Program Manager

About Seedstars

Seedstars is a group headquartered in Switzerland / Geneva on a mission to impact people’s lives in emerging and frontier markets through technology and entrepreneurship. We operate 2 main activities to achieve our mission: (A) We work in partnership with development agencies, governments, corporate partners, and private donors to develop entrepreneurship ecosystems, create jobs, and fuel income growth. (B) We invest in high-growth technology companies in impactful sectors (fintech, ed-tech, agritech, health tech, etc) in emerging markets.

About the Programs business

Seedstars Programs consults multilateral and bilateral organisations, governments, and private sector foundations on customized interventions and financing solutions for small and growing businesses (SGBs) in emerging markets. Our goal is to create thriving entrepreneurship ecosystems and generate positive social and economic impact in the global south and developing economies. 

We support our clients in:

• Developing entrepreneurship ecosystems (insights and advice on policy, finance, culture, support infrastructure, human capital, and markets) based on our proprietary Seedstars Index.
• Designing and co-creating customized interventions and implementing programs based on the segmentation of businesses and their specific needs.
• Setting up innovative development finance facilities and managing capital flows (VC & Equity program funds, Convertibles, Catalytic finance instruments, Impact linked finance, blended finance, result or revenue-based finance, loans, mezzanine, grants, etc.).
• Measuring and managing the impact of programmatic interventions.

The majority of our projects are sustainable development goal (SDG) driven and tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges like climate action, gender equality, migration, and financial inclusion.

About the Program

This is a comprehensive two track multi-year entrepreneurship intervention that is designed to provide support to small and growing businesses (SGBs) in Senegal through capacity-building, access to financing pathways, ecosystem development, and engagement with key stakeholders in the region to catalyze economic growth, and create jobs. 

About the Role

We are seeking a highly motivated, hands-on, self-starter and entrepreneurial Program Manager to join our regional team in Africa. As a Program Manager you will be part of the team designing and implementing an entrepreneurship technical assistance program in Senegal. Your main objectives will be to ensure SGBs and partners gain significant, and long-lasting value from our services. 

This is an onsite program in Dakar, Senegal. 

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. 

Responsibilities 

Project Leadership

• Full cycle program delivery across a large-scale program.
• Ensure the program stays on budget and time. 
• Identify areas of improvement for programs and share best practices. 

Community 

• Help scale on-the-ground, grassroots efforts, and community growth. 
• Support moderating, and engaging Seedstars online and offline communities.
• Lead in planning and coordinating both physical and virtual events for the program.
• Support in startup sourcing.

Stakeholder Engagement 

• Develop and maintain strong relationships with key partners to foster collaboration and support the program’s objectives.
• Serve as a point of contact with project funders and manage partner relationships (KPI alignment, deliverable validation, feedback, etc.).
• Identify and assess potential partners and stakeholders, including government entities, NGOs, women’s associations, ecosystem enablers, and private sector organisations.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure alignment between partnership activities and program milestones.

Analysis & insight

• Lead analysis from programs to assess the effectiveness of opportunities, and clearly communicate with reports, slides, and visualizations to diverse groups.
• Synthesize market intelligence to optimize project and program design efforts to strengthen programs and ensure they are consistent with the mission.
• Track, monitor and evaluate program metrics and milestone completion. 

Your profile

• Your Mindset 
  • Passion for problem solving and striving for excellence. 
  • Knack for coordination.
  • Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a multicultural and fast-paced environment.
  • Excellent team player with high levels of empathy.

• Your Experience 
  • At least 3 years in operational positions, such as running entrepreneurial innovation programs, supporting startups, developing startup ecosystem.
  • Deep knowledge and experience with our target client groups and donors (bilateral & multilateral organizations, NGOs, private sector foundations, etc.) 
  • Excellent communication, negotiation and relationship management skills.
  • Strong project management, organizational and time management skills.
  • A track record in Project Management with strong hands-on technical acumen.
  • Experience managing online educational platforms.
  • Fluent French and a strong command of English.
• Nice to have 
  • Deeply involved in and knowledgeable about the startup ecosystem in Senegal with a strong network. 
  • You are either a local entrepreneur or innovation enthusiast.

 Why our employees love working with us

• We are on a mission that is bigger than all of us: to impact people’s lives in emerging markets.
• You get many growth and learning opportunities early on, including impactful and skills-enhancing roles in innovative programs.
• Robust onboarding to translate our values and ways of working into successful outcomes.
• Excellent networking opportunities, including exposure to thought leaders and SMEs in the field of entrepreneurial support.
• An entrepreneurial culture where you’re surrounded by a vibrant and diverse team.
• Autonomy and flexibility with a flat hierarchy and a strong belief that responsible people should have the freedom to do their work when and how they want.
• We were awarded as one of the most democratic workplaces in the world due to our freedom-centered practices. 

We are an equal opportunity employer with a diverse mix of nationalities and backgrounds represented in our company. We truly value diversity and believe that the cultural landscape of our organization should reflect the types of work that we engage in and the places that we do it. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status and strongly encourage women, people from emerging markets, and those from historically underrepresented groups to apply to all of our roles at Seedstars.