Program Director

About Seedstars

Seedstars is a global investment holding with headquarters in Switzerland, 15 offices and a presence in 80+ emerging markets. We are on a mission to impact people’s lives in emerging markets through technology and entrepreneurship. The group is organised around two key activities; 1) talent incubation and 2) Venture capital investing. We incubate talent and high growth ventures through a series of programs from idea stage to early growth stage. We are currently building a platform of funds to be positioned as a key early-stage emerging market VC

About the Global IncubationTeam 

The Program director will join the Global Incubation Team whose mission is to launch our early stage capacity building endeavors that develop 21st century skills by growing ventures in close collaboration with Seedstars’ cofounders, and Programs business unit. 

This initiative follows an innovative-yet-proven curriculum and pedagogy based on collective intelligence to recode learning. Participants require no previous experience or degrees, can join at no cost and end the two years journey by working as coders for local or international companies or starting their own company. This is our newest strategic initiative, and we aim to launch in all five regions that we are active in, ensuring truly global activities. We see it as a much needed solution in addressing the significant digital skills gaps globally, as well as the unacceptable low levels of coders who are women, people of colour, and from low income households.

About the job

We are looking for an exceptional leader to build and grow a network of world class schools in India with us to facilitate digital transformation for entrepreneurs and innovators at every stage of their journey. As a Program Director you will play the leading role in launching, developing, implementing, and managing strategy to ensure global success. This a remote role with a strong preference for applicants based in Bangalore. 

Key responsibilities: 

• Implement the vision of the initiative by executing a successful launch and roll-out of the initiative.
• Develop strategy and expansion plans for the business after launch.
• Hire, manage, and grow a world class high performing team. 
• Fundraise and generate revenue.
• Manage high level partner relationships and communications with key stakeholders.
• Design and execute key initiatives to drive success.

Your profile: 

• Your mindset and values 
  • Excellent team player with high levels of empathy. 
  • Passion for problem solving and striving for excellence with a high risk tolerance. 
  • #Out of the comfort zone: you have an entrepreneurial mindset, and can thrive in a fast-paced environment where things are not fully defined. 
  • #Independently Together: You can work well alone but are also an amazing team player. You know how to lead and motivate a team. 
  • #Follow the money: You are extremely results-oriented and know how to drive sales activity (as well as motivate your team to do so).
• Your experience and competencies
  • 7+ years of experience in early stage tech companies (venture creation to scaling). 
  • At least 3 years in operational positions, such as running entrepreneurial innovation programs, supporting startups, or developing startup ecosystems. 
  • Extremely polished and straightforward communication –written and spoken– with different levels of stakeholders. 
  • Entrepreneurial instincts, can build from the bottom up and have experience in taking an early stage business forward. 
  • Leadership abilities and strong commercial acumen. 

Why our employees love working with us:

• We are on a mission which is bigger than all of us: to impact people’s lives in emerging markets.
• You work in an entrepreneurial culture where you’re surrounded by a vibrant and diverse team.
• We offer autonomy and flexibility with 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 applicants from historically underrepresented groups to apply to all of our roles at Seedstars.