Program Manager

Job Description

Role Purpose

The Program Manager owns the end-to-end delivery of one or more of Gemini Africa's entrepreneurship and ecosystem programs, from design and cohort recruitment through bootcamps, mentorship, demo day and close-out reporting. This is a hands-on management role accountable for the participant experience, partner relationships, budget discipline and on-time milestone delivery.

Key Responsibilities

1. End-to-End Cohort Management

• Own the full program lifecycle: work plan design, curriculum sequencing, open call and outreach, application screening, selection committees, onboarding, bootcamps, mentorship cycles, pitch preparation, demo day and alumni follow-up.
  
• Manage cohort logistics across Cairo and Upper Egypt governorates (Minya, Assiut, Sohag, Qena, Luxor, Aswan), including venues, trainers, travel, materials and participant communications.
  
• Maintain accurate cohort records, attendance, deliverable submissions and participant data in coordination with the Impact & Development team.
  

2. Stakeholder and Institutional Partner Engagement

• Serve as the primary day-to-day focal point for institutional partners, donors, corporate sponsors, ministries and government entities, academic partners and NGOs.
  
• Prepare and lead steering committee meetings, partner updates, site visits and joint communications; capture and follow through on commitments.
  
• Represent the program in ecosystem events, working groups and public sessions, and protect the organization's reputation in all external interactions.
  

3. Budget Oversight and Compliance

• Build and manage the program budget; track expenditure against approved lines, raise variances early and prepare forecasts and reallocation requests.
  
• Coordinate procurement, trainer and mentor contracting, participant disbursements and vendor payments with Finance in line with donor and internal policy.
  
• Ensure documentation is audit-ready and that program spending aligns with grant agreements and reporting cycles.
  

4. Mentor and Startup Matchmaking

• Build and curate the mentor, trainer and expert pool; onboard mentors, brief them on cohort context and manage engagement quality.
  
• Match startups and social enterprises to mentors based on sector, stage and growth need; monitor session completion and intervene where matches underperform.
  
• Facilitate access to networks, market linkages, investors and follow-on funding opportunities for cohort ventures.
  

5. Milestone Delivery and Reporting

• Translate the program logframe into an operational plan with clear owners, dependencies and dates; run weekly delivery rhythms and unblock risks early.
  
• Track program KPIs (ventures supported, training hours delivered, jobs created, revenue growth, graduation rates) with the M&E Specialist and feed results into donor narrative and financial reports.
  
• Capture lessons learned and contribute to program design iterations, concept notes and proposals for new cohorts and funding cycles.
  

6. Team and Cross-Functional Leadership

• Lead program coordinators, specialists, interns and volunteers; set priorities, coach performance and manage workload across concurrent cohorts.
  
• Coordinate closely with Communications, Finance, HR and Impact & Development to deliver an integrated participant and partner experience.
  

7. Reporting and Travel

Reports to the Programs & Operations lead. Based in Cairo with regular travel to Upper Egypt and other program governorates, and occasional regional travel.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Economics, Development Studies, Engineering or a related field; a relevant postgraduate degree or project management certification (PMP, PRINCE2, PMD Pro) is an advantage.
  
• 3-7 years of experience managing entrepreneurship, incubation, acceleration or ecosystem development programs — ideally within an ESO, incubator, accelerator, NGO, development agency or innovation hub.
  
• Demonstrated experience running donor-funded programs end to end, including work plans, budgets, procurement, partner reporting and close-out.
  
• Proven cross-functional leadership: managing teams, trainers, mentors and vendors across multiple concurrent work streams and geographies.
  
• Strong agile and adaptive planning ability — comfortable replanning mid-cohort without losing milestone commitments.
  
• Solid financial literacy: budget construction, burn tracking, variance analysis and donor compliance awareness.
  
• Excellent stakeholder management and representation skills with institutional partners, ministries, corporates and academic institutions.
  
• Working knowledge of the Egyptian and regional startup and social enterprise ecosystem, and of tools such as Business Model Canvas, Lean Startup and theory of change.
  
• Bilingual fluency in Arabic and English, written and spoken, including report writing and public facilitation in both languages.
  
• High proficiency in project management and collaboration tools (Asana, Trello, Jira, MS Office, Google Workspace); comfort with CRM or program databases.
  
• Willingness to travel frequently within Egypt, particularly to Upper Egypt governorates.
  

Requirements
Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Economics, Marketing or a related field. 1-3 years of operational experience working with early-stage startups and founders in a comparable role. Working knowledge of the Egyptian and regional startup scene: key hubs, funders, competitions, support programs, and the realities facing early-stage founders outside Greater Cairo. Solid understanding of business modelling and early-stage methodology: Business Model Canvas, Lean Startup, customer discovery, MVP thinking, basic financial modelling and unit economics. Demonstrated ability to review pitch decks and give clear, structured, constructive feedback. Excellent organizational skills: managing multiple schedules, mentors, founders and deadlines at once with strong attention to detail and reliable follow-through. Strong communication and facilitation skills in Arabic and English, written and spoken; comfortable presenting to founders and partners. Proficiency in MS Office and Google Workspace Willingness to travel within Egypt, including Upper Egypt governorates, and to work occasional evenings or weekends during bootcamps and demo days.