Role Purpose:

The Program Activation Lead is responsible for translating Dubai SME’s strategic vision into founder-facing programs, accelerators, and growth platforms. This role ensures initiatives are customized to the needs of Emirati entrepreneurs, particularly across high-priority sectors such as F&B, technology, creative industries, and home-based businesses. The lead oversees end-to-end activation—from program design and localization to piloting and internal rollout—ensuring precision, scalability, and alignment with national goals such as D33.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Program Design & Localization

• Design and localize founder-facing programs tailored to sector-specific needs (e.g., F&B, tech, creative industries).
• Align program structures with Emirati founder profiles, D33 economic priorities, and market readiness.
• Develop comprehensive delivery toolkits, SOPs, and implementation playbooks.

2. Accelerator & Venture Builder Enablement

• Operationalize collaborations with DFHQ, accelerators, and venture studios.
• Define clear eligibility, onboarding, graduation, and ongoing support criteria for founders.
• Integrate coaching, mentorship, and capacity-building into all program formats.

3. Pilot Testing & Iteration

• Lead pilot activations, dry runs, and early-stage program rollouts.
• Collect and analyze feedback from founders, mentors, and ecosystem partners for continuous iteration.
• Benchmark global program models and adapt international best practices to the Dubai context.

4. Internal Coordination & Handover

• Collaborate with internal teams to ensure smooth transition from program design to operational delivery.
• Document processes, train implementation teams, and establish handover protocols.
• Ensure all programs are designed for scalability, repeatability, and long-term integration.

Qualifications & Requirements:

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, or Public Policy (required).
• Master’s degree in a related field (preferred).
• Professional certifications are a plus (e.g., PMP, Design Thinking, Accelerator Management, Digital Transformation).

Experience

• 6–10 years in program design, incubation, or startup ecosystem development.
• Proven experience launching founder-facing programs such as accelerators, bootcamps, or venture studios.
• Experience working with government-led entrepreneurship or economic development initiatives.
• Familiarity with SME ecosystems in the GCC or other emerging markets is preferred.

Technical Skills

• Strong expertise in program development, localization, and delivery design.
• Operational planning, stakeholder coordination, and SOP creation.
• Proficiency in project management tools.
• Basic data analysis and performance tracking for program iteration.

Core Competencies

• Program development and execution excellence.
• Understanding of Emirati entrepreneurship needs and sector dynamics.
• High attention to detail and outcome-driven mindset.
• Proficiency with productivity tools, dashboards, and data visualization.