Program Manager (Rolling Basis)

ABOUT ASTROLABS

AstroLabs is a capability building company, developing the digital ecosystem of the MENA region.

We run the largest digital skills Academy in the region and have upskilled over 10,000 people in entrepreneurship, digital and tech. We support the expansion of organizations through our company incorporation services in the UAE and KSA, with over 600 companies launched and expanded to-date. We provide recruitment services to tech companies you use on a daily basis and run incubators and accelerators in partnership with government and enterprise partners. We are ambitious, we take ownership, and are committed to excellence. If you are a high performing, driven individual then we would love for you to join our team!

Read this first! Please read up on what life working at AstroLabs is like on our microsite here: https://go.astrolabs.com/astrolife

If this sounds like a place that would excite you to come to work every day, please read on!

The Opportunity

This is a unique opportunity for a make-it-happen doer looking to fast-track their personal growth in the entrepreneurial, tech and digital space. You will have the opportunity to shape the next wave of startups through your guidance, support and challenge. You will also be regularly leading interactions with senior stakeholders in government and some of the largest local and international companies in the region.

This role is a great opportunity for an ex-founder that wants to find their next chapter after their startup journey. You will have the opportunity to directly help other founders grow and scale their companies, and to do it within this organisation, itself a fast-paced and scaling company that breathes a startup culture.

This role is also a great opportunity for an aspiring founder looking to learn the ropes of starting their own business one day or you’re interested in building a career at a startup or a digital company.

Career Path @ AstroLabs: this role offers multiple growth paths inside AstroLabs Programs, such as:

• Path 1 - Operations centric: Operations Manager - Director - Chief of Staff

• Path 2 - Programs Delivery centric: Senior Program Manager - Program Director

• Path 3 - Commercial/Management: Account Manager - Practice Manager - Head of Enterprise Sales

The Role

AstroLabs runs high-impact, practical entrepreneurial programs throughout the MENA region. As the Program Manager you will act as single-point accountability for delivery of programs in execution.

With ambitious plans to scale both in the UAE and regionally and with a varied program mix of face-to-face, online and blended delivery channels; you will provide key insights into the design of programs that have impact based on your experience of running them yourself. You will spot gaps and fill them, identify new value-adding activities in terms of content, networks and coaching that go above and beyond in delivering the best in entrepreneurial programs.

• Client relationship management - Single point of contact with senior management on customer side

• End-to-end management of key capability-building programs we run such as accelerators, entrepreneurship bootcamps and corporate fast pilot innovation programs

• Influence the overall program design and development by providing input and feedback into the creation process

• Complete ownership of program experience: Regularly analysing program feedback to generate actionable insights to improve the program experience

• Overview of the educational content that is delivered and operational execution of the programs

• Creating high-grade program and post-program reports and case studies capturing feedback and testimonials

• Collaborating with global and regional startup communities for sourcing startups for our accelerator and fast pilot programs

What’s in it for you?

• Your role will directly impact the growth of startups in the region, you will play a pivotal role in helping them achieve milestones, meet their next investor or secure their next customer.
• You will have full autonomy to implement your ideas (actually, that’s the main thing we will ask for).
• You will become part of a high-performance team focused on outcomes for our customers. No bureaucracy, no corporate politics.
• You will get a serious opportunity to grow. We are growing at pace and want our team to grow with us. You will build your personal development plan and have full support in progressing in your career in this job and all the ones that follow!

Your Profile

You’re a Doer. You get stuff done and follow things through to completion, no matter what.

• You’re also a Strategist. You get the full picture and you’re able to devise strategies and initiatives to reach the target outcomes.

• You’re a structured, systems and process thinker able to design and implement systems and process the manage and measure work without compromising creativity and flexibility

• You’re an effective project manager with a proven track record of facilitating high performance collaboration in diverse situations

• You’re adaptable and flexible. You’re able to cope with the changing nature of the role and to shift gears rapidly from one object to another, multiple time a day

• You have outstanding communication skills both verbal and written

• You create great decks and presentations

Your Background

• Minimum of 4 years’ work experience in consulting and/or project management or founder of a startup for at least 3 years

• Prior experience in a top-tier management consulting firm is a plus

• Structured and super-organised / works well under pressure

• You’ve honed your communication in outstanding presentation and communication skills

• Flexibility and coachability

• Analytical Bachelor's degree, for example business studies, economics, finance, MIS, engineering or other STEM topics

• Proven interest and passion for entrepreneurship and exposure to the local or international startup ecosystem.