Entrepreneurship and Startups Manager/Chemonics International

Moldova Future Technologies Activity

Funded by USAID and Sweden

Entrepreneurship and Startups Manager

01. PROJECT OVERVIEW

The Moldova Future Technologies Activity (FTA) continues USAID’s and the Government of Sweden’s legacy of sector competitiveness programming in Moldova, building on lessons learned, adaptions, progress, and relationships of previous programs over the past 15 years. Continuing previous successes in facilitating the development of diverse local partners, FTA uses a global market systems framework to build capacity for sustainable, systemic progress while applying best practices to new partners and sectors. FTA co-creates systemic interventions with Moldovan partners to transform selected sectors by applying new technologies, promoting innovation, and integrating with global markets. FTA fosters the integration of Moldova’s green, digital, and creative innovations across the entire economy, while also focusing on the development of five target sectors: light manufacturing, information and communication technology (ICT), precision engineering, creative industries, and digital media. The project implementation period is June 2021 – June 2026.

02. POSITION DESCRIPTION

Startup and entrepreneurship initiatives foster the creation of an innovation and creativity-driven economy that offers growth potential, a dynamic job market, and attractive investment opportunities. The Entrepreneurship and Startups Manager will work with supporting organizations and directly with startup businesses to improve their competitiveness, market access, and access to finance.

03. PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide technical support to strengthen the startup ecosystem in Moldova;
• Participate in the implementation of specific activities of the FTA entrepreneurship component;
• Stay up-to-date concerning startup news and industry trends;
• Provide/manage entrepreneurship support activities (e.g., incubator program; coaching and mentoring; networking; funding; and referrals to external services);
• Facilitate the creation of business startups and technology transfer from applied R&D projects to products;
• Provide preparation support to startups participating in conferences (marketing materials, presentations, etc.);
• Support development of startup pitch decks;
• Identify and update the calendar of international events for startups;
• Liaise between FTA and startup support organizations such as accelerators, incubators, etc.;
• Conceptualize and manage implementation of startup ecosystem development activities;
• Provide support in identifying and implementing international startup programs;
• Promote cross-sectoral collaboration and integration of cross-cutting themes into interventions such as gender and social inclusion, digitalization, sustainability, etc.;
• Conduct regular quality control checks of implemented interventions;
• Represent the activity with key stakeholders as required, including donors, host government counterparts, project vendors, and the international private sector as needed or requested;
• Facilitate data collection, monitoring, and adaptation and learning with partners; and
• Participate in intervention and activity level collaboration, learning, and adaptation and contribute to activity reporting and annual planning.

04. QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience working with and supporting startup hubs;
• Working knowledge of how startups progress from an idea and scale up;
• Knowledge and understanding of theories, concepts and approaches relevant to digital entrepreneurship and of the challenges faced by startups in Moldova;
• Minimum of 2 years of relevant work experience in startup sphere;
• University degree in a relevant field;
• Demonstrated experience working effectively with various industry stakeholders including the private sector, academia, the Government of Moldova, donors, and others;
• Fluency in Romanian and proficiency in English preferred with excellent oral and written communication skills;
• Willingness/ability to travel throughout Moldova, as needed, to deliver on the assignment;
• Demonstrated ability to write clear reports and present them verbally; and
• Demonstrated leadership, versatility, and integrity.

05. APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

Please send an email with your CV attached and “Entrepreneurship & Startups Manager” in the subject line to office@chemonics.md by September 23, 2022. No telephone inquiries, please. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Only finalists will be contacted.

Chemonics is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in its selection and employment practices on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, or other non-merit factors.

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