Սթարթափի կապի մասնագետ (Անգլերեն)

Background

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Armenia in partnership with the Government of Armenia works to advance the national reform agenda and develop the capacities of counterparts at a national, regional and local level.  To this end, UNDP is currently implementing a multi-component programme across four portfolios, namely Democratic Governance, Environmental Governance, Integrated Border Management and Socio-Economic Governance.
Under this framework, UNDP established an innovations lab, called Kolba. The lab is an incubator which attempts to solve big social challenges by harnessing citizens’ insights and ideas alongside public services. Citizens across Armenia enter the incubator with an innovative (both technological and non-technological) idea they believe can generate a social impact. Kolba provides support in design, field-testing, market research, and other business advice to transform these ideas into a working social start-up, venture, service, or product.
Past graduates of the incubator have included:
• “Seeing Hands”, a massage therapy centre staffed by the visually impaired;
• “TaTa”, a user-centric flexi childcare centre;
• “Solar Gyumri”, solar-powered street lighting for community areas in Gyumri;
• “Smart City”, an e-governance management system for local condominiums in Yerevan. 
Kolba Lab is looking to expand the activity of its incubator. As such it is seeking a Start-up Liaison Expert to support Kolba graduates from previous rounds of incubation, as well as to provide coordination and mentoring support to new graduates in 2016.

Description of Responsibilities

The Start-ups Liaison Officer will work under supervision of UNDP DG Portfolio Analyst and overall guidance of the UNDP Armenia/Kolba Innovations Lab, with close cooperation with Digital Communications Junior Expert and Research and Development Junior Expert.  Specifically the Start-ups Liaison Officer will perform the following functions:
• Provide advice and mentoring support to start-up teams in management, business strategies, ICT, marketing, as well as other areas of business advice
• Act as a contact person for start-up project managers, Kolba Lab team and rosters of experts of various backgrounds;
• Provide updates on start-ups incubated by the Innovations Lab, resolve issues and establish the project delivery vision for the teams, ensure the work is done in due time and manner;
• Support enhancing the efficiency and the quality of the projects incubated by Kolba Lab
• Contribute to effective teamwork among start-up project team members and possible external partners (UNDP, Government, civil society, business partners, etc.);
• Be responsible for the successful design, implementation, tracking and revision of project plans for Innovation Lab’s incubated projects;
• Support the delivery of workshops, trainings and seminars on design thinking, prototyping, research, business and marketing and other topics related to incubation;,
• Contribute to the development and management of project budgets, timelines and quality guidelines, ensuring project implementation quality;
• Scope areas of possible partnership and fundraising opportunities;
• Support the coordination and facilitation of meetings for Kolba and the incubation teams;

Expected Output

• Documented support to Kolba Lab’s incubated projects;
• Evidence of support to Kolba Lab’s incubated projects leading to increased social impact;
• Evidence of new partnerships built among social start-ups incubated by Kolba Lab and other organizations, civic initiatives, state bodies and other interested actors;
• Evidence of professional consultations and coaching of social start-ups supported by Kolba Lab. 

Competencies

• Advanced knowledge of application of ICT in social projects;
• Technical knowledge and/or hands-on experience in software development, mobile app. development and web technologies is an advantage
• Project management skills;
• High level of motivation, ability to show initiative and work independently;
• Entrepreneurial attitude with a “hacker mind”;
• Experience in the design and delivery of lectures, workshops or seminars;
• Strong leadership and interpersonal skills;
• Proven enthusiastic, networking and partnership building skills;
• Logical thinking and creative problem-solving ability;

Qualifications

Professional background:
• The ideal candidate will have at least 3 years of professional experience in Business Development and/or working with start- ups, ventures, or other, ideally social-oriented initiatives that have experienced significant levels of growth. In addition the candidate will already have substantive connections and knowledge of the IT sector, start-up and innovation ecosystem in Yerevan and the regions.

Education:
• Higher education in Business Management, Marketing, IT or related field;

Languages:
• Fluent in Armenian and English, advanced knowledge of Russian is an asset

 

Application Procedure

Applications shall be submitted online through http://operations.undp.am/Recruitment website. Hard copy and incomplete applications shall not be considered. A complete application form shall consist of an on-line Personal History Form (P11), a letter of motivation. CV and copies of diploma(s) can also be attached to application. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. 

More information can be found here.