Head of Swiss Entrepreneurship Program

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the program’s overall strategy and direction.
• Own and coordinate the global intervention strategy and ensure its implementation in the target countries.
• Lead and coordinate a team of four direct reports, including a monitoring specialist and three regional/country leads.
• Serve as the main point of contact for the project funder, SECO, maintain and nurture this relationship.
• Oversee and manage the program budget.
• Ensure monitoring and measurement of program results and appropriate reporting, in light of systemic changes achieved.
• Lead and coordinate communication and reporting efforts, with an emphasis on capturing insights and creating comprehensive documentation that reflects the entire timeline of Swiss EP (2015-2027) for internal and external purposes.
• Build and maintains relationships with key stakeholders in Switzerland and internationally, focussing on startup support organizations, investors and subject-matter experts in the startup field.
• Oversee and facilitate expert assignments in target countries in collaboration with the local teams, especially for Swiss-based experts.
• Proactively identify opportunities to strengthen ties between project countries and Switzerland through targeted activities.
• Coordinate the execution of potential immersion trips of our target groups for their internationalization efforts and peer learning.
• Coordinate and organize a physical team meeting in 2025/2026 to align strategies for the final years of the program and facilitate knowledge exchange among teams and relevant circles at Swisscontact.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in business administration, management, entrepreneurship, or equivalent experience.
• 10 years working experience, preferably in the private sector and in a startup environment.
• Minimum of 5 years project management experience, with a proven track record in leading interdisciplinary and international teams.
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to motivate and facilitate diverse groups and stakeholders.
• Excellent communications skills, both verbal and written, and ability to build and maintain relationships.
• Experience in analysing and understanding systemic changes within complex programs or ecosystems.
• A robust personal network in the start-up/accelerators/VC industry in Switzerland and globally, is a strong advantage.
• Outgoing, hands-on and adaptive personality who thinks team-first.
• Proficiency in English, any other language is a plus.
• Ability to travel internationally

Swisscontact offers attractive working conditions in an international and multicultural context. We see our work as a joint effort in an agile organizational culture: mutual respect, trust and teamwork.

We look forward to receiving your online application with the following documents in English: letter of motivation, curriculum vitae, relevant diplomas, references and salary expectation until 29 September 2024.

Swisscontact - Swiss Foundation for Technical Cooperation

Swisscontact is an independent non-profit development organisation established in 1959 by representatives of the Swiss private sector and civil society.

Our development work focuses on unleashing the potential of private initiatives in developing and emerging countries. We foster sustainable and inclusive economic development with the objective of improving the quality of life for all.

Our work is based on three foundational pillars: We strengthen the competencies of individuals so they can improve their income and their opportunities for employment; we enhance the competitiveness of businesses to help them grow and become more resilient; we promote socio-economic systems that favour comprehensive development for widespread prosperity.

The organisation is currently active in over 130 projects in 41 countries with around 1400 employees. It is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland.