Role Purpose:
The Program Activation Lead is responsible for translating Dubai SME’s strategic vision into founder-facing programs, accelerators, and growth platforms. This role ensures initiatives are customized to the needs of Emirati entrepreneurs, particularly across high-priority sectors such as F&B, technology, creative industries, and home-based businesses. The lead oversees end-to-end activation—from program design and localization to piloting and internal rollout—ensuring precision, scalability, and alignment with national goals such as D33.
Key Responsibilities:
1. Program Design & Localization
- Design and localize founder-facing programs tailored to sector-specific needs (e.g., F&B, tech, creative industries).
- Align program structures with Emirati founder profiles, D33 economic priorities, and market readiness.
- Develop comprehensive delivery toolkits, SOPs, and implementation playbooks.
2. Accelerator & Venture Builder Enablement
- Operationalize collaborations with DFHQ, accelerators, and venture studios.
- Define clear eligibility, onboarding, graduation, and ongoing support criteria for founders.
- Integrate coaching, mentorship, and capacity-building into all program formats.
3. Pilot Testing & Iteration
- Lead pilot activations, dry runs, and early-stage program rollouts.
- Collect and analyze feedback from founders, mentors, and ecosystem partners for continuous iteration.
- Benchmark global program models and adapt international best practices to the Dubai context.
4. Internal Coordination & Handover
- Collaborate with internal teams to ensure smooth transition from program design to operational delivery.
- Document processes, train implementation teams, and establish handover protocols.
- Ensure all programs are designed for scalability, repeatability, and long-term integration.
Qualifications & Requirements:
Education
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, or Public Policy (required).
- Master’s degree in a related field (preferred).
- Professional certifications are a plus (e.g., PMP, Design Thinking, Accelerator Management, Digital Transformation).
Experience
- 6–10 years in program design, incubation, or startup ecosystem development.
- Proven experience launching founder-facing programs such as accelerators, bootcamps, or venture studios.
- Experience working with government-led entrepreneurship or economic development initiatives.
- Familiarity with SME ecosystems in the GCC or other emerging markets is preferred.
Technical Skills
- Strong expertise in program development, localization, and delivery design.
- Operational planning, stakeholder coordination, and SOP creation.
- Proficiency in project management tools.
- Basic data analysis and performance tracking for program iteration.
Core Competencies
- Program development and execution excellence.
- Understanding of Emirati entrepreneurship needs and sector dynamics.
- High attention to detail and outcome-driven mindset.
- Proficiency with productivity tools, dashboards, and data visualization.
Job Type: Contract
Contract length: 12 months
Pay: AED25,000.00 - AED30,000.00 per month
