet, etc.
7. Personal qualities of integrity, credibility, and commitment to ISSF mission
8. understanding of Jordan’s entrepreneurial & investment ecosystems and ability to research, understand, organize and communicate complex ideas/issues
9. Ability to work and multi-task and remain efficient and productive under pressure.
10. Organizational skills and Complete administration tasks on time
11. Strategic thinker, with an entrepreneurial mind-set and high tolerance for risk, ambiguity and change
12. -Personal qualities of integrity, credibility, and commitment to ISSF
13. -Demonstrated experience in project design and management, including data analysis, reporting and budgeting
• Experience working with a high-performance, collaborative, constructive peer group
• Demonstrated results in managing through complex systems and proven experience negotiating win-win agreements
• A self-starter, able to act without close supervision from the CEO
• Fluent in both Arabic & English
EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS
1. Graduate Degree in Finance or Business Administration or equivalent.
2. University degree combined with specialized experience in similar organization/s may be considered in lieu of an MBA/Master Degree.
HOW TO APPLY:
Interested candidates may send their CV to Jobs@issfjo.com by End of 06/11/2021 and mention job title in mail subject “Position”. Short listed candidates will be contacted.
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The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Innovative Startups & SMEs Fund
TERMS OF REFERENCE
” Operations, Administration and HR Manager”
Position: Operations, Administration and HR Manager
Location: Amman – Jordan
Reports to: Chief Executive Officer
Type of contract: Annual
Period of contract: 1 Year
Reference No: JO-JLGC-260687-CS-INDV
ABOUT THE INNOVATIVE STARTUPS & SMES FUND
The Innovative Startups and SMEs Support Fund (ISSF) aims to mobilize and increase early stage equity finance for innovative small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) in Jordan. ISSF puts into practice the first recommendation of the Jordanian Economic Policy Council to set up a fund to facilitate financing for innovative startups and SMEs in an effort to increase the level of startups with high-growth potential. The fund was established and is to be managed based on best international investment practices.
The ISSF is designed to mobilize Jordanian capital to support Jordanian innovative companies through equity investments. ISSF accomplishes this by matching the equity investments of lead investors in innovative start-ups and SMEs. This effectively de-risks seed, early stage and venture capital investments by freeing up capital to diversify investment risks.
Additionally, the ISSF supports the creation of investment funds through investment in existing or new funds. ISSF hopes to impose a professional discipline on fund managers (existing and new) enabling them to better serve the start-up and SME domain.
Finally, the ISSF has funds allocated for the support of the ecosystem, to enable the increased creation and support of innovative start-ups and SMEs. ISSF support targets existing service providers, incubators, accelerators seeking to support SMEs, entrepreneurship and the innovation space. The ISSF is created as a special purpose vehicle with contributions from the Central Bank of Jordan and the World Bank bringing the total working capital of the ISSF to US$98 million.
The ISSF’s initial investment strategy will be to use a combination of direct investments in SMEs alongside private investment funds seeking to leverage financing on specific deals, and indirect investment in SMEs through funds.
ABOUT THE POSITION
A great opportunity for an experienced professional to take on a leadership role to oversee the Operations, Administration and all HR functions at the ISSF. The role aims to achieve an overall operational effectiveness through continuous process and procedure improvements, interdepartmental coordination and innovative usage of technology tools & systems.
The post will lead and manage the design, development, execution and ongoing improvement of operations, departmental functions, administration of institutional operations and HR functions as well as supervise the administrative staff within the ISSF.
MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
OPERATIONS:
– Design, develop, document and maintain all departmental policies and procedures.
– Oversee all operational activities and promote continuous improvement.
– Monitor and report on the adherence to internal policies and legal standards.
– Provide guidance and interpretation on policies and procedures to staff.
– Provide and maintain integrity and security of all departmental data.
– Share knowledge of industry and local trends, establish ongoing analytical and reporting requirement to drive facts/data-based decision making, and recommendations to management team for continuous improvement of ISSF’s policies, procedures and practices.
ADMINISTRATION:
– Facilitate and oversee IT integration off all ISSF departments directly or through outsourcing.
– Develop and implement robust is security for all ISSF data using the cloud and/or other effective technology.
– Facilitate the management of IT operations and technology services either directly or through third-party entities.
– Facilitate the selection and management of third-party subcontractors (procurement function).
– Anticipate and resolve litigation risks and act as point of contact with legal entities pertaining employees and organization related matters.
– Manage staff training/development program.
– Oversee all administrative activities and promote continuous improvement.
HUMAN RESOURCES:
– Lead, deploy and monitor the ISSF’s HR operations strategy and objectives.
– Develop and document job descriptions, authorities and responsibilities for the purpose of achieving the defined objectives through implementation of the selected strategies and procedures.
– Develop with the general manager a salary scale and benefits package in-line with the market and commensurate with the individual job descriptions.
– Oversee all HR activities and promote continuous improvement.
– Develop corporate plans for a variety of HR matters such as compensation, benefits, health and safety, etc.
– Lead, negotiate, administer and manage the delivery and support of benefits programs.
– Ensure qualified applicants are recruited and hired for all positions.
– Assist directors and managers with the complete employment cycle for employee attraction to exit; prepare TORs, provide initial screening of candidate, co-interview, provide needed exams/assessments, post and manage ads on various platforms, coordinate orientation and training of employees, leaves of absence, onboarding and off-boarding, etc.
– Deal with grievances and violations invoking disciplinary action when required.
– Lead the establishment and ongoing administration of a proven Human Resources Information Systems; manage the specification and implementation of dashboards, reports, policies and procedures, and capture and monitor HR operational metrics for internal and external analytics and reporting.
– Lead and coordinate with ISSF’s employees and management including payroll, finance, compliance, etc.
– Maintain a thorough understanding of HR and employment regulations, sectors and industry trends and practices, applicable laws and employment legislation related to all organization and personnel matters.
– Ensure that appropriate standards of conduct are established and complied with Set, report, manage and monitor HR operations’ budgets and report internally and externally with partner entities when required.
RELEVANT EXPERIENCE & KEY COMPETENCIES
– Strong Arabic language documentation and writing skills .
– Strong organizational and communication skills.
– At least 12 years of experience in the related field.
– Procurement experience.
– Fluent in both Arabic & English.
– Strong organizational and communication skills.
– Practical and demonstrated experience in operations development and implementation (design, implementation and monitoring of work flows, processes and procedures).
– Strong background in compliance and internal auditing systems and processes.
– Strong working experience in administration and administrative affairs.
– Working knowledge of human resource functions and processes with a familiarity in the use and application of HR systems and technologies.
– Strong and solid project management, organization, communication, interpersonal, collaboration, and relationship skills with proven abilities to build business cases, present cost/benefit analysis, and present the appropriate strategies.
– Good knowledge of the Jordanian labor laws, social security laws, tax laws, and best practices.
– Ability to assess situations to determine the importance, urgency and risks; make clear recommendations which are timely and in the best interest of the ISSF.
– Experience of working in a multicultural team and proven ability to build relationships with project partners.
– Personal qualities of integrity, credibility, and commitment to ISSF mission.
– International and regional experience is a plus.
EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS
1. Graduate Degree in Finance or Business Administration or equivalent.
2. University degree combined with specialized experience in similar organization/s may be considered in lieu of an MBA/Master Degree.
HOW TO APPLY:
Interested candidates may send their CV to Jobs@issfjo.com by End of 06/11/2021 and mention job title in mail subject “Position”. Short listed candidates will be contacted.